Child support is generally intended to help with the costs of raising the child—including food, clothing, shelter, and education—but laws vary from state to state and are often unclear on the extent to which child support payments are intended to help the custodial parent pay for half of school supplies, health care, braces, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation (car), daycare, sports camps, cheerleading camps, school trips, social activities, and extracurricular activities.

Most state laws (statutes) don’t identify the specific child-rearing costs to which the custodial parent is required to contribute payment from child support and other resources—and because these issues are frequently the source of parental conflict, parents should identify all expected future costs and agree to the process for sharing them.

Because child support obligations generally end when the child turns 18, moves to attend college, dies, or gets married, college expenses are generally not child support obligations. But because college tuition and the associated living expenses are substantial, some parents attempt to address these costs in divorce or other legal proceedings. Depending on the age of the child at the time of divorce and the parents’ financial resources, the funding of a 529 plan (qualified tuition plan) for the child is one option for parents to consider.

In Maryland, child support is intended to cover the basic needs of the child, which include food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state uses a Child Support Guidelines formula to calculate the amount of support, which considers the income of both parents, the number of children, and other factors. While the guidelines provide a framework, they do not explicitly list every child-rearing expense. For costs such as school supplies, health care, dental care, transportation, daycare, extracurricular activities, and other similar expenses, parents are encouraged to discuss and agree on how to share these costs. Such agreements can be included in the child support order if both parties agree and the court finds it to be in the child's best interest. Regarding college expenses, Maryland law does not typically require parents to support a child through college as child support obligations usually end when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. However, parents can voluntarily agree to contribute to post-secondary education costs, and such agreements can be enforced if they are part of a court order. Funding a 529 plan is one option parents may consider for future educational expenses, but it is not mandated by law.