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 Maine, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state follows the Income Shares Model, which means that the child support amount is determined based on the proportion of each parent's income to the combined parental income. Maine's child support guidelines provide a framework for calculating support but do not explicitly list all specific child-rearing expenses such as school supplies, health care, braces, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities. These additional expenses are often negotiated between parents and may be included in the child support order if agreed upon or deemed necessary by the court. When it comes to college expenses, Maine does not typically include post-secondary education costs in child support obligations, as child support generally ends when the child reaches the age of majority, which is 18, or graduates from high school, whichever is later. However, parents are free to make arrangements for college expenses, such as contributing to a 529 plan, as part of their divorce or separation agreement.