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 Montana (MT), child support is governed by state statutes that establish guidelines for determining the amount of support to be paid, which is intended to cover the basic needs of the child such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. While the law provides a framework for calculating child support, it does not typically itemize specific child-rearing expenses such as school supplies, health care, braces, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities. These costs are often addressed during the negotiation process of a divorce or custody agreement, and parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon how to share these additional expenses. In Montana, child support obligations generally end when the child reaches the age of majority (18 years old), graduates from high school, or becomes self-supporting, whichever occurs later, but not beyond 19 years of age. College expenses are not typically included in child support obligations in Montana, but parents can make arrangements for post-secondary education costs, such as contributing to a 529 plan, as part of their divorce or custody agreements.