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 Virginia, child support is intended to cover the basic needs of the child, which include food, clothing, shelter, and education. The Virginia Code provides guidelines for determining the amount of child support, which take into account the income of both parents and the needs of the child. However, the law does not provide an exhaustive list of specific child-rearing expenses. As such, the custodial parent typically uses child support payments to contribute to a range of costs associated with raising the child, including but not limited to school supplies, healthcare, dental care, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon the handling of these additional expenses, especially since they can be a source of conflict. Regarding college expenses, Virginia law does not generally require child support to cover post-secondary education costs. Child support obligations usually end when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever comes later, but not beyond the age of 19. However, parents can voluntarily agree to contribute to college expenses, and instruments like a 529 plan can be used to save for the child's education as part of a divorce settlement or other legal agreements.