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 Vermont, child support is designed to cover the costs associated with raising a child, such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. While Vermont law does not provide an exhaustive list of specific child-rearing expenses that must be covered by child support, the payments are generally intended to contribute to a broad range of needs, including health care and extracurricular activities. The custodial parent is typically expected to use child support funds to contribute to these costs, but the specifics can often be a point of contention. Parents are encouraged to proactively discuss and agree upon how to handle the sharing of various child-related expenses. In Vermont, child support obligations usually end when the child reaches the age of majority, which is 18, or when the child becomes emancipated through events like marriage or attending college. College expenses are not typically considered part of child support. However, parents may address the issue of college funding through divorce settlements or other legal agreements, and one common strategy is to fund a 529 college savings plan for the child's education.