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, glasses, 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.

In Illinois, child support is governed by state statutes that aim to ensure both parents contribute to the costs of raising their child. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act provides guidelines for determining the amount of child support, which considers the income of both parents and the needs of the child. Child support payments are intended to cover basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter, as well as additional expenses related to the child's well-being, including education, health care, and extracurricular activities. While the law provides a framework for calculating support, it does not list every specific expense. Therefore, it is common for parents to address and negotiate the sharing of additional costs like school supplies, medical expenses, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities during the child support determination process or through subsequent agreements. If parents cannot agree, they may seek a court's intervention to decide how these costs should be divided. It is advisable for parents to clearly outline the handling of these expenses in their child support agreement to minimize future conflicts.