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 Kentucky, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which include food, clothing, and shelter. The Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) provide guidelines for determining the amount of child support, which is based on the income of both parents and the needs of the child. While the statutes do not list every specific expense, they do imply that child support should also contribute to educational costs, health care, and other necessary expenses related to the child's well-being. However, the law is not explicit about costs such as school supplies, extracurricular activities, and social events. These types of expenses are often addressed during the child support order process or through additional agreements between the parents. If parents cannot agree on how to share these costs, they may need to seek a modification of the child support order or resolve the matter through mediation or court intervention. An attorney can provide guidance on how to include these additional expenses in a child support arrangement in Kentucky.