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 New Mexico, child support is governed by state statutes that establish guidelines to calculate the financial support owed by the non-custodial parent. The New Mexico Child Support Guidelines are designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which include food, clothing, shelter, and education. While the guidelines provide a formula for determining the amount of support, they do not explicitly list every specific expense related to raising a child. Expenses such as school supplies, health care, orthodontic care like braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical expenses, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities are generally expected to be covered by child support payments, but the allocation for these costs may not be clearly defined in the statutes. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon how to handle these additional expenses, and they may include provisions for sharing these costs in their parenting plan or settlement agreement. If parents cannot agree, they may seek a court's intervention to resolve the matter. It is advisable for parents to consult with an attorney to ensure that their child support agreement is comprehensive and addresses all potential costs associated with raising their child.