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 South Dakota, child support is governed by state statutes which provide guidelines to establish the financial support required from the non-custodial parent. The primary intention of child support is to cover the basic needs of the child, such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. While the South Dakota child support guidelines do not explicitly list every expense, they are designed to cover a broad range of the child's needs. Expenses such as health care, dental care, and vision care are typically considered necessary and thus are factored into the basic child support obligation. However, for additional costs like school supplies, extracurricular activities, and social activities, the law is less specific. These costs may not be directly addressed in the child support order and can be a source of dispute. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon how to handle these expenses, potentially including them in the child support order or handling them separately. If parents cannot agree, they may seek a court's intervention to resolve the matter. It is important for parents to understand that the court's primary concern is the best interests of the child, and any decision regarding additional expenses will be made with that in mind.