Child Support: The Additional Expenses You Should Be Aware Of
Hi there,
Third in our outline of topics to consider when getting divorced are additional, child related expenses. The child support monies are intended to cover food, shelter and clothing; but as anyone who has raised a child knows, that is only the beginning. Some of these expenses should be shared with the other parent.
Uninsured medical expenses:
According to the child support guidelines, the primary caretaker of the kids pays the first $250 per year for all the kids in combined routine uninsured medical and dental expenses. After that, the parents divide the costs equally. This sounds simple, but it can result in accounting and repayment problems. Be sure to keep all records of bills paid and be sure to submit the bills for timely payment both to the other parent and the insurance company if you need to. Since insurance companies differ wildly in their requirements, as do medical and dental providers, it is best to consider your situation from both aspects and have some language in your agreement that takes care of all forseen possibilities.
Extracurricular activities, and other costs:
These are no longer considered to be part of child support, so it is necessary to have an agreement on what extracurricular activities the kids will have. Other costs can include sports gear, art supplies, etc. that are necessary for the planned activities; it can also cover such things as summers abroad and church trips, the list goes on and on. A good rule of thumb is to try and keep the kids lives as stable as possible, so if you can, at least keep them in their current activities. You should have both a mechanism for agreement on the activities, and also a mechanism for division of payment.
