What Does Florida Child Support Cover?

Child support is a very important part of family law that helps ensure that children receive the financial support they need to lead healthy lives. In most cases, it is the noncustodial parent who is required to make these monthly monetary contributions. These payments cover a wide range of costs, including everything from housing and food to clothing and healthcare. Read on to learn more about the kinds of expenses child support does and does not cover.

Basic Needs 

Child support payments are used to cover all of a child’s basic needs, including the cost of:

• Food, including the cost of groceries and snacks;
• Clothing;
• Housing, which could involve covering a share of a monthly mortgage or rent payment, utility bills, or a homeowners’ insurance premium; and
• Transportation, which could involve paying for vehicle maintenance and repairs, or a percentage of a monthly car payment.

Helping with these expenses ensures that a child has a safe and comfortable living environment. These are not, however, the only things that child support payments can be used for.

Medical Care and Education 

Besides covering the basic necessities, child support payments can also be used to pay for a child’s medical expenses, including health insurance premiums, dental care, check-ups, prescription medications, and vision care. Child support payments can also contribute to a child’s educational needs, such as:

• School tuition;
• Books;
• Supplies;
• Uniforms;
• Tutoring; and
• Transportation.

By making regular child support payments, a non-custodial parent can rest assured that even when a child is with the other co-parent, he or she will be receiving adequate medical care and have access to educational resources.

Childcare and Extracurricular Activities 

Child support payments may also be used to cover the cost of childcare services, including daycare and after-school care while the parents work. In this way, the child can receive proper supervision and attention, even when the parents are absent. Similarly, child support payments can be used to pay for extracurricular activities, like sports, art classes, or music lessons. While not technically a necessary expense, these kinds of activities can play a critical role in a child’s physical, social, and mental development. Payments can also typically be used to cover reasonable age-appropriate entertainment, such as the cost of movie or amusement park tickets, summer camp, and even wifi.

What Child Support Doesn’t Cover 

It’s important for parents to realize that child support payments don’t cover all costs associated with raising a child. These payments do not, for example, cover non-essential items that go beyond a child’s needs, like expensive electronics or vacations. Extraordinary expenses, like those required to obtain specialized treatments or major medical procedures may also exceed child support payments. In these cases, the parents may need to come up with additional financial arrangements or seek a different court order.

Speak with a Florida Child Support Lawyer Today 

For help navigating the complexities of child support in Florida, please call experienced Fort Lauderdale child support attorney Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. today. You can reach out to a member of our legal team by calling our office at 954-945-7591 or by sending an online message. We are standing by and prepared to get started on your case right away.

Sources: 

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.30.html

flcourts.gov/Resources-Services/Office-of-Family-Courts/Family-Court-in-Florida/Child-Support