All international and national child support regulations recognize that
every parent has an obligation to support his or her child. Ergo, the
custodial and non-custodial parents are required to share the
responsibility for their child(ren)'s expenses.
Support monies collected are expected to be used for the child's
expenses, including food, shelter, clothing and educational needs. They
are not meant to function as "spending money" for the child. Courts have
held that it is acceptable for child support payments to be used to
indirectly benefit the custodial parent. For example, child support monies
may be used to heat the child's residence, even if this means that other
people also benefit from living in a heated home.
Child support orders may earmark funds for specific items for the
child, such as school fees, day care or medical expenses. In some cases,
non-custodial parents may pay for these items directly. For example, they
may pay tuition fees directly to their child's school, rather than
remitting money for the tuition to the custodial parent. Orders may also
require each parent to assume a percentage of expenses for various needs.
For instance, in the U.S. State of Massachusetts, custodial parents are
required to pay for the first $100 of annual uninsured medical costs
incurred by each child. Only then will the courts consider authorizing
child-support money from a non-custodial parent to be used for said costs.
Many American universities also consider non-custodial parents to be
partially responsible for paying college costs, and will consider their
income in their financial aid determinations. In certain states,
non-custodial parents may be ordered by the court to assist with these
expenses.
In the United States, non-custodial parents may receive a medical order
that requires them to add their children to their health insurance plans.
In some states both parents are responsible for providing medical
insurance for the child/children. If both parents possess health coverage,
the child may be added to the more beneficial plan, or use one to
supplement the other. Children of active or retired members of the U.S.
armed forces are also eligible for health coverage as military dependents,
and may be enrolled in the DEERS program at no cost to the non-custodial
parent.
Accountability regulations for child support money vary by country and
state. In some jurisdictions, such as Australia and custodial parents are
trusted to use support payments in the best interest of the child, and
thus are not required to provide details on specific purchases. In other
jurisdictions, a custodial parent might legally be required to give
specific details on how child support money is spent at the request of the
court or the non-custodial parent. In the United States, 10 states
(Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington) allow courts to demand an accounting on
expenses and spending from custodial parents. Additionally, Alabama courts
have authorized such accounting under certain specific circumstances.
