A parent who pays child support usually wants to be sure that the money he or she is paying is actually going to the child’s needs. This is something that is often difficult because the parent who receives the child support usually isn’t required to provide proof that the money is actually going to the child.
While most parents who receive financial support for a child do use the money for the child, there are some cases in which this doesn’t happen. The paying parent might decide that enough is enough and want to take action. If you are in this position, consider these points:
Child support can be used to pay housing costs. The parent who receives the child support can use the money to pay the rent or mortgage, as well as all utility bills. This might not seem fair to you, but the money is going to pay for your child to have a place to live. The situation might be infuriating if your ex has a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend, but there might not be much you can do about this.
Child support can be used to pay for food, education costs and extracurricular activities for the child. When it comes to food, it isn’t likely that the parent will have the child’s food separated from other food, so it might seem like you are paying for food for everyone. This isn’t likely unless your child support is considerably high and the receiving parent doesn’t have any other bills for the child.
Of course, you can turn to the court with your concerns when you know that the parent is mishandling child support funds. Make sure that you learn about the specifics of these types of cases so that you can plan appropriately.
Source: LiveSTRONG, “Rights of a Non-custodial Parent Paying Child Support,” J. E. Myers, accessed July 06, 2017
