Raising children is an expensive endeavor, even if both parents have an income to help support them. Parents who go through a divorce will usually have to follow a child support order. This is meant to ensure that both adults are contributing to the financial obligations that come with children.
One misconception is that the child support payments are for the receiving parent. In fact, the parent who gets the payments is only receiving them for the child. The money is meant to cover things like the child’s necessities, school fees, entertainment and similar costs.
The parent who gets the support payments may comingle the money with other household money. This can make it look like they are using the money for other expenses, but this usually isn’t the case. In order to determine what’s going on, you have to ask yourself if the child has what they need. If the kids are being taken care of, there is little chance that the child support money is being misused.
As part of the child support order, one parent is usually required to carry health insurance on the kids. There’s still a chance that other medical care costs, such as deductibles and co-pays, will occur. The method for handling these should be covered in the court order so that both parents know what to do.
It’s imperative that both parents understand the order. Asking questions as soon as you have them may help you to ensure that you’re remaining in compliance. Remember, it is sometimes possible to modify a child support order if the financial situation of either parent significantly changes.
