Michigan parents often prioritize the health and safety of their kids when going through divorces and separations. It can be monumentally hard to ensure that a child does not suffer during a major family transition, but there are tools under the law that can smooth disagreements about how a child’s post-divorce life should look. Those tools are child custody and child support.
While child custody concerns where a child will live and who can make decisions about their care, child support concerns the financial support of the child in their new life. Child support has many uses and can be applied to several child-related expenses that benefit the life of the child.
Basic needs
Often, child support is used to provide a child with their most basic needs. It can be used to keep a roof over their head and food on their plate. Child support can be used to buy a child clothing and shoes and to ensure that they have the other important resources they need to be healthy and thriving.
Educational needs
Child support can also be used for educational expenses. Even if a child does not go to a private school or one that requires tuition, child support can be used to buy school supplies or materials. Calculators, backpacks, and everything else related to school may be purchased with child support money.
Healthcare needs
During child support negotiations, parents will establish who will and how to ensure that their child has health insurance. Child support money may also be used to pay medical bills and out-of-pocket costs related to the medical care of a child.
There is a broad range of expenses that may be paid for with child support. When questions come up, parents should seek clarification from legal professionals familiar with their child support cases.