Other than custody issues, child support is easily the most difficult issues encountered by divorcing couples. In a nutshell, child support is supposed to cover the basic necessities in a child’s life, help a custodial parent offset the costs of raising a child. Essentially, it follows a public policy practice that both parents are tasked with the obligation of financially supporting a child until he or she reaches the age of majority.
While parents may understand this, they may have deep-seeded disagreements about how much money this entails. They may also question (especially the parent who is paying support) why child support is so expensive.
Child support is essentially comprised of three elements: basic support, which covers the basic necessities; medical support, which covers expenses related to dental care healthcare premiums, as well as unreimbursed medical expenses (e.g. hospital stays, prescription payments); and child care costs, which cover day care expenses.
Many parents consider only the money that would be expended for basic support. Moreover, they may believe that basic support should be incorporated into educational expenses and extracurricular activities such as sports programs and dance lessons. However, these expenses are not necessarily considered in the framework of “basic necessities.”
Moreover, the costs of daycare are inherently expensive. It is not unusual to spend $1000 per month on child care. As such, the combination of costs between basic support, medical support and child care support could dramatically change the amount recommended under Texas’ statutory guidelines.
If you have questions about your support obligation, or whether it could be modified, an experienced family law attorney can assist.
Source: DivorceSupport.com, What does child support cover
