Once a Wisconsin court establishes a child support order, support payments will be distributed via direct deposit or state-issued debit card. Under Wisconsin law, a parent must support his or her child until the child is 18, or until age 19 if the child is still in high school or a GED program. Thus, child support is a long-term financial arrangement; it is important that parents understand what it covers.
In general, child support covers a wide range of expenses that contribute to a child’s well-being. Those expenses can generally be divided into two categories: basic necessities and secondary necessities. Child support covers expenses in both categories, even if the recipient parent shares some of those expenses, such as housing, with the child. Food, medical care, shelter and clothing are considered basic necessities. Medical expenses include regular costs associated with insurance as well as extraordinary medical expenses such as surgery, deductibles, orthodontics and eyeglasses. Child support may be used to pay for both types of medical expenses.
Child support may also be used for secondary necessities, including child care, educational expenses such as school supplies and tuition, extracurricular activities such as sports and music lessons, transportation and travel for school and extracurricular activities, and basic entertainment. Child support orders may contain specific guidance for sharing the cost of these expenses, but a parent also usually has the option of using child support payments for these secondary necessities.
If a parent has questions about how to use child support payments or about how the other parent is spending child support payments, a family law attorney may be able to provide guidance on Wisconsin child support law. Family law attorneys can also identify appropriate justifications for modifying existing child support orders when the established amount is too low or too high.
Source: Findlaw, “What Does Child Support Cover?“, December 24, 2014
