Kentucky Child Support: Who pays for extra-curricular activities?
Child support is one of the most contested issues in a Kentucky divorce case even though Kentucky has standard Child Support Guidelines that provide for the calculation of child support. In many cases who should pay for expenses such as medical care, childcare, school expenses, and extra-curricular activities become an issue. The child support guidelines do not specifically state who should pay for these expenses nor how these expenses are to be divided between each parent.
It is important that you retain a divorce attorney who has extensive experience in Kentucky contested child support cases to ensure that you receive or pay the correct amount of child support. The family law attorneys of Musselwhite Meinhart & Staples, PSC have extensive experience representing clients in complex child support cases where every expense is challenged and litigated. Contact our office to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your legal options.
Calculating Payment of Extra-Curricular Activities and Other Expenses in a Kentucky Child Support Case
Kentucky child support guidelines cover some expenses related to your child such as childcare expenses and medical expenses. The law requires that judges divide reasonable childcare costs between both parents proportionate to their income. Medical expenses that are not covered by health insurance are typically divided between the parents as well.
There is not a provision for dividing the cost of extra-curricular activities (i.e. sports, entertainment, etc.), school expenses, birthday presents, and other normal expenses that every parent pays for their child. It is in the best interest of the child if the parents can arrive at an amicable agreement as to how the expense for extra-curricular activities and other expenses will be divided. Sometimes a mediator can help the parents accomplish this goal.
Can a Parent Use Child Support Payments on Expenses Not Directly Related to the Child?
Just as the child support guidelines do not dictate how to divide miscellaneous expenses, the guidelines do not dictate that child support is spent solely on the child’s expenses. The parent paying child support does not have a legal right to an accounting of how the child support payments are used each month. Therefore, a parent can use child support payments to pay the rent, mortgage, buy groceries, and other household expenses. Kentucky courts have ruled that child support is intended to support the child by financially supporting the “household.”
A parent who is receiving child support can decide whether to use those funds to pay the expense of extra-curricular activities, purchase clothing for the child, pay for entertainment for the child, or pay household expenses to provide a safe home for the child.
Contact an Experienced Kentucky Child Support Attorney
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The family law attorneys of Musselwhite Meinhart & Staples, PSC have over 50 years of combined legal experience helping clients with child support issues. You can trust that you are receiving effective, efficient, and compassionate legal representation when you need it the most.
Our law firm represents clients throughout central Kentucky. Contact us at our Radcliff and Elizabethtown Office in Hardin County at (270) 351-6032 or toll-free at 1-800-754-HELP to schedule a free bankruptcy consultation. You may also contact our office through our convenient online contact form.