Dos anyone know what child support is supposed to be used for?

Question

I am not talking about alamony which is used to maintain the quality of life that the ex had before divorce. Is it supposed to be used for car payments, rent, and utilities? I am of the impressions that partial rent, clothes and activities for the children is its intent.

Answer 1

I think it should be put in a college fund for the children and not touched. I think child support is VERY misused. I don't think it should in ANYWAY support the parent of the child, which means it shouldn't be applied to the rent, car payments, utilities, etc. after all that parent would need all that, child or not. It should all be used to better the life of the child and for the child's needs only. I see so much of it just wasted away.

Answer 2

I believe all the answers are correct. I think it is ok for the money to be used for a car payment if necessary but only IF the child has adequate clothing, food school supplies, etc. I think it's fine for rent and utilities because the child need those things as well to live in decent surroundings. Child support should be used for the well-being of the child. Now if it is being used for the adult that receives to go to the beauty/barber shop, a night out on the town, nails, etc., then I would feel THEN there is a problem.

Answer 3

Child support is meant to go towards the things that kids need. They need a roof over their heads, food in their bellies, clothes on their backs, and toys to play with. Yes, you are able to use the child support to help pay for the rent and bills as long as you are still using it to by the child clothes and toys and fun stuff like that. I suppose that you could pay the car payment with that money, but that could be questionable since you get alamony.

Answer 4

It is the custodial parent's own liberty to use the money how they see fit for the benefit of the child.

Respectfully speaking... and not knowing how much support was granted... typically while child support can be an expensive cost for the non custodial parent... it is far more costly on the custodial parent to provide properly and raise a child or children. The court determines the amount of child support based on each individuals income and cost... however it doesn't give them authority over deciding how the custodial parent should budget and live to meet such cost.

In my opinion if you have children and get divorced, money should be the least of concerns for both parties involved... the greater issue is making certain that you both fulfill your commitment and obligations to your kid(s). Squabbling over money for any reason... will not benefit anyone and chances are it will not help the situation... in fact it can only hender the process of healing from a broken marriage.

Although people get divorced for many reasons. It ultimately comes down to 2 people being unhappy with how things were in marriage and wanting the pain or suffering to end... it's unfortunate to divorce... if both parties aren't willing to make it end... marriage starts with love if it should end it should be done with love too.

It's only money!!! My advice worry more about how you spend your life... not your money. Life is short and we ALL only have once to live it:)

Good Luck and best wishes!

Answer 5

How do you know she spends child support money on her clothing and not her own money? Is there a way you can tell the difference between the two? What is child support money used for? It's used to help with the financial cost of raising a child. This means the higher rent that your mother pays so she can have a 2 bedroom place and you have your own room instead of a 1 bedroom place for just herself. It's for the increased cost in utilities since you use electricity, gas, and water yourself, and she has to pay more for that increase. It's for the grocery bill since you need to eat, and that means more food she now buys instead what she would buy herself. It for the extra cost in transportation to take you to school and home, to a friends house for a birthday party, to the store to buy you new clothes and such, and so on. It's for the medical and dental care increase, not only for visits to the doctor and co-pay/deductibles, but also over the counter medication you may need when you have a cold or flu. And it's for all the other costs that your mother pays because of the privilege she has to raise you. If you feel that the money is being used improperly, then you need to let your father know about it, and then let him do what he wants about it. Until then, talk to your father about clothing if your mother refuses and you don't have money for it yourself.

Answer 6

Regardless of what it is intended, the fact of the matter is that once it gets to the woman's hands, she can spend it in any way that she chooses. The courts will look at this as reimbursement for money already spent on the child. I only know of one case that was so totally ridicules that not only was the child support stopped by the man, but the child was awarded to him also. He was employed with a very handsome income and therefore payed a very high amount for his children's support. It was proven in the court that this woman was using the money to purchase drugs for resale so that she didn't have to work. This is like 1 from 1000,000 where the money had to be accountable though.

Answer 7

You would be correct, having a car is important to your kids to get them to appointments, rent they need a place to live and utilities they need heat, electric etc it is also used for clothes and activities for the children. I take it your one of the two a man or woman who is having problems with what their ex is doing with the child support or the person recieving child support that is getting a hard time about what the child support is suppose to go for. In my opinion anything that benefits the childrens way of life it can be used on.

Answer 8

What about if your owed over $10,000 and get $250.00 here and there does it really matter what the moneys used for when you been paying for things all along?
And I`m sure what ever you pay isn`t going to cover 100% of the rent car payment, utilities,hair cuts,clothes,movies, field trips,food, ect, ect, ect, ect................so I`m sure shes paying out of her pocket too

If you was still married you would be still putting out this money plus more ......DO you NOT know how much it costs to raise a child....IN the long run the parent that has the child is the one putting out more money..EX.more food,using more electric,more water,more gas to take child to place they may want to go...people Don`t think about these things


I`m sorry to say but if you brought this up in court the judge would tel you it was none of your business what was done with the money.....Try it and see

Answer 9

Child support is supposed to be used for half of the child up keep. Which would be, the child's part of rent, electric, water, food. As well as keeping the child clothed and in with supplies the child needs. The child's part of these things does NOT mean all of the rent and other bills.

I know that some woman see child support as "their" money. But, it truly is NOT. I also know that many times it is not used on the child or the child's up keep. Which is wrong.

I have been reading others responses and I am starting to understand why the system is going down so low. I am a child of a mother who thought that the child support payments were "her" money to do with as she choose. She took her "boyfriend" to amusement parks and bought his kids things and mailed it to them, bought the boyfriend cigarettes all on the child support payments. My father made a good hunk of money so the payments were really good. Needless, to say my brother and I suffered due to it.

Child Support is for the child. Not to pay for your car payment or for your part of the rent. Basically, it is NOT for your bills, it is for them. Car payments are not necessary. You can take public transportation to get them to Dr's appointments.

Answer 10

Child support is supposed to be used for what ever the child needs. Toys, food, a roof over his/her head, an out to dinner night, school supplies, clothes. As long as it is not used only on the other parent, it is being used correctly. Make the child's life as happy as you can. The family is already broken. I suggest that a few $$ gos into a bank account too for the child.