Pennsylvania parents who get a divorce will also need to go through the process of figuring out child support payments. These payments are designed to alleviate some of the financial stress that results from a house’s income suddenly being halved. But do child support payments make up for all of the missing costs?
The short answer: no. Child support payments are essentially an estimation of how much raising your child will cost, and as HuffPost states, there is no real way to determine how expensive it will be to raise your kid. Traditional child support payments relying on this system of estimation may not be enough to cover everything. Surprise costs can include things like car accidents or sudden illnesses or hospital visits.
Of course, there are non-crucial activities that require money as well. These things aren’t usually added into the budget for child support, leaving you scrambling to make up the difference or getting stuck asking your ex-spouse to step up and pitch in a little more. Additional expenses include things like:
- Extracurricular activities like sports or clubs
- Tutoring or private classes
- Musical lessons and instruments
- Yearbooks, photobooks, graduation expenses
- College tuition funds
These aren’t basic necessities in the way food, clothing, and personal hygiene items are. Therefore, they aren’t usually prioritized or sometimes even considered when you’re drafting out what money goes where in a child support payment plan. When crafting yours, be sure to consider these extra expenses, because they do add up in the end.
For more information, contact Louis Wm. Martini, attorney at law.