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Understanding Child Support |
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Child support comes in two varietiesdirect and indirect. When the noncustodial parent sends money directly to the custodial parent on a regular basisevery week, every other week, or every monththe child support is direct. |
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Indirect child support, on the other hand, involves payments made to third parties for expenses like school tuition, camp, lessons, after-school activities, and health care costs. |
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If you are the custodial parent, you may wonder whether you're better off receiving a larger amount of direct support and paying the third parties yourself, or letting your former spouse make those payments and getting less direct support. Conceptually, it is nearly always better for the custodial parent to receive sufficient funds from the non-custodial parent to pay tuition, school activities, or camp. It is more than simply the money; it is a question of control. Consider the pros and cons: |
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| Custodial Parent | | Pro | Con | | If your former spouse pays the third party directly and those expenses increase, he or she will pay the increase. | If what you receive includes amounts to be paid to the third parties, and the costs of those third-party expenses rise, you may have to bear the increase. |
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(table continued on next page) |
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