Child support is generally intended to help with the costs of raising the child—including food, clothing, shelter, and education—but laws vary from state to state and are often unclear on the extent to which child support payments are intended to help the custodial parent pay for half of school supplies, health care, braces, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation (car), daycare, sports camps, cheerleading camps, school trips, social activities, and extracurricular activities.

Most state laws (statutes) don’t identify the specific child-rearing costs to which the custodial parent is required to contribute payment from child support and other resources—and because these issues are frequently the source of parental conflict, parents should identify all expected future costs and agree to the process for sharing them.

Because child support obligations generally end when the child turns 18, moves to attend college, dies, or gets married, college expenses are generally not child support obligations. But because college tuition and the associated living expenses are substantial, some parents attempt to address these costs in divorce or other legal proceedings. Depending on the age of the child at the time of divorce and the parents’ financial resources, the funding of a 529 plan (qualified tuition plan) for the child is one option for parents to consider.

In Georgia, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's child support laws are outlined in the Georgia Code, which provides guidelines for calculating child support obligations based on the income of both parents, the needs of the child, and other relevant factors. While the law does not explicitly list every specific child-rearing expense, it does imply that child support should cover a child's necessary living expenses. Georgia law also allows for the inclusion of additional expenses such as health insurance, medical costs, and educational expenses in the child support calculation. Parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon the handling of extra costs like extracurricular activities, school supplies, and uninsured medical expenses to prevent conflicts. Regarding college expenses, Georgia does not typically require parents to provide support for a child in college as child support obligations usually end when the child turns 18, graduates from high school, marries, or becomes emancipated, whichever occurs later. However, parents can voluntarily agree to contribute to post-secondary education costs, and such agreements can be incorporated into the final divorce decree. Funding a 529 plan is one option parents might consider for future educational expenses.