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, glasses, 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.

In Nevada, child support is designed to cover a child's basic needs, which include food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's child support guidelines are established to ensure that children receive adequate support from their non-custodial parent. However, the specifics of what child support payments must cover beyond these basics can be less clear. Nevada law does not provide an exhaustive list of child-rearing expenses that must be covered by child support. Expenses such as school supplies, health care, orthodontics, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical costs, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities are often not explicitly detailed in the statutes. As a result, parents are encouraged to discuss and agree upon how to handle these additional expenses. In cases where parents cannot agree, the court may decide based on the best interests of the child. It is advisable for parents to consult with an attorney to draft a comprehensive agreement that addresses the division of these costs and to seek court approval of the agreement to ensure enforceability.