What Is Child Support?
A plain-English primer on what child support is, who pays it, what it covers, and how it differs from other family-law obligations.
Child support is a court-ordered payment from one parent to the other to help cover the cost of raising a child after separation or divorce. It is not a penalty and it is not “alimony” — it exists to keep the child’s standard of living as close as possible to what it would have been if the parents lived together.
Who pays, and to whom?
The parent with less parenting time (the “obligor”) typically pays support to the parent with primary custody (the “obligee”). In shared-custody arrangements the amount is usually adjusted by how much time each parent has the child, but the obligation generally does not disappear.
What does it cover?
- Housing, food, and clothing for the child
- Health insurance and uninsured medical expenses
- Child care so a parent can work or attend school
- Educational expenses and, in some states, extracurricular activities
Child support is calculated by a formula set in each state’s guidelines — not by a judge’s mood. Start with your state’s calculator: pick your state to see the exact model that applies to you.