Will she get the kids? How often will I be able to see them? Who will pay for what? When divorce and children mix, many questions arise, and after custody, the most important issue is child support.

Because the laws regarding child support are complicated and vary from state to state, it’s essential to enlist the help of a child support lawyer.

But to help you in the meantime, here are some basic child support facts you need to know.

What Child Support Covers

Child support laws vary from state to state, but support payments usually cover necessities, such as food, clothing, shelter or other basic necessities.

What Child Support Does Not Cover

You may find yourself in a situation when you’re making your monthly child support payments, but your ex is still asking for money to pay for other things: a new sports uniform, a medical bill not covered by insurance, or some other extraneous expense.

First, if this happens, it’s important to know that the court will usually not count these informal payments towards your monthly child support bill. So if you give your ex the money, you will probably end up paying your full monthly child support as well.

Second, in most states, extracurricular activities, uninsured medical expenses and educational costs are not intended to be covered by child support anyway.

So, depending on the wording of your court order, you may or may not be required to make any of these types of payments to your ex.

What She Can Do With Your Child Support Payments

Many men complain that their exes aren’t just using their child support payments to support the child. They’re using them to buy new outfits for themselves and get their nails done as well.

Unfortunately, if this happens to you, there’s not much you can do about it. There are no laws that specify how child support must be spent. So, if your ex wants to get a pedicure with your child support payment, she can.

But if she’s not adequately feeding, clothing or sheltering your child, then that changes things. In that instance, contact your child support lawyer or divorce attorney immediately.