Do Birthday Gifts Or School Supplies Count As Child Support?

Do Birthday Gifts Or School Supplies Count As Child Support?

There is much confusion for some individuals as to what child support is and what is not. Let’s take a little time to go over the facts:
In your child support court order, the judge determined a specific amount for the non-custodial parent to pay. It could be a weekly or monthly amount to be paid direct to you or to be paid to the county and then sent on to you. In some cases, medical, tuition and child care costs are also included in the order as an additional amount to be paid for the care of the child. These are the only costs that can be considered child support. If the non-custodial parent is not paying his support but does provide a birthday gift or school supplies for the child, these are gifts, not child support.
So, be sure to keep accurate records of all child support payments and also record any “gifts” the non-custodial parent may provide. Good records are really important as your try to recover the support that you are owed and deserve.