Child Support Expenses, Extraordinary Costs, and College
Understanding Basic Child Support in North Carolina
Child support is an income-sharing model between parents to allow each parent to provide financial support for a child as if they were still living together and to provide a minimum standard of care in each home.
To determine a parent’s child support payments owed to the other parent, the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines factor each parent’s monthly gross income, the cost of health insurance coverage for a child, the costs of any work-related child care each parent incurs, any extraordinary expenses for a child, whether either parent has other children not a party to the calculation, and the number of overnights each parent has with the child.
Health, Dental, and Insurance Coverage
When a parent carries health, dental, or vision insurance for a child, that cost is factored into the child support obligation. If the child’s insurance benefits are combined with a parent’s or on a family plan, only the premium attributed to the child is applied to the calculation. When a child is covered on “employee plus child” or a “family plan”, the child’s cost is typically found by dividing the total persons covered by the policy by the total health insurance premium costs, multiplied by the number of minor children for whom support is being calculated.
Payments made by a parent’s employer are not included, although payments by a parent’s spouse can be considered when calculating child support.
Judges must order either parent to obtain medical insurance coverage for a child if it is available to that parent at a reasonable cost. Courts may also require one to maintain dental and vision insurance coverage for a minor child.
Uninsured Medical, Dental, and Vision Costs
Reasonable and necessary medical expenses for care that is not covered by insurance are often split between parents and ordered by the court. These costs include co-pays, prescriptions, counseling or psychiatric therapy for diagnosed mental disorders, physical therapy, dental care and orthodontia, asthma treatments, and any other uninsured medical expenses. Generally, medical expenses recommended by a physician are considered reasonable and necessary costs to be shared by the parents.
Under most calculations, this split is made proportional to each parent’s respective income, but it can be split equally as the Court deems appropriate. Typically, when a parent incurs such expenses, they provide the other with the cost of any medical expenses, and the other parent reimburses the paying parent within a fixed time period.
Work-Related Childcare Costs
Costs related to childcare for a parent to work, or to seek work, are included in every North Carolina Child Support Guidelines calculation. These costs include regular childcare, Pre-K programs, nannies, or before-or-after school care from a child’s school. Although work-related child care costs can differ throughout the year, the amount is typically calculated based on the total annual cost incurred.
Extracurricular Activity and Summer Camp Expenses
Under Worksheet B of the child support guidelines, where parents share joint physical custody, there is a presumed “true sharing” of all child expenses, which include extracurricular activities and summer camps. In many child support agreements reached between parents, they agree to share, in some proportion, mutually agreed-upon extracurricular and summer camp costs. In those situations, each parent is given due regard and consideration of the other’s requested activities and, if they agree for children to participate, the parents share in that cost.
Extraordinary Expenses
Extraordinary expenses on behalf of a child may also be added to the basic child support obligation and prorated based on the parent’s income. These other extraordinary expenses include expenses related to special or private school to meet a child’s particular educational needs, or expenses for transporting the child between the parents’ homes if one parent lives far away from where the child lives. For these other extraordinary expenses to apply, a Judge must find the expenses are reasonable, necessary, and in the best interest of the minor child.
These extraordinary expenses are determined on a case-by-case basis, and the specific circumstances of each particular case are different. Even if a Court finds an extraordinary expense is in the child’s best interest, the Court must also factor the parent’s ability to pay that cost.
In cases of high combined income parents, the cost of private school tuition is often sought as an extraordinary expense if a child’s private school is part of the accustomed standard of living and education. Judges can order one parent to pay the entire expense or split the cost in such proportion as they find fair and reasonable.
If the noncustodial parent lives significantly far away from the custodial parent and must fly and stay in hotels to effectuate the custody schedule, travel expenses for the noncustodial parent to carry out the physical custody schedule can also be incorporated into the child support obligation.
The court may also find that a child’s chronic health problems and the associated uninsured medical care costs are extraordinary expenses. If a child is severely disabled, has a chronic illness, or unique developmental needs that require additional care, those types of costs can be considered as extraordinary expenses rather than uninsured medical expenses to be shared based on a parent’s gross income.
Child Support Deviation for Extraordinary Expenses
The Child Support Guidelines establish a rebuttable presumption that the child support obligation calculated by the Guidelines is the proper amount of child support. While extraordinary expenses can be specifically included in the Guidelines and child support schedule, depending on the amount and frequency of the expenses, a Court may deviate from the Guidelines to determine a new child support amount.
After making findings as to the reasonable needs of the child and the ability of each parent to provide support, a Court can deviate from the presumptive child support amount if the court finds that applying the Guidelines would not meet, or would exceed, the reasonable needs of the child considering each parent’s ability to provide support or if the presumptive child support amount is unjust or inappropriate.
If a Judge deviates from the Guidelines, they must make specific findings as to why the basic child support amount is not appropriate, such as a parent having a very low income, a parent is being imputed income, a child’s exceptional needs or childcare costs, or the standard of living the child is accustomed to.
College Tuition and Other Expenses
In North Carolina, the court does not have authority to order either parent to pay for a child’s college tuition or other college-related expenses as part of an order to pay child support. Given that child support terminates when a child reaches the age of eighteen or graduates from high school, whichever occurs last, parents’ obligation to continue to provide support ends, and thus Judges cannot order either parent to pay for college.
However, while Judges cannot order such on their own, parents can agree in a contract, a Separation Agreement, or a Consent Order to pay for college tuition and other college-related expenses. These costs can be split in the same proportion as uninsured medical costs and extracurricular costs, or in any other fashion that the parents agree on.
Miller Cushing Holladay’s Approach to Child Support Expenses
At Miller Cushing Holladay, our Charlotte family law attorneys regularly assist clients with all aspects of their divorce and family law matters, including the critical issue of child support. We recognize that child support is not just a financial obligation—it’s a fundamental component of your child’s well-being and your financial stability. From the outset of your case, we will work with you to understand your goals and concerns regarding support as we develop a strategy tailored to your family’s unique needs.
Our Charlotte child support lawyers will guide you through the entire child support process, from calculating initial obligations to addressing enforcement of child support, modification of child support, or even deviations from the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines. Whether you are the parent seeking support or the parent being asked to provide it, we will take the time to explain the law, review all relevant financials, and ensure that your rights are fully protected.
Resolving Child Support Inside or Outside of Court
Whenever possible, we help clients resolve child support issues through negotiation or mediation. Our Charlotte family law attorneys are skilled at drafting clear, enforceable agreements that reflect not only legal obligations but also practical considerations unique to your family dynamic.
In cases where agreement cannot be reached, we are fully prepared to vigorously represent you in court. Whether establishing, modifying, or enforcing support, we will zealously advocate for your rights to ensure fair and reasonable child support is ordered.
Why Choose Miller Cushing Holladay for Child Support Expense Matters?
Child support can be one of the most emotionally and financially significant issues in a family law case. At Miller Cushing Holladay, we bring over 80 years of combined experience to your case. Our firm’s entire practice is devoted to family law, which means that every attorney at our firm is deeply familiar with the legal and financial nuances of child support in North Carolina.
Our experience becomes especially important in cases involving self-employed or high-income parents, children with special medical or educational needs, disputes over imputed income or voluntary underemployment, and requests for deviation from the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines. In these situations, applying the law requires more than a formula—it requires strategy, insight, and precision.
Throughout the child support process, we focus on open communication with our clients. From your first consultation, we will work with you to define your goals, explain your legal rights and responsibilities, and chart a course forward in your case. Along the way, we will provide breakdowns of child support calculations, walk you through available options, and keep a cost-benefit approach in mind at every stage. Our goal is not just to tell you what’s possible—instead, we will help you weigh each option based on the benefit you stand to gain from any action versus the cost of taking such a step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between basic child support and “extraordinary expenses” in North Carolina?
Basic child support is intended to cover the routine expenses of raising a child, such as groceries, rent or mortgage payments, utilities, clothing, and other standard living expenses incurred on behalf of children. On the other hand, extraordinary expenses include certain expenses which are beyond those typical for all children but which might be important in a specific child’s life, such as certain educational expenses (ex., private school tuition, tutoring, etc.) or even abnormal travel costs associated with custody exchanges (ex., plane fights for visitation).
Are health insurance premiums included in North Carolina child support calculations?
Yes, the amount a parent or their spouse pays for a child or children for health, dental, and vision insurance is credited when calculating child support, such that a parent paying for insurance typically receives more child support if they are the party receiving child support, or pays less child support if they are the party paying child support.
How are work-related childcare costs factored into child support?
Depending on the Child Support Worksheet applied, each parent may receive credit for work-related childcare costs they pay for their child. For example, the parent who pays child support may receive credit for work-related childcare they cover, such that they pay less in child support, whereas the parent who receives child support may receive additional child support to compensate for their own childcare costs.
What qualifies as an “extraordinary medical expense” in North Carolina?
An extraordinary medical expense might refer to medical expenses that are beyond typical or routine uninsured medical costs, such as a copay.s For example, if a parent incurs substantial medical expenses related to a child’s serious medical needs, those expenses may be taken into consideration when calculating child support.
Will the court make my ex-spouse pay for our child’s private school tuition?
The court does have the ability to pay for a child’s private school education depending on the circumstances of a case. When making this determination, Judges will consider the specific needs of a child, the parties’ financial resources and ability to pay for tuition, and the parties’ accustomed standard of living.
How are extracurricular activity fees handled in North Carolina child support?
Judges in North Carolina can, but are not required to, order the splitting of extracurricular activity fees for children. It is also pretty common for parents to agree to split such fees either equally or in proportion to their respective incomes. Typically, though, parents will include a clause that extracurricular activities must first be agreed-upon to prevent another parent from incurring substantial fees without the other parent’s prior approval.
Do I need a court order to get reimbursement for extraordinary expenses?
Generally, yes, there must first be an underlying Order or contract for child support which outlines the payment of extracurricular activities expenses, in order for a parent to obtain reimbursements for those costs.
What if my child’s medical needs change significantly after the child support order is in place?
A significant change in a child’s medical needs could serve as a basis to modify child support. Parents have the ability to seek a modification of child support to reflect current financial circumstances so long as they can first show a Judge that there has been a substantial change in circumstances since the current Order was put in place.
