Child support is often a contentious topic for many divorced parents in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The custodial spouse wants to spend these funds in support of the child however they see fit. On the other hand, the noncustodial parent wants to ensure child support funds are used correctly and only on behalf of the child.
Noncustodial parents in Pennsylvania and other states cannot tell the other parent how to use child support funds. It would be far too problematic for child support bureaus to track expenditures or enforce the way spending occurs. However, there may be a way to satisfy your co-parent’s desire for financial accountability without causing much hardship for yourself.
Two options to consider
If your co-parent constantly wants to know how you spend child support, you might find it easier to go along with the requests. Freely sharing information about your expenditures can also improve parent-to-parent communications in other areas of child-rearing, such as custody and parenting time. Here are some options:
- Track and share the information yourself. If you have the time and the willingness, consider saving receipts or writing down your expenses to share with your co-parent. As a bonus, tracking your child-related expenses can help you budget better and may help you save money.
- Use a co-parenting app. Co-parenting apps like TalkingParents can fill a valuable role in the realm of co-parenting after divorce. Many of them provide a secure message exchange platform and a simple way to track your expenditures. The app mentioned here does not allow either party to delete messages, which also improves accountability for both parents.
If your spouse continues to question you about your expenses or seems concerned about their finances, perhaps they are having trouble paying. If this is the case, you may find a solution for you both by learning more about child support modifications in Pennsylvania.
