The life of a single parent can be hard, especially for Florida residents who are going through financial challenges. If you are the custodial parent, you know that the child support you receive can be a lifesaver. However, you may also wonder if the courts will monitor your child support spending, especially if your ex-spouse says you need to provide receipts or tries to dictate how you spend the money.
Unsurprisingly, it can be stressful and even frightening when you think someone else can control your spending. As FindLaw explains, child support is meant to be spent on your children’s well-being, but you may be relieved to learn that the definition of “well-being” can encompass many things. As such, you might spend child support in the following ways that your ex and others might consider non-essential:
- Tuition, school supplies, extracurricular activities and hobbies your children enjoy
- Emergency savings or a fund for future college expenses
- Birthday gifts, a restaurant meal, movie tickets and other things that create happy memories for your children
Of course, you might choose to spend your child support mainly on essential items like food, clothing, medicine and household necessities to give your children a safe and secure quality of life. When you ensure your children’s needs are met, neither the court nor your ex should have a say in how you spend child support. However, since matters involving child custody and support can be complicated, this information is not meant to replace the advice of a lawyer.