It’s back-to-school season, and for divorced or separated parents, the question is: Who is paying for the expensive TI-84 calculator their child needs for class? News radio WTOP turns to SmolenPlevy Co-founding Principal Alan Plevy for insight on what is covered with child support and how parents can decide who will pay for out-of-pocket expenses.
Child support doesn’t cover the costly tab of #2 pencils, paper, clothes and computers, which runs on average about $600 per child, adding more stress to what can already be a tense situation between parents. Plevy says cooperation goes a long way to helping exes–and their children handle back-to-school season.
Plevy says there are typically two ways parents can decide to handle back-to-school expenses: Split the expenses down the middle, or use the same income ratios often used for reimbursement for medical expenses. “For instance, one parent may have 66 percent of the income, so one parent pays 66 percent of the cost, and the other pays 33 percent of the cost.”
For divorced or separated parents struggling to provide normalcy for their children, “This actually forces the parents to come together and try to talk about these expenses,” Plevy said. “Sometimes they’re able to do it, sometimes they’re not, but if they’re not it’s really the children who suffer.”
Listen to Plevy on WTOP Radio below:
The post On WTOP: Alan Plevy Addresses the Divorce Dilemma of Who Pays for Back-to-School Costs appeared first on SmolenPlevy.