Is the cost of work-related day care included in child support?
Yes. The cost of day care incurred to enable a parent to work is included in the child support formula. “Work-related” can also include the cost of day care for a parent to attend school or job-training, if that parent can show that the courses taken are directly related to enhancing that parent’s earning potential. A parent cannot include day care or babysitting expenses to attend social events or non-work-related activities. Sometimes a parent has to pay for full-time day care, just to keep the child’s place at the facility, even if the child attends less than full-time or sometimes a relative watches the child. In those instances, the total amount of the day care can be included in child support.
