When a couple with shared children gets divorced, important factors to consider are child custody and child support. In New Jersey, a noncustodial parent will be required to pay monthly child support payments to the custodial parent as a contribution to the children’s living expenses. While the child support guidelines are specific, they may not cover every detail of every possible expense. A common question is whether or not child support covers auto insurance or if the paying parent will be required to cough up additional funds. Contact a Sparta child support attorney for more information on child support requirements in New Jersey.
What Costs Does Child Support Cover?
Child support payments are designed for the noncustodial parent to financially contribute to the upbringing of their child. Their payments are meant to cover various expenses including the following.
- Housing like a mortgage principal and interest, rent, repairs and maintenance, parking fees, furniture, cleaning supplies, etc.
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages for both home and out-of-home consumption
- All children’s clothing including school uniforms, footwear, diapers, alterations, dry cleaning, laundry, jewelry, and more
- Transportation including public transit, parking fees, license and registration fees, tolls, and all costs associated with owning or leasing a car
- Unreimbursed health care like medical and dental
- Entertainment fees like social events, recreational activities, lessons, televisions, phones, pets, hobbies, toys, etc.
The above and more are outlined in the NJ child support guidelines. Certain costs are required on a case-by-case basis.
Does a Paying Parent Have to Cover Auto Insurance in NJ?
A noncustodial parent who pays child support may have to pay an additional amount to cover auto insurance in New Jersey. It is not an absolute truth, but it is a possibility.
Before 2013, New Jersey’s Child Support Guidelines did not address a driving child’s auto-related costs. They were amended to provide that the paying parent is responsible for contributing to expenses related to the ownership of a car, but they do not explicitly mention the cost of the new driver’s auto insurance. Instead, the guidelines cover “all costs involved with owning or leasing an automobile including monthly installments toward the principal cost, finance charges, lease payments, insurance, maintenance, and repairs.” Because the word insurance is used in the guidelines it implies that the standard child support payments are intended to cover auto insurance, so there would be no requirement for additional payments once a child gets their license. However, this would place the entire burden of the cost onto the custodial parent.
So, the answer to whether child support technically covers car insurance depends on the judge who takes the case. In the 2015 case of Fichter v. Fichter, Judge Jones ruled that the noncustodial father paying child support would be required to pay additional funds to the custodial mother in order to split the cost of their 17-year-old daughter’s car insurance. This case may act as a precedent for others with similar issues, but it does not outright dictate the outcome of a child support issue concerning auto insurance.
For more information related to your situation, reach out to a skilled family attorney today.
