This video provides specific, reasonable ways for divorced parents to agree on and pay for many of the additional children’s expenses associated with raising children including: Healthcare, Childcare, School/Activities Expenses, etc. Since formal child support is only intended to address housing, food and typical clothing, it is important to address as many of the other expenses associated with raising children as possible during the divorce mediation process. The approach presented in this video provides a clear, specific structure for how parents would go about dividing these expenses when getting divorced.
We start with healthcare and we divide this into “reasonable and necessary” (which is the terminology that the health insurance companies use) and elective categories during the divorce mediation process. Then we discuss how the parents will pay for the premiums as well as all out-of-pocket costs (such as co-pays, deductibles, prescriptions, etc.) for the children. Lastly, we address elective healthcare expenses such as braces.
Next, we discuss how the parents will pay for employment-related childcare. This specifically addresses childcare that is related to each parent’s employment, but not babysitting for times that the parents are engaging in social activities, etc. As long as each parent’s income is relatively similar, this cost is often equally divided. However, if there is a significant difference between the incomes of the two parents, this expense can be divided in a different percentage or even exclusively paid for by one party.
Lastly, we address ongoing or recurring expenses associated with school, activities, etc. as well as more random and/or one-time expenses during divorce mediation. The typical approach here is that we establish a threshold under which each parent will be responsible for any expenses that they incur on behalf of the children. Then, anything above this threshold would be divided in a pre-determined percentage (something that the parents would agree upon ahead of time) as long as they had a mutual agreement ahead of time to incur this cost.
Davis Mediation helps their clients mediate the divorce process as affordably and quickly as possible while keeping their children out of the middle and helping everyone move on with their lives as quickly as possible in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Long Beach, Palos Verde’s, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Culver City, Westchester, El Segundo, Playa Del Rey, Marina del Rey, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Inglewood and Venice
For detailed information on child support, please see the Understanding Child Support video.