Child support payments serve an important purpose for both parents. For the paying parent, this is a way that they can provide for their children even though they aren’t there physically on a daily basis. For the parent who receives the payments, they might take some pressure off of their finances.
Both parents need to plan for the payments. This means coming up with a budget that accounts for the money. For the parent who is receiving the money, there are often some challenging situations that might come up.
One thing that might alter the financial picture is a new spouse. If you’ve gotten remarried, there might be a dispute about what needs to happen to the child support. Some parents believe that it should be kept separate from the household funds. Others think it should be put together with those other funds.
How you handle this is up to you and your new spouse, but remember the purpose of that money. Child support is meant to help cover the expenses for your child. This does include paying for utilities, food and shelter, among other costs. If commingling the support payments insures this happens, then do that. In almost every case, the parent who receives the money doesn’t have to account for where the money goes. Combining it might be the easiest option.
Of course, there are times when you just might not feel comfortable with mixing all the money. Think carefully about your reasons and then determine what course of action is best for you now. It is always possible to change how you handle it later.