We recently discussed some of the steps divorced parents must take when their children are going back to school. One of the aspects of the back-to-school season is that children have the added expense of school supplies. This is on top of regular expenses that the child has and things like extracurricular activity fees. It is imperative that parents discuss how these expenses will be handled before the day it is time to pay them.
The agreement that parents have for these expenses varies according to the circumstances. You and your ex might decide that each parent needs to pay a certain percentage. Typically, one parent will pay the entire cost and then the other parent repays their portion.
Other arrangements might be possible if the parents agree to them. One option that might work is that one parent pays for school supplies and other pays for school clothes. Parents might alternate who pays fees for the children.
Ultimately, you have to find a solution that works for your needs. You might realize that it is easier to have one parent cover everything and then settle everything up at the end of the month. You might have to try out different methods to discover what works.
We know that this is a difficult subject to think about. If you and your ex are able to work together on these matters, you will find that there is a lot less stress. When you can’t do that, you need to ensure that you have everything in writing so that you have something to refer to if there are ever any disagreements.