Child support is a major part of the divorce process for splitting spouses with children. Every state has rules, law and guidelines for how child support is awarded, and in most cases there will be a bevy of factors for the court to consider. The age of the parents; the earning potential of the parents; the overall health of the parents; and other elements will come into play when the court considers child support.
If it is awarded, the court won't monitor how you spend your payments. It is assumed that you are using them for the good of the child and that the receiving parents is compliant with the law. However, you shouldn't test this privilege.
With that in mind, it is important to consider what, exactly, your child support payments can cover. To being, child support covers many of the basic elements that you would assume child support would go towards. For example, food, clothes, medical care, housing, critical bills and utilities -- all of these things are covered by child support payments.
A child's education is also covered by child support. This includes things such as school supplies, tuition, lunch money and private tutors, among other things. Transportation can also be covered by child support. That includes taking a child to school, maintaining a car, bus fare and other transportation needs.
There are even considerations made for entertainment and extracurricular activities. So that video game system? Those movie tickets? That after-school sports team or club? The costs associated with them can be covered by child support payments.
Source: FindLaw, "What Does Child Support Cover?," Accessed Aug. 10, 2016