Divorce is meant to provide individuals who no longer wish to be married a fresh start. However, when there are children involved– for better or worse–divorced parents are forever bound to one another. Unfortunately, in cases where divorced parents aren’t able to overcome and move beyond their own resentment or dislike of one another, their child will end up paying the price.

For parents, even after a divorce, issues related to money and raising a child can cause arguments that can quickly escalate into an all out battle. In Illinois, family law judges take several factors into consideration when determining the child support payment amount including the number of children and each parent’s net income. Child support is meant to be used to provide for a child’s needs including costs related to food, clothing, daycare, education, extracurricular activities, medical and dental expenses and transportation needs.

While most parents don’t have an issue paying their fair share to help provide for a child, the actual amount of such expenses is often a source of conflict between parents. Today, technology is helping divorced parents resolve disputes related to the costs of childrearing. An app called SupportPay provides parents a neutral platform through which they can share, pay and store everything from daycare receipts and bills to report cards.

The app is a big hit among many divorced parents who credit its use with helping them both avoid and resolve disputes about child-related expenses and get on the same with an ex-spouse. Additionally, parents who disagree with certain expenses are able to dispute them. However, the app’s platform helps ensure that these disputes don’t occur in front of the children.

Source: Bloomberg Business, “The App That Helps Divorced Parents Fight About Money,” Ben Steverman, Feb. 17, 2016

FindLaw.com, “Illinois Child Support Guidelines,” Feb. 17, 2016