Answer:

Oftentimes, in initial consultations, we are approached by potential clients or existing clients that say, “What happens if my children are in extracurricular activities? How am I supposed to pay for that?” Oftentimes, during the course of the litigation, we are able to reach an agreement with the other parent, and the parents agree that these activities are appropriate for the children. In Georgia, the extracurricular activities are not included on the child support worksheet, and, oftentimes, the court is going to have to determine whether those expenses are appropriate or not. We would walk with you through what types of activities your children are involved in – whether that’s Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, after school school-related sports that may not cost as much – and the court is going to look at whether those activities are appropriate and how expensive they are and determine what would be a fair resolution to pay for those expenses outside of child support.

If you’ve got more expensive activities, such as travel baseball or competition cheerleading, then it may be a different story. The judge may look at the financial abilities of each parent to pay for those activities, the judge may ask the other parent whether they’re even agreeable to the children participating in those things, and then the judge is going to determine whether those expenses should be handled without one party or the other or whether they should be split. Ultimately, in Georgia, those expenses are not part of the court-mandated set child support guidelines. However, if we bring it to the attention of either a judge in a trial or a mediator during a mediation, we’re going to address those expenses and make sure that you have clear direction on how you’re going to handle those and who’s going to pay for those throughout both during the litigation and then after the divorce is completed.

If you have any questions about the types of activities your children are in or whether they’re likely to be paid for through the divorce and by the other side, please give us a call. We’ll sit down and walk through all those factors and advise you on how I think a court would actually handle those expenses in any divorce proceeding.