SupportPay is a new app that might help Connecticut parents who pay or receive child support. The new app blends business practices to help alleviate the sting that is sometimes associated with child support.
The creator of the app witnessed the contentious nature of divorce when she was a child and her parents were going through one. She vowed never to let her own relationship play out the same way in front of her children, and she delivered on that promise. Although she and her ex-husband had significant assets including houses, vehicles, a boat and other valuable property, their legal bills only amounted to $300 because of the amicable split. However, as easy as the split was, the owner quickly learned that divorce was the easy part. The hard part then emerged by trying to deal with child support.
Even though child support agreements include general provisions regarding child support, they often leave out important details. This causes parents to create their own arrangements in which one parent is owed for the child’s shoes while the other other is owed for piano lessons. One parent pays for the haircut and the other parent wonders whether a medical professional was the best and most reasonable choice. The creator thought of the idea for the app when she was completing reports for her boss. She wanted to infuse business practices into the child support app and did so by creating a receipt-retention and pre-approval system in the app.
Individuals who have child support orders in place may wish to consult with a family law attorney. The attorney may be able to provide advice about how to allocate additional expenses in a fair manner.
Source: Fast Company, “Supportpay Aims to Take Headaches Out of Child Support and Family Finances “, David Zax, February 18, 2014
