After a California divorce, parents begin a period of transition in which they must become accustomed to their new roles as co-parents. Handling the financial side of this new partnership can be tricky, especially if the child support agreement includes the division of expenses in addition to a monthly payment. Staying on top of these debits and credits can be difficult, and accounting mistakes can lead to frustration on both sides.
One way to address this issue is to make use of technology to organize financial data connected to the care of a child. A new program is available to parents that can do just that. Known as SupportPay, the program offers divorced parents a platform from which to share information and track expenses.
SupportPay allows a parent the ability to upload his or her payment information, and can even send an automated reminder if a payment is late. However, the real value of the system lies in the ability to track expenses. SupportPay allows users to upload invoices, receipts and other information, which can then be accessed by the other parent. For example, if parents have agreed to share private school tuition and expenses, the custodial parent can upload tuition bills, receipts for books, and even financial information concerning lab expenses and field trip costs. This allows the other parent to see these charges and calculate the amount due.
SupportPay helps to eliminate the need to discuss financial matters face-to-face, which can also reduce contention between parents. Children do not have to witness these discussions, and parents can run the numbers on their own time, and in a neutral environment. Programs like SupportPay have the ability to revolutionize the way that California families handle shared expenses, and can eliminate much of the tension that surrounds discussions of child support.
Source: Xconomy, Using Tech to De-Stress Child Support, Bernadette Tansey, Nov. 5, 2013
