As a single parent, summer has a way of flipping your routine inside out. School’s out, the daily rhythm changes, and suddenly you’re juggling camp schedules, sunscreen battles, and a whole lot of unexpected costs you didn’t budget for. If you’re navigating child support during this time, things can get murky fast, especially when the calendar fills up with expenses nobody warned you about.
You might assume the monthly child support amount covers it all, but summer can stretch those numbers past their limits. If you’re not prepared for what’s coming, the financial tension can pile up just as quickly as wet towels on the back porch.
Camps, Sports, and Other “Extras” That Aren’t So Extra
Once June rolls around, everything that used to be “optional” suddenly feels essential. Day camps, overnight camps, soccer clinics, swim lessons, art programs—these aren’t luxuries for a lot of parents, they’re survival strategies.
Children need structure, and you need to work. Camps aren’t just enrichment experiences for children; they fill the gap left by school. But those programs come with price tags that often exceed regular monthly costs, and this is where the questions around who is paying for what start.
Does the parent receiving child support pay for all that? Is it split? Can the paying parent be asked to contribute more? The answer depends on what your child support order says, what your parenting plan includes, and how open your communication is.
What Your Court Order Might Not Cover
Many child support orders are based on a standard calculation—monthly housing, food, basic clothing, and medical coverage. But summer doesn’t always fit neatly into those formulas.
Travel expenses, increased utility bills from having the children (and their friends) in the home more, extra groceries when there’s no school lunch—they all add up. In most cases, the court isn’t tracking that level of detail. Unless your agreement spells it out, those summer-only extras can slip into a gray area.
Then there’s the big stuff: family trips, special events, summer tutoring. These are expenses that don’t repeat monthly and might not be budgeted in the regular support amount. That doesn’t mean they’re insignificant. For some families, they become the biggest financial hurdle of the summer season.
If You’re the Paying Parent: What You Should Watch For
You’re sending your support payment every month. You’re staying on schedule. Then you get a message, “Can you pitch in for camp this month? It’s $450.” It might feel like a sudden ask, especially if you assumed your monthly payment was already handling that.
Review the wording in your order. Your order may require you to share in some of these summer costs. Depending on the language of your order, you may be required to pay a share of these costs as part of the shared extracurricular costs or even as a form of summer child care. Read through your order carefully before responding.
What if you believe your order doesn’t require you to pay a share of these costs? Before reacting, take a step back. If the camps and shared expenses weren’t mentioned in your court documents, you’re probably not legally required to pay more—but that doesn’t always make it the right choice to flat-out refuse.
Will your child benefit from the experience? Does the other parent expect this contribution every year, or is this a one-time situation? Will your child still get to participate if you don’t help out with the cost? Can the other parent afford it on their own? Can you afford to help out further? Sometimes helping with summer costs can be more about keeping the peace and staying involved than strictly following the paperwork.
If you can help out, just don’t agree to extra payments without clarity. Ask if the expense will repeat and request a receipt. If you help once, document it. Don’t think of this as creating conflict—you’re protecting everyone from misunderstandings later.
Document Everything: Keep Records and Receipts
Whether you’re the paying or receiving parent, keeping a paper trail matters. Summer expenses can add up fast—and so can confusion. Whether you are ordered or if you agree to pitch in for a camp or tutoring program, be sure to get the details in writing. Save emails, text messages, or use a co-parenting app that tracks financial contributions. Receipts, invoices, and confirmations not only protect both parties but also serve as documentation if questions arise down the road or if the court needs clarification in the future. Transparency benefits everyone and reinforces that both parents are working in the child’s best interests.
Keep in mind that texts are great for fast and easy communication, but don’t archive well. If your communications are via text, make sure you are keeping copies in a more retrievable format in case problems arise down the road. E-mail or a parenting app may be a more long-lasting way to send and store these important communications and receipts.
See the blog on parenting apps.
If You’re the Receiving Parent: How to Approach the Conversation
You know what’s coming. Your child’s summer camp fee just hit your inbox, and it’s nowhere near the typical grocery run. You’re looking at your budget, then looking at the cost, and realizing you need the other parent to pitch in further. When you speak to your ex about it, bring it up early. Break down the cost, and be specific about how it benefits your child.
Be realistic about what you can afford and what the other parent can afford as well. When communicating with the other parent, keep the focus on looking for a solution to a shared problem.
Revisiting the Agreement (Before Next Summer Hits)
If you’ve been through one stressful summer and you’re already dreading the next one, that’s a clear indicator that your current support structure might not match your actual expenses.
Modifying a child support order often isn’t a casual conversation, but it’s a path that exists for a reason. If the financial picture has changed significantly—or if you now have consistent seasonal expenses that aren’t accounted for—it may be time to get legal input.
A revised order can include specific breakdowns for camp, summer school, travel, or even how vacation time impacts support amounts. These situations aren’t always about getting more money or paying less, but rather about getting clarity on who covers what, and when.
Keeping Your Co-Parenting Sanity During Peak Spending Season
Child support and expenses during the summer don’t have to become a fight. But it often does when assumptions aren’t matched by agreements. The more you talk about it early—before the bills arrive—the easier it becomes to find middle ground.
Think of it like any other shared responsibility. You don’t need to agree on every dollar, you just need to agree that your child’s needs don’t take a break when school does.
Plan Ahead: Tools That Make Co-Parenting Easier in Summer
If summer tends to sneak up on you financially, a little planning can go a long way. Some of the more popular camps and programs start to fill up as early as January. For most programs, you have until at least early spring to make decisions. Sit down and map out your anticipated summer expenses—camp costs, vacation travel, child care, or extra groceries. If you don’t know where to start or what you spent, look at what you spent last year.
Reviewing your old bank statements or last year’s credit card statements can help you determine what you spent last year, to have an idea of the real dollars and cents that you paid. You can then use these numbers to estimate what you might pay for the upcoming summer, taking some account for some inflation in costs from one year to the next,t and taking into account any already known costs for the upcoming summer into your budget. Once you know your costs, you can start to budget accordingly and see what options you have depending on your budget and what help the other parent is willing or ordered to contribute. You can then plan what you can and can’t realistically afford.
Tools like shared calendars, co-parenting apps (like AppClose, OurFamilyWizard, or Talking Parents), and budgeting spreadsheets can help both parents stay informed and on track. A clear plan minimizes stress and prevents last-minute surprises that could cause friction. The more aligned you are with expectations, the more smoothly the summer—and your child’s experience—will go.
Law Office of Julie Fowler, PC, LLO | Divorce Lawyers Omaha
Child Custody | Child Support | Divorce Lawyers Omaha
If you are looking for an attorney in a child custody, child support case, or divorce case in Omaha, Nebraska, or the surrounding areas (including Papillion, Bellevue, Gretna, Elkhorn, Douglas, and Sarpy), contact our office to set up a consultation.