How splitting an expense works
Enter the cost or snap the receipt, and pick the child and category.
Your plan's percentage for that category is filled in. Adjust it if you agreed otherwise.
Your co-parent approves, and one running balance settles in a tap through Stripe.
Every expense carries its receipt, its split, and its status from request to settled, in a time-stamped record you can export for court.
How to split child expenses after a divorce or separation
Start with your court order or parenting plan. It usually says which costs are shared on top of base child support (most often uninsured medical and dental, childcare, school costs, and activities) and how: an even 50/50 split, or a split proportional to each parent's income. If your order is silent or unclear, that is worth raising with a family-law attorney before it becomes a monthly fight.
The math is rarely the hard part. The friction is the tracking: the receipt that disappeared, the "you owe me $40" that lands as an accusation, three months of small costs piling into one contested number. Our guide to splitting kids' expenses after divorce walks through the usual categories, and the child support calculator covers the base number. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Your plan's split, applied automatically
If your CoreParent parenting plan sets expense-sharing percentages for childcare, medical, education, or activities, CoreParent fills in each parent's share the moment you log an expense in that category, from the correct side of the plan for whoever logs it. Categories your plan doesn't cover start at 50/50, and you can set any split you both agreed to before you send it.
Request, approve, settle
A shared expense goes to your co-parent as a request for their share, tied to one specific, documented cost. They approve or decline it, with a note if they want. Once it's approved, they can pay their share through Stripe, which sends the money straight to the parent who is owed (in-app reimbursement is part of the Family plan), or it can be marked settled when it was paid by cash, check, or another app. If an expense is declined, edit it (the amount, the split, a better receipt) and resubmit it instead of starting over.
You don't have to settle one receipt at a time, either. CoreParent keeps a running balance with your co-parent across every approved expense, netting what each of you owes into one number that shows who owes whom. The parent who owes can pay the whole balance in one tap through Stripe, and if you squared up outside the app, either of you can record the balance as settled.
CoreParent never holds your money: there is no wallet or platform balance in the middle. Expenses you log stay private to you until you choose to send them, and if your co-parent isn't on CoreParent yet, the request can go to their email.
Receipts, and a ledger you can take to court
Attach the receipt photo to the expense, or let Snap & File read it and propose the amount, date, and category for you to confirm. Every expense keeps its receipt, its split, and its status from requested to settled, so you can see what is pending, approved, and paid, and where your running balance stands, at a glance.
When you need the history, export a court-formatted expense report as a PDF or a Word document, covering whatever date range you choose. It is the itemized record an attorney or mediator will ask for, instead of a folder of screenshots. See how CoreParent records verify.
Costs mentioned in messages don't get lost
When a cost comes up in conversation ("I paid $120 for her cleats"), CoreParent Companion can offer to turn it into a tracked expense. You review it and confirm; nothing is logged or sent without your tap.
Common questions
How do you split child expenses after a separation?
Follow your court order or parenting plan first: it usually lists which costs are shared (commonly uninsured medical, childcare, school, and activities) and whether the split is 50/50 or proportional to income. CoreParent applies the percentages from your plan to each expense, sends your co-parent a request for their share, and keeps an itemized record of every cost. This is general information, not legal advice.
What if we don't have a parenting plan yet?
You can build one free in CoreParent, including expense-sharing percentages by category. Until then, shared expenses start at 50/50 and you can set any split you have agreed on before sending the request.
Does my co-parent need to use CoreParent?
It works best when you are both on CoreParent, because your co-parent can approve and pay in the app. If they are not, the expense request can be sent to their email, and every expense and receipt still builds your own record.
Does CoreParent hold the money?
No. When your co-parent pays in the app, Stripe processes the payment and sends it directly to the parent who is owed. If you settle another way, such as cash or another payment app, the expense can be marked settled so the ledger stays accurate.
Do we have to settle every expense separately?
No. CoreParent keeps a running balance across your approved shared expenses and shows who owes whom. The parent who owes can pay the whole balance in one tap through Stripe, or either of you can record it as settled if you paid outside the app. A declined expense can be edited and resubmitted.
Is expense tracking free?
CoreParent's free plan includes up to 15 expenses. Solo unlocks unlimited expenses and court exports, and Family covers both parents and adds in-app reimbursement through Stripe. See the pricing page for current plans.