Under New York law, child support consists of two elements: “basic” child support and the “add-ons.” Domestic Relations Law §240 (1-b)(c)(4) and Domestic Relations Law §240 (1-b)(c)(6) provide that when a custodial parent is working, seeking work, or is in school or training which will lead to employment, reasonable day care expenses will be allocated in a ratio equal to the each parent’s income to the combined income.
The parties occasionally dispute whether child care expenses are reasonable. Most often, these disputes tend to focus on the cost and need for daycare. Thus, the court usually needs to conduct a fact finding hearing to determine whether such costs are appropriate and the child care was actually needed. In Pittman v. Williams, 127 A.D.3d 755 (2nd Dept. 2015), the court reviewed the parties’ child care costs and determined allocation of the costs. The court held that
where the custodial parent is working . . . and incurs child care expenses as a result thereof, the court shall determine reasonable child care expenses and such child care expenses, where incurred, shall be prorated [and] [e]ach parent’s pro rata share of the child care expenses shall be separately stated and added” to the parent’s basic child support obligation (see Matter of Scarduzio v Ryan, 86 AD3d 573, 574 (2nd Dept. 2011)). Here, the Supreme Court properly determined that the mother incurred $425 in child care expenses each week. However, the court erred in calculating the amount of child care expenses to be paid by the father. Since the child care provider cared for both the subject child, as well as the mother’s son from a previous relationship, the child care expenses should be divided equally between the two children. Consequently, the cost of caring for the subject child is $212.50 per week, and the father’s pro rata share of the child care expenses is $191.25 per week.
Thus, when the need and the costs of child care are disputed, both of these issues need to be analysed and the parties need to be able to offer evidence either in support or opposition. Parenthetically, unless the costs of child care are grossly excessive, courts do not tend to deny parties reimbursement in situations where the child care was needed.