How Can Co-Parenting Apps Help Me?
September 24, 2015 by West Coast ADR
While custody orders usually set forth some general co-parenting guidelines, a visitation schedule and child support, they often do not include details on how to handle the smaller expenses related to raising children. Extracurricular activities are just one example of things that require parents to pay fees or buy equipment beyond the scope of the child support order.
If parents know ahead of time that these things are likely to be issues, they may be able to set forth provisions in the court order for how those expenses will be handled, but more often than not, parents are left to figure this part out for themselves. One of the most contentious points in this process can be proving that the expense was necessary, showing that it should be a shared expense and requesting reimbursement.Add New
However, the new wave of co-parenting apps is making it easier for parents to navigate these issues. Most of these apps provide a way to directly link your bank account so that you can pay each other through the app — the app sometimes takes a couple of dollars as a processing fee — but the most important feature is the ability to show proof of the expense. Uploading a receipt with a request for reimbursement makes it easy for the other parent to see what the money was for, who paid and how much their portion should be.
For those who don’t want to use a formal parenting app, using free cloud storage programs may be an alternative. The parents create a shared cloud storage account and can upload receipts, records and even photos so that both parties have access to these materials as needed without always having to go through the other parent.
Source: Reuters, “Expense apps help divorced parents avoid anger,” Beth Pinsker, accessed Sep. 24, 2015
While custody orders usually set forth some general co-parenting guidelines, a visitation schedule and child support, they often do not include details on how to handle the smaller expenses related to raising children. Extracurricular activities are just one example of things that require parents to pay fees or buy equipment beyond the scope of the child support order.
If parents know ahead of time that these things are likely to be issues, they may be able to set forth provisions in the court order for how those expenses will be handled, but more often than not, parents are left to figure this part out for themselves. One of the most contentious points in this process can be proving that the expense was necessary, showing that it should be a shared expense and requesting reimbursement.Add New
However, the new wave of co-parenting apps is making it easier for parents to navigate these issues. Most of these apps provide a way to directly link your bank account so that you can pay each other through the app — the app sometimes takes a couple of dollars as a processing fee — but the most important feature is the ability to show proof of the expense. Uploading a receipt with a request for reimbursement makes it easy for the other parent to see what the money was for, who paid and how much their portion should be.
For those who don’t want to use a formal parenting app, using free cloud storage programs may be an alternative. The parents create a shared cloud storage account and can upload receipts, records and even photos so that both parties have access to these materials as needed without always having to go through the other parent.
Source: Reuters, “Expense apps help divorced parents avoid anger,” Beth Pinsker, accessed Sep. 24, 2015