Co-parenting expense tracker (free spreadsheet + printable).

What’s in the tracker

Twelve columns, one row per cost. The same columns are in the spreadsheet and the printable.

• Date paidThe day the cost was paid.
• ChildWhich child it was for. Initials or “Child A” are enough.
• What it was forOne plain line, for example “Dental cleaning co-pay” or “Soccer registration, spring.”
• CategoryMedical, dental, vision, counseling, school, childcare, activities, clothing, travel or other. The spreadsheet offers these as a dropdown, and you can type your own.
• Amount paidWhat was actually paid, from the receipt or statement.
• Paid byMe, the other parent, or split at the time.
• Receipt (where it’s kept)The exact place: which folder, email account or box. Keep the receipt itself.
• Share requestedOnly what you asked the other parent for, using your order or written agreement. Leave it blank if you didn’t ask.
• Request sent (date, how)When and how you asked: app, email or text. Keep a copy of the request.
• Amount reimbursedWhat was actually paid back. A partial payment is fine: enter what arrived.
• Date reimbursedThe day the payment arrived.
• NotesAnything that helps later: an insurance claim number, a related row, a reply.

Which costs are shared?

That depends on your own custody or support order or written agreement, and on your state’s law. Your order or written agreement may list categories such as uninsured medical, dental or vision costs, childcare, school costs and activities, and may say what share each parent pays and how soon to ask and to pay. Some say nothing about extra costs at all.

This tracker doesn’t decide any of that. Read your order or agreement first and use its terms. If it is unclear, your court’s self-help center or a licensed attorney where you live can explain what it means for you.

How to fill it in

Record-keeping tips only. They don’t say what either parent owes or how a court will see any cost.

• One row per cost.Write it the day you pay. A row written the same day is easier than rebuilding a year of receipts from bank statements.
• Keep every receipt.Photograph or scan it, keep the original if you can, and write exactly where it lives in the Receipt column.
• Use your order’s numbers, not a guess.Share requested is only what you asked for, using your order or written agreement. If you aren’t sure what it says, a court self-help center or a licensed attorney where you live can explain it.
• Record when and how you asked.Note the date and the way you sent each request, and keep a copy of it. Written requests are easier to find later than phone calls.
• Record partial payments as they come.Enter what actually arrived and the date. Don’t overwrite an earlier row; add a note instead.
• Keep it to facts.Amounts, dates and what it was for. Leave arguments, opinions and comments about the other parent out of the sheet.
• Let the sheet do the math.The Total row adds Amount paid, Share requested and Amount reimbursed. Filter by Category or Child to see one kind of cost.
• Note insurance on medical costs.For medical costs, many people note the insurance claim or explanation of benefits in Notes, so the amount paid is the part insurance didn’t cover.

A calm way to ask

Short, factual requests are easiest to keep track of. Replace everything in [brackets] with your own details:

“Hi, [child]’s [what it was for] on [date] was $[amount]. The receipt is attached. Could you send $[amount requested]? Thanks.”

More calm examples for money, schedules and school are in the co-parenting text message examples.

More free tools for the same job

• Co-parenting text message examples, about 20 short, calm messages by situation, including money.
• Custody evidence tracker, for texts, photos, emails and records outside of costs.
• Parenting time tracker: scheduled vs actual nights for 2026–2027.
• Co-parenting expense apps compared: SupportPay, CoBalance, ParentSplit, Splitwise and others, from each company’s own pricing page.
• How child support is calculated, a general overview.
• When child support isn’t being paid, general options to look into.

Questions about tracking shared child expenses

What should a co-parenting expense tracker include?

One row per child-related cost: the date, the child, what it was for, a category, the amount, who paid, where the receipt is kept, the share you asked for, when and how you asked, and what was paid back and when. This tracker has those columns. It doesn’t decide which costs are shared or in what share; your own order or written agreement does.

Is the co-parenting expense tracker free?

Yes. Both files are free downloads with no signup and no email. The spreadsheet opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice.

Does it add up the totals for me?

Yes. The spreadsheet has a Total row under the blank rows that adds Amount paid, Share requested and Amount reimbursed with plain SUM formulas, which also work in Google Sheets and Numbers. It is arithmetic only.

What counts as a shared child expense?

It depends on your own custody or support order or written agreement and your state’s law. Your order or written agreement may list categories such as uninsured medical, dental or vision costs, childcare, school costs and activities, and may set out a share or a deadline for asking and paying. Read your order first; if it is unclear, a court self-help center or a licensed attorney where you live can explain it.

Is my information uploaded anywhere?

No. These are blank files you download. What you type stays in the file on your device, unless you choose to save it to a cloud service yourself. If someone else can open your phone, computer or cloud account, keep the tracker somewhere only you can reach.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is a record-keeping template. It doesn’t say what either parent owes, whether a cost is covered, or what to do if a cost is not paid back. For that, check your order, your court’s self-help center, or talk with a licensed attorney where you live.

A record-keeping template, not legal advice and not a court form. For advice about your situation, talk with a licensed attorney where you live. More free downloads are on the free templates page.