Lawyer explains how to prove child support payments made by transfers and in cash

How to arrange a transfer so that it can be proven

When transferring child support payments to a bank card, you must specify the purpose of the payment, the child's name, and the period for which the money is being sent — this is the advice of lawyer Galina Guzaeva in a comment to Gazeta.Ru. According to her, a transfer without an explanation is harder to distinguish from a gift, a debt repayment, or other assistance. In the payment note, one can write, for example: 'Child support for the maintenance of son Ivanov Petr Sergeevich for October 2026'; if there is an agreement or a court order, it is advisable to include its details.

Cash, additional expenses, and enforcement proceedings

If money is handed over in cash, the lawyer recommends obtaining a receipt every time: it should state the parties' details, the amount, the child, the period being paid for, the date, and the recipient's signature. The original document should be kept. Transfer receipts should also be kept, and once a year it is worth requesting a bank statement.

What does not replace child support and how to arrange voluntary payment

Buying clothes, gifts, and paying for extracurricular activities do not by themselves replace child support payments, Guzaeva warned. If the parents want to provide for a different arrangement for the child's maintenance, it must be properly formalized. For voluntary payment, the lawyer advises concluding a notarized agreement, in which the amount, deadlines, and method of transferring money can be fixed. Additional expenses — for example, assistance with medical treatment or vacation — are best paid with separate transfers accompanied by an appropriate explanation. When enforcement proceedings have already been initiated, proof of direct transfers should be submitted to the bailiff so that the payments are taken into account when calculating the arrears.