What Are Extraordinary Medical Expenses for Children in 2026?
A comprehensive guide for separated parents on extraordinary child medical expenses in 2026, listing reimbursable costs and cost-sharing rules.
What are Extraordinary Medical Expenses?
Extraordinary medical expenses are healthcare costs that, due to their exceptional, unpredictable, or significant economic nature, are not covered by the regular child support payments. In 2026, case law confirms that these expenses are typically split 50% between parents, unless otherwise agreed or ordered by the court.
List of Included Medical Expenses in 2026
To avoid conflicts between ex-partners, Italian court guidelines in 2026 distinguish between expenses requiring prior agreement and mandatory or urgent expenses: Mandatory Expenses no prior agreement needed: Include healthcare co-pays, specialist visits prescribed by a primary care physician, urgent treatments, necessary diagnostic tests, and prescribed medications for chronic or acute conditions. Expenses Requiring Prior Agreement: This covers complex dental treatments like braces, non-essential cosmetic surgery, psychotherapy sessions, or spa treatments. For more details on the reimbursement process, consult our guide to extraordinary expenses in 2026/guides/managing-extraordinary-expenses-2026.
Difference Between Ordinary and Extraordinary Medical Expenses
Many single parents wonder if over-the-counter medications are considered extraordinary. Generally, the answer is no: common medicines like fever reducers or cough syrups are considered ordinary expenses as they fall under the daily care of the child and should be covered by the monthly child support payments. Conversely, prolonged medical treatments or high-cost diagnostics such as MRIs or genetic tests are always included in the extraordinary expenses category. It is crucial to keep all medical prescriptions and detailed receipts with the child's tax code to receive reimbursement. You can find more details in our technical glossary/glossary/child-support-maintenance-glossary.