Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
3 comments 
The STJ Established That Child Support Goes Beyond Food and School, Covering Internet, Mobile, Health, Leisure, and Transportation to Ensure a Dignified Life According to Family Standards.
For a long time, when the topic of child support was mentioned, most people thought only of food, clothing, and school. However, the Brazilian judiciary’s understanding has evolved, and today the concept of “support” is much broader. The STJ (Superior Court of Justice) has established that the support must ensure a dignified life, in accordance with the family’s living standards, which includes modern expenses such as internet, mobile, transportation, health, and leisure.
This view is based on Article 1,694 of the Civil Code, which defines that support must provide not only for subsistence but also for everything necessary to maintain the personal, social, and educational development of the beneficiary.
What the Judiciary Has Already Decided About Expanded Child Support
Various rulings reinforce that support can include costs far beyond food. The REsp 1.537.521/SP, for example, made it clear that courts can determine that the amount of support covers current and indispensable expenses, such as internet access, deemed essential for education.
-
The noise law will no longer be in effect at 10 PM starting in June with a new rule valid during the 2026 World Cup.
-
The Chamber opens a debate on driver’s licenses at 16 years old as part of a reform that includes around 270 proposals to change the Brazilian Traffic Code and may redesign rules for licensing, enforcement, and circulation in the country.
-
The new Civil Code could revolutionize marriages in Brazil with “express divorce” and changes that could exclude spouses from inheritance.
-
Banco do Brasil sues famous influencer for million-dollar debt and intensifies debate on delinquency, risks of seizure, and direct impact on Gkay’s credibility.
In other rulings, judges have recognized that mobile phones, school transportation, extracurricular courses, and even leisure are part of the support when the child’s need and the financial condition of the provider are demonstrated. In other words, the support should reflect the standard of living the child would have if the parents were still together.
How Expense Division Works
In practice, child support is defined considering two factors:
- Child’s Needs: everything they need to maintain a healthy and dignified life;
- Financial Capacity of the Parent Paying Support: the contribution should be proportional to income.
Thus, in families with greater purchasing power, support may encompass high expenses, such as private schools, travel, and cultural activities. In families with lower income, support is set to meet basic needs but may still include internet, transportation, and essential items.
Direct Impact on Parents
This expansion generates a significant financial impact. Many parents who believed that support would cover only food and housing are now required to also shoulder costs for technology, transportation, and health. This has pushed up the average amounts of support payments and generated more intense legal disputes.
For the courts, however, this is not about “exaggeration,” but rather about ensuring that the child or adolescent is not harmed by the parents’ separation. The right to the same standard of living they would have had if the family were united is the central point.
The Future of Child Support in Brazil
The trend is that this understanding will continue to expand. With social and technological transformations, new costs may be recognized by the judiciary as part of support whenever they are essential for the formation and well-being of children.
Thus, child support consolidates itself as a comprehensive protection instrument, reaffirming that raising a child involves much more than food and shelter — it involves health, education, dignity, development, and social inclusion.
Hoje em dia **** é aquele que procura casamento ou compromisso..
E quer ver o cara se lascar é se envolver com mulher que tem filho ,se separar tem que pagar pensão pra filho dos outros .
Hoje em dias sai mais barato as “JOB””uma por semana a $1O0 da $400 por mês ,ter uma mulher em casa ela gasto isso só no salão de beleza .
Contrato uma “JOB” por 100conto sem compromisso e sem risco da pensão e perder tudo que conseguiu a vida toda 😁😁🤣
Concordo totalmente. Também sou vítima de mulher mal caráter a quase 20 anos, e ainda sou obrigado a pagar pensão para “barbado”. Eu acho um absurdo que essa obrigação se estenda até os 24 anos. Já passei por diversas situações ao longo de todos esses anos, por desemprego, e fui cobrado juridicamente, sendo obrigado a me “virar”, mesmo sem ter de onde tirar dinheiro, para não ser preso. Meus parentes se mobilizaram para me ajudar com essa questão. Graças a eles não precisei “sujar” o meu nome em função de pensão.
O que mais me revolta é o judiciário fazer vista grossa para as situações diversas, alegando que desemprego não é desculpa para o “não pagamento de pensão”.
Por outro lado, um pai, preso por não pagar pensão, por lógica, também não terá condições de pagar a dívida estando preso.
Vergonhosa a justiça brasileira.
Devia ser assim também com o salário dos trabalhadores e a aposentadoria.