The money app that helps you avoid haggling with your ex

If divorced couples were good at communicating, they’d probably still be happily living together.

Instead, they typically spend big money on mediators and lawyers to sort through their problems and then even more money during the painful separation process.

Throw kids into the mix, and you’ve got even more to fight over: Custody, child support, extracurricular activities and education are all potential minefields to navigate. And any expenses to do with the kids will they’re at least 18.

Working through these issues can be fraught with emotion, even if the divorce is amicable.

Well, there’s an app for that

If every conversation about hockey, ballet and the orthodontist is loaded with history and drama, it’s easier to have a third party help with the details. SupportPay helps parents manage child and spousal support payments, document receipts and communications so that each party has a record of their financial interactions.

It also lets you “resolve financial disputes online and away from your children,” eliminating heated arguments with the person who knows how to push your buttons better than anybody else.

Transparency eliminates arguments

The site’s founder and CEO Sheri Atwood explains on the company’s website that she created the service based on her own need as a single parent. Frustrated by the hassle of managing the child care expenses with her ex-husband, she “began to feel more like a bill collector than anything else,” she wrote. “I can’t tell you how many times I wished I never had to talk to my ex about money again.”

Atwood says that her site picks up where the legal system ends. Once the divorce is final, parents are left trying to manage their agreement which gets complicated when extras such as clothing, sports and classes are added to the base amount of child support.

She says the transparency means that the parent who is paying support is 90 per cent more likely to send the money when they can see the bills proving that the funds are actually going towards the child’s care.

What does it cost?

The lite program is free and saves a six-month history. The premium version allows unlimited receipts and documents, the ability to dispute and long-term storage for $9.99 U.S. per month. A pricier legal version also saves certified documents for court filings and taxes.

If one parent pays for one of the premium services, the other one can still use the free lite version, although it appears to work best if both parties use the paid version.

How does it work?

After entering the base support payments, other expenses can be added — both parents can view receipts and send money back and forth using PayPal (no fees are deducted).

Are there other apps for divorced parents?

Yes. Custody Connection and Our Family Wizard, which lets parents manage their schedules, and 2houses is a “co-parenting facilitator” that manages schedules, messages and expenses. All are available online or on apps.

The verdict

For parents who want to move past from fighting with their ex, for their own sake and especially for their kids, this could be a big help. Even if both parents use the paid service for a year, it will cost about an hour of a lawyer’s time.

If you hate spending money on your lawyer more than you hate your former spouse, this might be the solution you’re looking for.