Child support orders require that one parent provide regular financial support for their children. They make the payment to the other parent, but the funds are for the purpose of meeting the children’s needs. The amount of support that parents pay depends on how they share parenting time, the number of children in the family and the income of both parents. Other factors, including whether the paying parent also pays support for children from a different relationship, can also influence the order.
While the amount of child support can be drastically different from one case to the next, the duration of the support order is generally about the same. Support usually lasts until a child becomes an adult.
Can child support continue after the child in need of support turns 18?
Yes, support can continue beyond an 18th birthday
While child support can end as soon as the young adult turns 18, that isn’t necessarily what happens. If they are still enrolled full-time in high school or pursuing a similar educational certificate, they may be eligible for child support until they graduate from high school or turn 19.
Provided that they still live full-time with the other parent and depend on them for basic needs, the parent paying support may have to continue providing their financial contributions well beyond the child’s 18th birthday.
Learning more about the rules that regulate child support obligations can be beneficial for those paying and for parents receiving support because they have lower income and/or more parenting time. Child support does not instantaneously end when a teenager turns 18 in many cases.