Parents are legally obligated to financially support their children until they are legal adults. However, sometimes intervening events can relieve a parent of that duty.
Speak with a Southbury child support termination lawyer when you want to end your payments. Our skilled child support attorneys can review your circumstances and advise on whether you have legal justification for stopping your financial aid.
According to Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-84, when a child graduates from high school and turns 18, the parent is no longer obligated to pay child support. However, if the child is still attending high school when they turn 18, the parent must continue to pay until the child graduates or turns 19, whichever comes first.
The obligation to pay does not depend on the relationship with the child or the co-parent. If a child refuses to see a paying parent or the co-parent refuses to make the child available, a paying parent must continue to meet their support obligation.
A paying parent can consult a Southbury child support termination attorney about bringing a motion to enforce the custody agreement, but they cannot withhold financial support.
A custodial parent’s marriage or cohabitation does not impact child support, although it may impact spousal support. When the co-parent’s financial situation is substantially changed from the time when the child support order was entered, there may be grounds to seek a modification of the support amount. However, even when a custodial parent does not need the money, the non-custodial parent must contribute financially to the children’s support.
Certain situations can end the support obligation early. If a child switches residences and moves in with the paying parent, a new child support order will be entered when the court modifies the custody order. Additionally, a child’s death ends the obligation to pay support.
When a child marries, they become emancipated, and the child support obligation ends. Joining the military, taking full-time employment, or leaving the custodial parent’s home can also terminate the obligation for a parent to pay child support. A Southbury attorney can advise a parent about whether a child’s actions merit a petition to the court to terminate child support.
When it is clear that the parents would have paid for a child’s postsecondary education if the family had remained together, a Connecticut judge may issue an educational support order. The order obligates a parent to contribute to the child’s undergraduate or professional education expenses until age 23.
A child receiving support from a parent under an educational support order must maintain their enrollment in an institution their parents approved, remain in good standing academically, and share their grades and other records with their parents. When a child fails to meet their obligations, a parent could bring a motion seeking to terminate their obligations under the educational support order.
Sometimes, a child support order is explicit about the end date. The order is not enforceable after that date, but paying parents should ensure automatic payments cease.
In many cases, a Southbury lawyer will bring a motion to seek a court order terminating the child support obligation. An order will always be necessary when a parent seeks to end support due to the child’s emancipation or failure to comply with an educational support order.
A parent should continue to pay support until the court issues an order terminating the obligation. Failing to pay could result in fines and penalties, such as being forced to pay the receiving spouse’s legal fees.
Every child has a right to their parent’s financial support until they reach adulthood and sometimes beyond. However, some situations can relieve a parent of the obligation to pay support.
Speak with a Southbury child support termination lawyer when you believe you have grounds to end your financial obligation toward your child. Get in touch today to learn your legal options.
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