Ending Child Support
In most cases, child support ends when your child reaches the age 18 and is no longer a full-time student at an accredited high school, but in some cases may extend to age 19 (considered emancipation). Some exceptions follow:
Child support can continue:
- For a child with a disability who is still dependent, regardless of age.
Child support can stop if:
- Your child marries before age 18.
- Your child joins the armed forces.
- Your child becomes self-supporting before age 18.
- Your child comes to live with you and you obtain legal custody.
- You or your child dies.
- Someone else adopts your child.
- Child support may stop through actions taken by a court on your case.
Both parents are legally required to notify HCJFS if they believe there is a reason to terminate a support order. If your child meets any of the criteria listed above, both parents will receive an from Child Support.
In order to terminate a support order:
- Complete the questionnaire and return it to Child Support. If your child is still in school when you return the questionnaire, you will need to send proof of his or her graduation to your worker as soon as your child graduates.
- Child Support will send the paperwork requesting emancipation to the court.
- It takes approximately 3 to 6 weeks for the court to process the emancipation. The court will notify you and the other parent that your child support has been modified or your child support case has been closed.
Once the court has processed the emancipation, child support payments will stop for this child.
If the paying parent has accrued an arrears through non-payment, the parent will still owe the child support balance even after the child support order stops.
