Does Child Support Automatically End When The Child Turns 18?
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Learn more about child support payments.
For a child to thrive, both parents must provide financial and emotional support. Even if parents no longer share a home, they must nevertheless work together to provide for their child’s necessities. When both parents are involved, children have the opportunity to realize their full potential.
Michigan Child Support Guidelines
With the help of the child support program, families can achieve or maintain financial stability. Michigan’s child support program helps a child receive medical and financial support, as well as assistance with child care expenses, by collaborating with both parents to obtain and implement support orders.
Child support is a court-ordered payment made by a parent to aid with the expenses of bringing up a child. It is generally terminated when a child reaches the age of 18. However, a judge can award child support for a kid aged 18 to 19 ½ if the child:
- is attending high school full-time
- is believing he or she has a good chance of graduating
- is living with the parent or at an institution that gets the child support
Child support often comprises a base sum as well as portions for health care and child care expenses. Child support may be ordered in the following ways:
- Paternity or custody dispute (if parents never got married)
- Support Case
- Divorce
Both parents have a legal obligation to assist their children financially. A parent cannot escape child support payments by consenting to forego parenting time (visitation) or choosing to have their parental rights revoked. Even when parental rights are revoked, a parent may be required to continue paying child support. If the other parent owes child support, you cannot restrict parenting time as a means of enforcing payment.
When Does Child Support End?
Court-ordered child support is typically in effect up until the child reaches legal age, which is 18 years old. Child support for a minor’s upbringing may be extended past the age of 18 in some cases. Post-majority child support is a type of child support that continues even after a child has reached the age of 18.
In Michigan, child support payments can be imposed until the child reaches the age of 18, or until he or she finishes high school, whichever comes first. That said, post-majority child support is only imposed when a child who has already reached adulthood is still in high school but not older than 19 and 6 months, is likely to graduate, and continues to reside with a primary caregiver receiving support payments.
Child support laws do not compel parents to shoulder some of the cost of sending their children to college. As soon as a child can make independent decisions, the financial duties of his or her parents for child support ends.
Get Legal Help from a Michigan Child Support Attorney
If you need help understanding Michigan child support laws, contact a local child support lawyer. Goldman and Associates Law Firm guarantees the best legal services with the best potential outcome. Contact us for a free consultation. Book an appointment today!