Question:
I’ve been paying child support for my daughter for 19 years. She graduated from high school last year and is planning on moving out of her mom’s house soon.
Do I have to keep paying child support to her mother or only my arrears?
Answer:
I am not licensed to practice law in your state. Therefore, I cannot inform you as to the specific laws of your state and can only provide you with general information concerning child support.
You should have been able to stop paying current child support for your daughter when she turned 18 (19 in some states) or when she graduated from high school. The child support division in your state may have made this change automatically.
It seems that they have indicated that you are now paying arrearages. If you do have a past due balance for previously unpaid support, then yes you still have that debt and the child support division can continue to collect child support until that past due balance is paid off.
You should be able to get an account statement from the child support division and see all payments you have made over the years and all “payments due” over the years and determine whether you still have a past due amount. If you believe that the child support division has made a mistake in their calculations, you can ask them to review your account and make the necessary adjustments.
Remember, I am unable to provide you with anything more than general child support tips, so please consult a domestic litigation attorney in your area to obtain specific advice as to the laws in your state and how they impact your circumstances.
To arrange an initial consultation to discuss divorce rights for men with a Cordell & Cordell attorney, contact Cordell & Cordell.
My ex-wife has moved to another state, (to be with her new husband) but left my 17 year old daughter here. My daughter is living with her aunt, but claims she will be moving to be with her mother soon. My ex has maligned me enough where my daughter no longer speaks to me (for the last 3 months), despite me trying regularly. However, my 18 year old (in college out of state) son and I speak weekly and have a good relationship. I have been in the process of dealing with my ex-wife’s modification of child support court papers she served on me for over a year. Currently I have 50% parenting time and pay about $400 per month plus half of any medical expenses to my ex wife, even though she makes more money than me. I carry the children on my insurance and pay the premium. My ex-wife has not communicated with me in about a year and a half and refuses to co-parent. I don’t even know her new address so can’t send her the $400 for the last 2 months. She refuses any reasonable offer of child support. When she started this process my son was 17, and now at almost 19 he is wrapped into the paperwork as well, so that I would pay him support directly when this is settled. My ex-wife makes about $20,000 more than me a year. I live in a state where I have to pay until 21 if they are in school. The new state where they will be living requires child support only until 18. Unless they resolve this child support agreement will I have to pay my ex-wife when my daughter joins her in the new state? What if my daughter actually stays here, will I have to continue to pay my ex-wife when my daughter doesn’t even live with her? I have no criminal background, a safe home, my daughter would have her own room, and want to spend time with my children. My son plans on coming back and living with me for the summer. I know you hear that all the time, but my ex-wife is very jealous and bitter about my new marriage and happiness, even though she was re-married first, and was the one that served divorce papers to me. In fact she remarried a month after our divorce was final.