Will Child Support Continue If My Child Won’t Graduate?

Question:

My child will have to attend another year of high school after he reaches the age of emancipation because his mother keeps moving resulting in school records not being properly transferred.

Can the courts make me pay another year of child support because of her moving and her actions?

Answer:

I am unable to give you legal advice on divorce. I can give general divorce help for men, though, my knowledge is based on Maryland child support laws where I am licensed to practice.

The parents of a minor child generally have a duty to support the child financially until the child reaches the age of majority, which is typically 18, 19, or 21.

However, in some states, this obligation may extend if the child continues enrollment in high school after he/she reaches the age of emancipation. In my state where the age of majority is 18, the support obligation would continue until the first to occur of the child reaching the age of 19 or graduating from high school.

As a result, you may still have the obligation to pay child support until your child either graduates from high school or turns 19 as this is what is required under my state’s child support laws.

You could attempt to make an equitable argument that your support obligation should have terminated when the child reached 18 because he should have graduated from high school on time.

However, you may have to show to the court that your child would have passed had his mother not moved. There is no guarantee that the court would determine that the child support obligation should have ended once the child turned 18.

Remember, I am unable to provide you with anything more than divorce tips for men, so please consult with a divorce lawyer in your jurisdiction.

Cordell & Cordell has men’s divorce lawyers located nationwide. To schedule an appointment with a divorce attorney, including Maryland Divorce Lawyer Jeff J. Kim, please contact Cordell & Cordell.