As a parent, you are obligated to provide financially for your child even if you do not live with them most of the time. That said, this obligation will not last forever. Once your child is an adult, it will likely be time for these payments to come to an end.
The reality is that it might not be as simple as waiting until your child reaches the age of 18 and simply no longer making any payments. A Little Gables child support termination lawyer can help you understand when the law allows you to finally end these payments. Reach out to our compassionate child support attorneys to learn more.
When Will Child Support Obligations End?
As a baseline, your responsibility to provide financial support to your child can end once they reach the age of 18. Despite this, there are some important exceptions you should be aware of. In general, the support order will spell out when payments are no longer required.
First, the law generally requires that you continue supporting your child past the age of 18 if they are still in high school and have not yet graduated. These payments can continue as long as the child is expected to graduate before they reach the age of 19. There are also exceptions when disabilities require ongoing care for your child. A Little Gables attorney can answer your questions on what the child support termination timeline might look like.
Changes That Require Termination
Child support obligations do not continue indefinitely. Certain legal changes can trigger the termination of a support order, even before a child reaches adulthood. The most common include emancipation, adoption, and the death of a party. Our Little Gables attorneys can advise you on how to deal with each of these child support termination situations.
Emancipation
Florida law allows a juvenile to become emancipated, meaning they are treated as an adult under the law, typically after joining the military or getting married. All support obligations usually end after emancipation.
Adoption
When a child is legally adopted by another individual, the biological parent’s legal relationship and responsibilities are severed. This includes the obligation to pay child support. The adopting parent assumes full legal and financial responsibility, and the previous support order is terminated by the court.
Death
If the child support payor dies, support may end unless life insurance or other estate planning tools were in place to continue meeting the child’s needs. If the child passes away, the support obligation also ends immediately. In either case, proper notice must be filed with the court to formally close the case.
Dealing With Back Child Support
The paying parent may still have a continuing obligation once their child ages out of mandatory support if they were behind at the time. Known as back child support, these delinquent payments do not go away simply because the child reaches the age of 18. Florida law requires a parent to make up these delinquent payments, and the courts can use a number of tools to pursue compliance.
If the other parent has failed to make all of their court-ordered payments by the time your shared time reaches the age of majority, you are still entitled to enforce the order against them.
Talk to a Child Support Termination Attorney in Little Gables Today
It is natural to have questions about when a child support obligation may come to an end. Whether the process ends naturally or you take steps to terminate it through the courts, it is important to have legal counsel on your side. Reach out to a Little Gables child support termination lawyer from The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm today.