Child support is paid to help your child grow up, pay for expenses and get an education. Education includes primary, secondary, post-secondary, and even graduate school in some cases. When your child support obligation ends depends on the expectations you, your ex-spouse, and your child hold in terms of education. If you and the other parent are both professionals, then it is possible that child support could be ordered to continue until your child receives his or her graduate degree. Assuming child support has been ordered, is there any way to mitigate the support payments, or do they stay the same?
Child support payments are based on your ability to pay and your ex-partner’s ability to pay. But when a child enters college, a third potential income is introduced: your child’s. The more your child is able to pay for himself or herself, the less you have to pay.
Support can include a variety of income sources, including jobs, grants, scholarships, and fellowships. If your child receives a full-ride scholarship to go to school, then it is possible you may owe little or no child support. Additionally, courts do consider the availability of financial aid.
Does your support obligation change depending on the school they attend? Yes, it does. Remember that you are paying to support their education, so the tuition fee is part of that. For example, if your child chooses to attend a private college, then it is possible that your payments will increase to cover tuition. What if there is a perfectly good public school in the same area? That is a little more complicated. It is possible to change your support obligation, however, an attorney would be better placed to assist you in this scenario.
As you can see, there are a number of factors that can reduce your obligation to pay support through college. You may want to speak to an attorney to go over your situation and come up with a plan to reduce child support obligations. You will likely have to continue to pay support through college, but there are ways to reduce it.