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How long do I have to pay child support?
Q) How long do I have to pay child support?
A) Emancipation and the age of majority for termination of child support are determined by the states and tribes. Some states have provision for child support payments while a child is in college. See state and tribal ages of majority in the Intergovernmental Reference Guide. You can also check with the child support agency. For particular situations — if a child leaves school before reaching the age of majority, is still in school but is emancipated, or is enrolled but not attending classes, for example — check with the child support agency to see how the state handles them. If a child is handicapped, parents may be required to pay support after that child becomes an adult.
Your child support payments can be changed only by a court’s modification order. The modification process can increase or decrease payments. The ways you can lower child support payments will vary by circumstance. You will need to convince a court that the financial situation of one or both of the parents has changed substantially generally. To lower your payments, you will need to file a motion in court to modify your child support payments. Most courts have pre-printed “fill in the blank” motion forms You will need to file this motion in the court that issued the initial child support order.