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How Long are You Required to Pay Child Support


It is a parent’s obligation to help raise and take care of their children. This obligation does not stop even if you are divorced. Non-custodial parents pay child support as an obligation. If you are such, until when are you required to pay child support? When can you stop? If you’d like to know, then continue reading.

The Usual Circumstances

In most states, you can stop paying for child support when your child turns 18 or graduate high school. When whichever of these two happens first, you can then stop paying for child support. Though some states require the child to be 21 before you can stop paying for child support. In Texas, you can stop paying when your child turns 18. Another thing to take note of is if your child is self-supporting. If they are earning and can take care of themselves, you can also opt to stop paying. Another, albeit a little obvious, circumstance where one can stop paying for child support is if your child passes away.

Special Circumstances

The law may require you to continue paying for child support if your child decides to pursue further studies, such as college or graduate school. You might have to continue paying past the required age if your child is a special needs child.

Before you decide to proceed to end child support, talk to a lawyer and check your child support terms. Once you have all the details sorted out, you can then proceed to go to your state child support agency and end your child support payments when the time comes.

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Mr. Hutton is a Divorce and Custody Lawyer based out of Round Rock, TX. His background is with child psychology at Arizona State University where he received a B.S. in 2006, and he continued this by working with the Children’s Right’s Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law where he received his J.D. in 2009. Throughout his practice, he has been a strong proponent of utilizing modern technology to improve his practice and the representation of his clients. He currently is the technology chair of CAFA of Travis County and is committed to improving and modernizing the practice of law in Texas. If you have any questions you can contact him at timothy.hutton@austintexaslegal.com

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