When Does Child Support End in Florida?

Many people assume that child support payments end when a child becomes a legal adult at eighteen years old; however, in Florida this is not always the case. You should never assume that child support payments have ended without talking to an experienced attorney about your family law case first. Stopping child support payments before they legally end could cause significant financial harm to you and your child. To learn more about when child support payments could end in your case, call or contact the law office of Blair H. Chan, III in Tampa today to schedule an initial consultation to discuss your case.

When Your Child is 18

Under state law, Florida statutes require that child support payments end when a child turns eighteen years old. However, if the parents agree to a different arrangement in their finalized divorce agreement or certain circumstances apply the support payments may extend beyond your child’s eighteenth birthday. If there is more than one child, the support payments will reduce proportionally to the number of children.

When Your Child is 19

Child support payments can extend to a child’s nineteenth birthday in certain situations. One of the main factors is at what age your child graduates from high school. If the child turns eighteen years old before graduation, support ends on the eighteenth birthday. If the child turns eighteen but graduates before their nineteenth birthday, support ends at graduation. If the child turns nineteen before graduating, child support ends on their nineteenth birthday. The one exception to this rule is if your child is on track to graduate from high school at age twenty or later. In that case, child support reverts back to ending on the child’s eighteenth birthday. 

When Your Child is Older Than 19

One final situation that can affect when child support payments end is when your child has special needs, either physical or mental, that will render your child a dependent beyond their eighteenth birthday. If your child’s needs are serious enough, child support payments could extend indefinitely to cover the costs of their needs. If the child has these needs prior to a divorce, this issue will be covered in your finalized divorce agreement. However, sometimes an accident or illness can cause special needs in your child after a divorce. In this situation, you or your former spouse can request a modification in your current child support arrangement to extend payments for as long as your child requires it. Speak with an experienced Florida family law attorney today to learn more.

Call or Contact Our Office Now

Determining when child support payments end are entirely dependent on your unique situation, so you should never stop payments on child support without consulting with a qualified attorney first. To speak with an experienced Tampa child support attorney, call the office or contact us today at the law firm of Blair H. Chan, III today to schedule an initial consultation of your case.

Resource:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.30.html

https://www.bchanlaw.com/when-can-i-modify-a-child-support-order/