If you’re a parent who pays child support because your kids live with their other parent, or if you’re contemplating divorce and you’re fairly sure that your kids won’t live with you most of the time, you’re not alone in wondering when child support ends in California. Here’s what you need to know.
Related: What are the child support laws in California?
In some cases, the paying parent can stop paying child support before the child turns 18. Those circumstances include when the child:
Related: 5 myths about child support in California
Child support isn’t only a financial payment each month. It also includes things like healthcare coverage (such as medical, vision and dental). Most child care expenses – including the financial obligation – are split 50-50 between the parents; it’s just that one parent often has the child for less time throughout the month, and in many cases, one parent makes more money than the other does.
Still, both parents are responsible for financially providing for their children.
Because California doesn’t automatically require child support to continue past the age of 18, even in cases of children with special needs, many parents do agree to continue support for longer. There’s nothing to stop you from doing so, as well, if it’s necessary in your case. The key is that you must both agree.
Under California law, parents don’t have a lot of say in the amount of child support that changes hands – unless they want to pay more than what the state’s guidelines suggest. For example, you can’t go to court and say, “We agreed that I will only pay $100 a month in child support,” and expect the judge to automatically agree. The state has specific guidelines on how much money a non-custodial parent has to pay for the care of his or her children, and unless you have special circumstances, the court isn’t going to deviate from the guidelines.
If one parent doesn’t want to pay child support, that parent is most likely out of luck. The courts recognize that both parents are required to provide for their children.
Related: What is parentage by estoppel?
Child support is money intended to help pay for a child’s expenses. It doesn’t matter if someone receives a child support payment and uses it to pay the rent or buy groceries that will feed other people in the house – it’s a contribution to the family’s community money that helps keep the child’s standard of living intact.
If you need to talk to an attorney about when child support stops in California or what you may be ordered to pay (or receive), we can help.
Call us right away at (209) 546-6870 or get in touch with a Stockton divorce attorney online to schedule a consultation today.
Child Custody Orders: San Joaquin, California In California, divorced, separated, or never married parents must…
https://youtu.be/tt_A0YoAbVs Co-Parenting from a Child's Based Perspective Parenting Words of Wisdom “Promise me you’ll always remember:…
Divorce in California If you are considering a divorce in California, there are a few…
Words of Wisdom https://youtube.com/shorts/p7mO71I_8cA Original Article Posted at drthomasmaples.com The Psychology of Divorce As…
Guide 4 Divorce in California Considering a divorce in California? You will want to know…
This website uses cookies.