Surprise! Child support may not end after graduation or after age eighteen.
In Washington State, child support may not end even after graduation from high school or after the child turns eighteen. Washington State has a Post-Secondary child support statues that can require parents to continue to pay child support for college. However, all the requirements must be met.
The court will consider the following factors when making a determination about post-secondary child support:
- Child’s age.
- Child’s needs.
- Expectations of the parties for the child when they were together.
- Child’s prospects, desires, skills, abilities, or disabilities.
- What kind of post-high school education the child wants.
- Parents’/guardians’ level of education, standard of living, and resources.
- Amount/type of support the child would have had if the parents stayed together.
Learning that child support can be extended to help pay for college may come as a shock or a as glimmer of hope, but either way taking action before the deadline is critical. With strict timelines and other requirements, having an attorney help through this complex process is always recommended.