It's May, and graduation is upon us. In many states, child support ends when a child graduates from high school or turns 18. This means that if you are currently paying child support, you may be able to stop the payments on the day that your son or daughter receives his or her diploma. Of course, this is not the case in every single child support arrangement. In some cases, the support will continue until the end of the month that the child graduates. If a child is headed to college, then the child support may reach into the future and cover that child while he or she attends a college or university.
Also, there are times that child support will not end if the graduate has younger siblings. Instead, the paying spouse may be able to lower the amount that he was paying to factor in the graduated and now "adult" child. Parents can do this by requesting a modification in court. At a modification hearing, the paying spouse can present his or her case and explain why the child support amount should be lowered to accommodate for the graduate. If this is accepted, then the support will be lessened. You will have to keep on paying the child support amount that is listed in your divorce decree until the modification is approved by a judge.
If you want to make sure that the modification changes immediately upon your child's graduation, then you are going to want to get started with the process right away. An attorney at Claery & Hammond can help you with your modification request and can advocate for you in the court room. Don't hesitate to contact the firm right away for more information. We can also help you with concerns that include extending the support order to cover the costs of the child while he or she is away at college. Contact a Los Angeles divorce lawyer at our firm today!