Child support helps to make shared parenting arrangements fair. When there is a significant difference in how much time each adult has with the children or between the parental incomes, the courts may order one parent to pay support to the other.
Typically, child support ends when a child turns 18 or when they graduate from high school if they are still enrolled on their 18th birthday. However, sometimes parents continue to provide financial support for their legally adult children for many years.
When might the state agree to extend child support beyond a child’s 19th birthday?
When they attend college
Connecticut recognizes how important parental support is for college students. As such, state child support statutes allow for child support to continue through the college years. A college child support order can continue until the student turns 23 or is no longer enrolled full-time at an accredited educational institution.
When they have special needs
Parents also tend to provide extensive support for their children who have special needs and cannot live independently. If one parent has accepted full-time responsibility for an adult child with special needs, the courts may order the continuation of support past the child’s 18th or 19th birthday. Recent adjustments to child support statutes allow the order to continue until the child turns 26.
Parents who are aware of Connecticut’s unique child support rules can better ensure that their children have the best standard of living possible while ensuring circumstances are also fair for them. Reviewing unusual family circumstances with a skilled legal team can help parents pursue additional child support in scenarios that may qualify for continued support under state law.
