If you are paying or receiving child support, you may assume it ends when your child turns 18. Under Connecticut law, that assumption is generally correct. However, that does not always mean your financial responsibility ends at that point. In some cases, courts may require parents to contribute to college expenses through a separate legal process.
What the law says about when support ends
In Connecticut, child support generally ends when your child turns 18. But the timing depends on whether your child has completed high school. If they have not yet graduated when they turn 18, support typically continues while they remain enrolled or reach 19 years of age, whichever comes first. If they have already graduated, support ends at 18.
Does child support include college expenses?
Child support payments are meant to cover a child’s basic needs, such as housing, food and daily expenses. College costs are not automatically included. Courts may issue educational support orders that require parents to contribute to higher education expenses, but only if one parent requests it before the child turns 23.
A court may consider this type of order if it determines that you would likely have supported your child’s education if your family had remained intact. In making that determination, the court may evaluate:
- Your financial ability
- Your child’s academic readiness
- Your family’s circumstances and expectations around education
These orders remain separate from regular child support and include defined limits. Courts may cap contributions based on the cost of an in-state public university.
Planning for your child’s education
Even with these limits, questions about education costs may continue beyond the end of child support. As your child’s plans begin to take shape, it can help to consider how education and living expenses may be handled.
You may want to align on what each parent can realistically contribute and how expectations around college or other paths may differ. A shared understanding can help reduce uncertainty as your child moves into the next stage.
