How Long Do I Have to Pay Child Support in the State of Georgia?
A parent who pays child support has the duty to support his or her child until the child becomes emancipated for child support purposes under Georgia law. There are a number of different ways that a child may be emancipated for child support purposes under Georgia law. First, the most typical form of emancipation occurs when a child turns eighteen (18) and is no longer enrolled in high school. If the child is still attending high school, however, Georgia law permits child support to be extended up to the age of 20. Next, a child automatically emancipates if he or she legally marries. Also, if a child enters active duty in the U.S. military, he or she automatically emancipates. Whichever of these conditions occurs first determines on what date a parent’s child support obligation terminates.
Although parents can agree to pay a child’s college expenses or other post-secondary education costs, a court cannot order parents to pay for a child’s college expenses. Therefore, even if your child is regularly attending college, you are not responsible for any those expenses, unless, of course, you choose to pay some of the expenses.
Another important issue to remember is that if you have a child support order for multiple children, emancipation of one or more of those children does not automatically reduce your child support order. In other words, unless you go back to court to have your child support recalculated when one of your children emancipates, you will continue to pay the same amount of child support that the court previously ordered you to pay.
A Georgia child support lawyer can make all the difference in giving you the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about your divorce or paternity case and any related child support issues. Call the Shaw Law Firm LLC and let us give you the advice that you need about terminating or modifying your child support order.
Contact us or call today to learn how Shaw Law can work with you to achieve the best outcome possible for you and your children.
Scott Shaw is founder and principle of Shaw Law Firm LLC, founded in 1995 and dedicated solely to divorce, family law and child custody matters that must be addressed and decided in the state of Georgia. Shaw Law Firm serves the greater Metro Atlanta area, particularly the counties of Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth, Paulding, Henry, Fayette, Coweta, Newton, Walton, Bartow and Douglas. Schedule a consultation today at 770-594-8309.