Exclusive Focus In Family Law for Over 10 Years

Does child support include paying for college education?

On Behalf of | May 25, 2017 | Uncategorized |

Parents do not want their divorces to derail their children’s dreams, and neither do the courts. For this reason, the best interests of the children are given incredible weight when matters, such as custody and child support, come up during Colorado divorces. A parent, who does not have physical custody of their child, often is required to pay support for the maintenance and care of that youth. And, they may have questions regarding just what that money may be used.

Generally, child support is used for a child’s basic needs, such as food, housing, clothing, medical care and educational expenses. It may be used for extracurricular activities, as well as for entertainment and vacation costs. While in some cases, child support ends when a child turns 18, it can extend beyond that age by either agreement of the parents or an order from a court.

One reason that parents may agree to extend child support beyond the age of majority is to provide the child with financial support for their higher education. They may decide to split the costs or to have one parent provide the bulk of the financial backing to put the child through college. A parent may also ask a court to extend their child’s support order to compel the other parent to help with college-related expenses after the child graduates from high school.

Every case of child support is unique and for that reason, there is no black line rule regarding college tuition and child support. As such, readers are asked to discuss this complexity in the area of child support and family law with their attorneys to determine the proper course to provide their kids with the financial support they need to live out their dreams.