When Does Child Support End in Minnesota?
When you’re a parent sending monthly child support monthly to your spouse, or you’re receiving it, it’s important to know when your payments will end. Keep reading to learn more from our family law attorneys at Johnson / Turner Legal.
Minnesota Child Support Payment Details
As you navigate through your divorce process, if you have children, you and your ex-spouse will have to come to an agreement on child custody and child support.
In Minnesota, child support is decided through an “income shares” model, and is broken down into three main categories:
- Basic support: includes the costs of everyday life for a child, such as housing, food, clothing, transportation, education, etc.
- Medical support: ensures that children remain healthy by providing for doctor appointments and dental checkups, as well as containing provisions for emergencies (i.e., dictating that parents will split the cost of a medical emergency 50/50).
- Childcare support: governs the costs of services, like daycare or childcare facilities, that look after children while the parents are at work.
The general ruling in child support cases in Minnesota is that payments will end when all children from the marriage have turned 18 years of age, or when they graduate from high school — whichever occurs first. Once your child graduates from high school and starts to consider college, any financial contributions from each spouse are up to you to decide unless you’ve pre-set terms regarding college tuition in your divorce agreement.
Do I Need to Go Back to Court to End Child Support?
No — your child support will end automatically, according to the terms above. However, you’ll need to let your lawyer know that your child’s graduation or 18th birthday is occurring in the event that you had an income withholding order.
Additionally, if you are continuing to pay child support and have a change in job circumstances that you feel warrants a change in your agreement, you can choose to petition the court. You should always consult your lawyer regarding this process.
Attorneys in Minnesota
At Johnson / Turner Legal, our Minnesota lawyers can help navigate your rights and can assist if you believe your co-parent is lying about their circumstances or has purposefully avoided finding employment to ensure you pay child support. We can also help you file for an order modification if your circumstances change in a manner that renders your current child support arrangement untenable.
Contact our team today to schedule a consultation with one of our expert Minnesota family lawyers: (320) 299-4249
