High School Graduation Could Change Your Child Support Obligation

by Elizabeth J. Billies

Graduation season is an exciting time for students and families alike. Between celebrations, parties, and planning for the future, divorced or separated parents should also be aware that a child’s high school graduation may have an important legal and financial impact: it could signal the end of child support.

Under Pennsylvania law, a child is considered emancipated (meaning no longer a minor) when they turn 18 or graduate from high school, whichever occurs later. So, if your child turned 18 during their senior year, they are not legally emancipated until they graduate. Once a child is emancipated, a parent’s legal obligation to pay child support generally ends.

Importantly, Pennsylvania law does not require parents to contribute toward college expenses. In other words, once your child turns 18 or graduates from high school — whichever happens later — your legal support obligation ends. Any financial assistance provided after that point is voluntary.

So, what should you do if you have a graduating senior and a child support obligation?

Typically, your county’s Domestic Relations Office will send both parents a letter during the child’s senior year requesting information about the anticipated graduation date. If your graduating senior is your only child or your youngest child, you generally only need to confirm the graduation information. The Domestic Relations Office will then administratively close the child support case effective as of the graduation date, and no additional action is usually required to terminate support.

However, things work differently if you still have younger children who remain subject to a support obligation.

Although the Domestic Relations Office will remove the graduating child from the support order, it will not automatically recalculate the amount of support owed for the remaining children. This means your monthly support obligation could stay exactly the same unless you take additional steps.

Before filing a petition to modify support, it is important to speak with an experienced family law attorney. If it has been several years since your support order was entered, there may have been significant changes in income, custody arrangements, health insurance costs, or other relevant circumstances. Depending on those changes, a recalculation could result in a lower support obligation, little to no change, or even an increase.

A family law attorney can help evaluate your current circumstances, estimate what a modified support order may look like, and advise whether filing for a modification is in your best interest.

As you celebrate your child’s graduation and prepare for their next chapter, it is also a good time to make sure you understand what this milestone may mean for your child support obligation.

Do you have questions about child support or another family law matter? Contact one of our family law attorneys to learn how we can help.