As editor of DadsDivorce.com, I frequently receive questions from divorced fathers concerning child support and the age of emancipation in Missouri.
For this question from a father paying child support for a child who is over the age of 21 but still in college, I sought an answer from Cordell & Cordell child support lawyer Jordan Rapoff, who exclusively practices family law in the St. Louis area.
Question: My son is about to turn 22. He has attended college for four years and will have to attend for another year in order to graduate.
Based on the fact that he is over 21, do I have grounds to terminate child support? If so, what is the process for terminating child support for an emancipated child in Missouri?
Answer from Ms. Rapoff:
Missouri rules state that if a child is enrolled in college before the October following his or her high school graduation, child support will continue until the child completes college or reaches age 21, whichever comes first.
In your case, your son turned 21 before completing college; therefore child support should have been terminated on his 21st birthday.
Typically, as long as your son’s birthday is located somewhere on the child support order, you would not need to take any further administrative or judicial action to terminate support, unless you agreed to pay support past your child’s 21st birthday. If there was no such agreement, your support obligation should have automatically terminated when your son turned 21.
However, if the child support is automatically coming out of your bank account, I would recommend that you file a Request to Terminate Child Support and a Motion to Emancipate the Child.
Cordell & Cordell has men's divorce lawyers licensed and located in Missouri should you require additional information or possible legal representation.
Comments