Is there an age limit for child support?

Having to pay child support is a situation that millions of people find themselves in each year. For most of them, the requirement to make these payments eventually ends for various reasons. Usually, the reason the child support obligation ends is that the child for whom the payments are being made reaches the age-out limit. Children can reach a certain age in California where they are no longer eligible to receive support payments.

You’ve likely heard of the term “age of majority” mentioned at some point during your time in the family courts. This term is important to understand because it is the age at which a person is deemed to be an adult under the law. It means the person is allowed to make legal decisions about themselves and other issues in life. The age of majority varies from state to state based on the law.

In California, the age of majority is 18. However, if the person is unmarried and still in high school full-time, the age of majority is either the time he or she completes the 12th grade or when he or she turns 19 — whichever milestone comes first. The person in question must also not be self-supporting at this time in order to still be viewed as a minor in the eyes of the state and the courts.

So, if you are paying child support in California or you are receiving it because you have a minor child, you will likely see those payments come to a halt once the child reaches either of these milestones.