Permanent Child Support in Seattle

In some instances, you may be able to seek permanent child support in Seattle. Child support in this state usually ends when the child who receives it graduates from high school. There are important exceptions to this rule, though.

Understanding how child support works can give you a better sense of what rights you have as a divorced parent. Having trusted legal representation could help you address important family law matters such as child support. Our experienced attorneys at Twyford Law Office could guide you through the challenging process of obtaining maintenance payments for your child and could strive to obtain permanent support for them, if appropriate.

When Does Child Support Usually End?

Child support payments usually end when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever happens later. However, the payments can end earlier if the child joins the armed forces, gets married, or becomes legally emancipated. The child’s maintenance can also end earlier if their parents remarry or the paying parent dies.

As a Seattle lawyer near me could explain, though, your child could receive permanent maintenance payments under certain circumstances instead of aging out of them. 

Extending Child Support After High-School Graduation

In some instances, child support extends well beyond high school graduation.

When the Child Has a Disability

If a child who receives support payments has a mental or physical disability that leaves them unable to care for or provide for themself, those payments may not end. How long they will continue depends on the child’s unique condition. When deciding this, the court will carefully consider these factors:

• How severe the child’s disability is
• How much the disability prevents the child from working or living independently
• What each parent’s financial resources are
• Whether one parent is the disabled child’s primary caretaker

The court considers each case individually, and the child support duration will vary accordingly. The court may order permanent child support with no set end date or reject a request for it.

When the Child Needs Money for College / Post Secondary Education

The court sometimes orders the paying parent to help fund the college education or vocational training of a child who receives maintenance payments. This is called post-secondary education. State courts do not automatically grant postsecondary educational support. Instead, the parent receiving child support or the child themself must request money for college before they turn 18.

When deciding whether the child should receive postsecondary educational support, the court will evaluate these factors:

• The standard of living the child would have enjoyed if the parents had remained together
• Each parent’s financial situation
• The child’s access to scholarships, grants, and financial aid
• The child’s past academic performance and overall academic abilities
• Whether the parents intention was for the child to attend college
• Whether the parents attended college themselves

If you want your child’s support payments to continue after they graduate from high school, you must ask the court to intervene. Our Seattle attorneys could go to court to seek permanent financial support for your child.

Call Our Seattle Lawyers To Discuss Permanent Child Support Payments for Your Child, or to Discuss Post-Secondary Education Support

Permanent child support in Seattle is the exception rather than the rule. However, if your child is entitled to additional support payments, you should pursue them.

Your child may be entitled to post-secondary education support, so please contact our office today to learn more about how that may apply to your unique situation.

Our knowledgeable attorneys at Twyford Law Office apply our extensive family law experience to all our clients’ cases. We could assess your legal options concerning ongoing child support. Call us today to schedule a free consultation—and find out how an attorney near me could help.