Houston Child Support Termination
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Why You Need A Child Support Lawyer
When couples divorce, they continue to co-parent their children as both still have an obligation to raise, support, and care for their children. Usually, one parent will pay for child support to ensure financial security for their child, while the other provides day-to-day decision-making. This financially supportive parent is the noncustodial parent. Once the noncustodial children become adults, they no longer receive child support unless previously decided by the parents.
in Texas, at the age of 18, child support legally ends, although many parents will continue to support their children past this age through financial support or other ways. That support could be written into a divorce agreement or custody plan with the help of a Houston child custody attorney. Some ways of support include helping through to graduation from high school or assisting with costs for college. If the child has a disability, child support could ensure the child gets the financial support they need.
Age isn’t the only reason child support may end. Other grounds for child support termination include a child’s marriage, military enlistment, emancipation, adoption, or death of the child or the noncustodial parent. If you believe that you should no longer be paying child support, a Houston family law firm can help.
Child support is a legal requirement
How to know when to stop paying child support can be hard. It is never a good idea to stop paying simply because you think you should. A child support lawyer in Houston, or Tomball for those living in the surrounding areas of Houston can ensure you can legally stop paying child support if you qualify to do so. If you do not do the proper research before you stop paying child support, you could incur extra costs. For example, simply ending support at the child’s18th year can cause back-child support. Family law lawyers are familiar with the intricacies of child support laws and can guide you.
In some cases, the noncustodial parent must provide other things besides financial support even after 18. This support can include medical insurance. If that is the case, it will usually end when the legal obligation of child support ends, but it depends on your custody agreement. Children can continue under their parent’s health insurance until they are 26 in the United States, and because of this, you may need to continue paying insurance until that date.
Child support amounts can also change as the child ages. This means if more than one child receives child support, the overall amounts can change as they grow. If you believe your child support amounts should be updated, contact a Houston family law firm. Whether you are near the end of your child support obligation or want to review the terms of your support agreement, you can trust the Eaton Family Law Firm attorneys to provide the help you need.
