Age Child Support Ends
Age Child Support Ends
In Georgia, child support payments generally stop when the minor child for whom support is being provided turns 18 years of age. However, Georgia law permits for child support payments to terminate when a child turns 18 or graduates from secondary school, whichever occurs later. Child support shall not be required after the child reaches the age of 20, even if they have not completed high school. One exception to this rule is the rule for "Adult Dependent Children." If your adult child qualifies as disabled or dependent, the parents may be able to request that support be paid for the Adult Dependent Child. Otherwise, according to Georgia law, court ordered child support may end when one of the below circumstances occurs.
Child Support Ends Upon:
Marriage
Emancipation
Legal Custody Change
Up to The Age of 20
Passing of the Child
Passing of the Obligated Parent
Passing of Legal Custodian
Court Decree
Agreements for Child Support Payments Past the Age of 20
Disagreements
occasionally arise when one parent wishes for child support to continue past
the age of 18 or graduation from secondary school. Although a court may not
order a parent to support a child past his or her 20th birthday without
the parents' consent, the court may incorporate an agreement between the
parties to pay for college, or otherwise support an adult child, in the court's
Final Order. The court will only incorporate an agreement of the parties if the
court finds the agreement in the best interest of the child and equitable under
the circumstances of the specific case. Since a court's determination on the
matter may prove unsatisfactory to both parents, it is advisable for parents to
reach a mutually acceptable agreement, rather than ask the judge to decide.
Dependent or Disabled Adult Children
On July 1, 2024, the Georgia Child Support laws were changed to allow for support to be requested for "Dependent Adult Children." If an Adult dependent or disabled child qualifies, the parents may seek support to paid on behalf of the adult child.
According to Georgia law, a Dependent Adult Child is an unmarried individual who is 18 years old and "is incapable of self-support as a result of a physical or mental incapacity that began before the individual reached the age of majority." The interpretation of the phrase "physical or mental incapacity" may be subject to litigation at both the trial court and appellate court level.