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Divorce Guide |
When Does Child Maintenance EndChild support is a financial obligation of the non residential parent towards the child after divorce. When does child maintenance end is a crucial matter for parents who have been paying child support for a long time. Most of the parents are interested in knowing till when they need to pay this support. There are a number of questions that remain unanswered for divorced couples when it comes to child support. This is a matter worth consideration as it translates to financial responsibilities. Maria and Tom were divorced when their children were 6 and 10 years old. Both the kids stayed with Maria and Tom sent child maintenance regularly. In the mean time Tom was remarried and he had a son from his second marriage. Once his son started going to school, Tom felt that maintenance was becoming a little burden as his present wife was also not working. Along with paying the support he also had to bear the expenses of his new child. There are many people like Tom who feel the heat of bearing the child maintenance cost at some point of time. They ask questions like when does the child maintenance end, or can the amount be reduced. Child support is totally a legal matter. If the divorce decree specifies that the maintenance has to be paid till a certain time then the non custodial parent has to continue paying it. The maintenance can only be stopped or modified with mutual agreement or a court order. According to the UK Family Court, the maintenance ends when the child turns 18. This means that the support has to be provided unless the child turns into an adult and is capable of taking care of his own needs. Most of the children in UK go to school till they are 16. Under no circumstances a non custodial parent can stop paying the maintenance amount till the child is 16. In some cases however after the child starts going for advanced studies, the maintenance amount can be reduced on the request of the non custodial parent. Once the child starts going to college it is implied that he or she will work and earn for himself. After this stage no parent is legally bound to pay the child support unless so specified by the court. However in some cases it so happens that the child turns 18 and is still studying for A level. In such circumstances the child must get financial support till he gets into advanced studies or turns 19. Every sincere parent wants to help a child financially so that his future is secure. However, for some people regular payment of child support money can become a little stressful. In such circumstances if you feel that the residential parent is enough to take care of the child’s need, you can request him or her for a waiver. A good attorney specializing in child support issues would be able to guide you as to when the child maintenance ends. Even if it does not end it can definitely be waived off.
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Divorce in Europe
Divorce and Children Divorce in AustraliaDivorce Guide
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