If you want to cancel child support, you must submit a court form stating the reason why it is no longer needed. These reasons may include the child's age, marital status, or even their ability to support themselves without additional financial help. Be sure to include your nine-digit case number on your check or money order. If one or both parents have had another child since the last child support order was issued, this will not affect the existing order until it is modified.
In Maryland, many parents mistakenly believe that child support ceases when a child turns 18. However, the state requires that payments continue to be made as long as the child is enrolled in high school. If a child does not move up to a grade for one year, alimony will remain in effect until they graduate from high school, even if they are over 18 at that time. In the state of Maryland, child support is a mandatory payment until the child reaches the age of emancipation. If the father is late in paying child support, the local child support agency can collect it indefinitely, even long after the child turns 18 or 21. Under Maryland law, parents who do not have custody are expected to pay child support until their child turns 19 if they are still in high school. The court retains the authority to create and modify child support orders, as well as to maintain the integrity of parenting plans developed by parents or the court. During the term of a child support order, parents can request a change in the amount they pay or receive.
If you have questions about when child support ends in Maryland, talk to an experienced divorce lawyer. He stated that if the child attended college, the parents were responsible for paying alimony until the child turned 21 or until they graduated. Basically, child support arrears cannot be canceled in the event of bankruptcy under Chapter 7 or 13; they can and will be collected until they are fully paid. If there are more children who have not yet turned 18 and are covered by the same child support order, a new motion must be filed. In addition, the court may require continued parental support for children with special needs who are unable to support themselves as adults.
Child support isn't retroactive, so there's no way to ask the court to reduce the amount due from the date a substantial change in your circumstances occurred. As children approach adulthood, it's important to understand when a child support commitment ends. When parents are ordered to pay child support as part of a paternity or divorce action, there are often many things they still don't know about how it works in Maryland. If for any reason you are unable to pay child support, it is essential that you immediately ask the court for a downward modification.
