Does child support still apply if a child drops out of school at age 16 and decides to go back to school at 18 in North Carolina?

Answer 1

No, child support obligations are defined by the terms of the court order. The obligated parent can file suit to have the order amended or rescinded if he or she believes the circumstances warrant. An obligated parent should never arbitrarily cease adhering to an active support order.

Answer 2

Generally, the obligation ends when the child reaches 18 years of age. If the child is already otherwise emancipated, payments will stop at the time of emancipation. If the child is still in primary or secondary school when he or she reaches the age of 18, support payments will continue until that child graduates, ceases to attend school on a regular basis, fails to make satisfactory academic progress towards graduation or reaches the age of 20 - whichever of these comes first. Based on its discretion, the court may order payments to cease at age 18, regardless of graduation date or any other factors.

Answer 3

That depends on state law.