Missouri Family Law - Divorce Lawyer, Child Support & Child Custody Attorneys

My child is turning 18, am I done paying child support? Does child support end at age 18?

Not necessarily.  If your child is enrolled in a college or vocational school by October 1st of the year he or she graduates from high school then your child support obligation continues so long as that child is attending school on a full time basis and receiving passing grades.  Your child is required to notify you of his or her enrollment and of their grades.  If you do not receive notification you can ask the court to have your child declared emancipated and that is when your child support obligation would stop.  There are many many “what if’s” in this area such as  what if my child is employed, what if my child doesn’t pass all of his or her classes.  Each circumstance is unique.

 

If I'm not getting child support, do I have to allow visitation?

You do not rent out your child.  The parent child relationship should not be denied even if child support is not being paid.  If you deny contact between your child and the obligated parent then you are in violation of the Court’s Order just as much as the parent not paying support.  If you are not receiving child support you have remedies available through the Family Support Division or through a Motion for Contempt.

 

 

If I'm not getting visitation, do I have to pay child support?

You do not rent your child.  A parent’s financial obligation to the child exists whether or not contact is being allowed by the residential or custodial parent.  If the residential parent is denying you contact with your child then there are remedies available through the Court to reinstate the contact.  A Family Access Motion is a form you can fill out with the circuit clerk’s office where your parenting plan was entered, or, you can hire an attorney to file a Motion for Contempt or a Motion to Modify.

 

WHEN CAN MY CHILD CHOOSE WHERE THEY WANT TO LIVE?

There is no age in the State of Missouri at which a child can choose where they want to live. Missouri Statutes have eight factors that the Court is required to consider in determining custody of a child. The child’s wishes are only one of the factors. The Court will look at the emotional and intellectual maturity of the child and the reasons expressed by the child for wanting to live with one parent over the other. As a practical matter, the child should never be put in the position of having to choose which parent they want to live with. This is damaging to the child as the parents, not the child, should be making decisions that are best for that child’s overall well-being.

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