When a couple goes through divorce proceedings, they are required to make many decisions. If they have children, one of these matters includes child support. Child support is compensation paid from one parent to another to financially support their child after a divorce. These situations can be difficult for children to handle, but this type of support exists to help maintain the standard of living that the child was used to before the divorce.
When determining child support, the amount is settled by a judge. This is done by following the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines that calculates the child’s expenses with the family’s income to come to a fair conclusion. In addition to this, the court will consider several outside factors that relate to the parents’ financial status, the needs of the child, each parents’ work history, the parents’ earning capacity, the cost of providing for the child, and more. This allows the judge to make an estimate on what the parents can provide the child to give them stability and ensure their well-being.
Age of Emancipation
When a parent is awarded physical custody of their child, this means the child will reside with them the majority of the time. This requires that parent to provide the child with shelter, clothing, food, and more on a consistent basis. These expenses can add up and often become difficult for one parent to handle on their own. This is why they can be paid child support from the non-custodial parent. These payments can help balance out the cost of living for the child and help them as they grow up. Child support payments may end when a child reaches the age of emancipation. In the state of New Jersey, the age of emancipation is typically 19 years old.
All families and children are different. This is why child support is handled on a case by case basis. Because of this, support payments do not always end at the age of emancipation. There are exceptions in which the court may extend payments longer. This can be if the child wants to seek higher education, such as college or trade school. When this happens, they may not be deemed as emancipated until they finish their education. This requires them to continue providing for the child during their ongoing education and cannot yet support themselves. However, if a parent believes that a child is independent and can provide for themselves, they can file a motion to emancipate the child. When a child is emancipated, it may end child support payments.
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