In Florida at what age does child support end or terminate?
In Florida, child support does not necessarily end at age 18.
The Florida Statutes require that child support be paid after a child turns 18 if that child is still in high school and is working toward graduation prior to turning 19.
A few examples to illustrate the rule.
If your child drops out of high school, the child support obligation ends when they turn 18.
If a child’s 18th birthday is in February and they graduate a few months later in June, then child support would end in June when they graduate.
Based on the wording of the statute, child support should end on the child’s 18th birthday even if the child is in school, but will turn 19 prior to graduating. However, the Supreme Court in Florida has not strictly followed this statute. There is case law that requires child support to continue after age 18 and until graduation when the child turn 19 close to – but after – the date of graduation.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court of Florida did not give any guidance on the precise definition of “close.
