Are there any exceptions?Child support is available under North Carolina law during a child’s minority (until age 18). If a child is otherwise emancipated prior to age 18, child support would end at that earlier age under our current law. There are, however, also three situations in which child support can run past the age of majority. One such situation is that of a child who has not yet, as of age 18, graduated from high school. Provided the child is enrolled in secondary school, child support will continue until age 20 or graduation from school, whichever comes first. The second situation is a parent’s written agreement to pay support past the age of the child’s minority. If such a contract is valid and enforceable, the post-majority obligation spelled out in the contract can be imposed by the court called on to interpret the contract. The final exception to the rule that child support ends when the child is no longer a minor is made for a child who, post-minority, remains mentally or physically incapable of self-support, such as a child who needs long-term care. In this situation, the child support obligation under North Carolina law exists for as long as the child is incapable of self-support.
