Just as in married families, children must eventually leave the nest and become independent. When exactly child support ends varies from state to state, but is typically between eighteen and twenty-one (when the child becomes a legal adult). Other situations may result in an even earlier termination of support, such as the child taking action to become a legal adult before they reach the standard age, entrance into the military, work at a full-time job, marriage, or death.
Families with multiple children to support will want to ensure that their agreement recognizes that the children (unless they are twins) will reach adulthood at different times. The agreement can scale back support as each child’s needs are satisfied. The state guidelines are a good source of reference for negotiating the degree to which support should change as the number of children to be supported changes.
