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In California, Family Code Section 3901 determines when child support ends. Usually, the duration for child support ends when a child turns 18 and graduates from high school. If the child has not graduated from high school, then child support is payable until the age of 19. High school is typically the trigger. If the child did not pass high school, then age 19 is the cutoff. However, for children who are disabled, child support may last through their adult life.
Child support plans can be extended to include payments for college. However, the court is not going to order it unless the parties are in agreement.
If the other parent fails to pay child support, you have the right to enforce a child support order. Child support can be enforced through contempt if the Department of Child Support Services is enforcing it for you. The Department of Child Support Services will ask the court, or your attorney will ask the court to suspend the other parent’s driver’s license, contractor’s license, physician’s license, and any professional license for failure to pay child support. If the child support arrears exceed a certain amount, then the other parent’s passport can be restricted to prevent them from traveling internationally.
You do not have the right to know what your child support payments go towards. Child support is given to the supported parent, and they are at liberty to spend it however they deem fit for the living expenses of the child. It’s a non-segregated amount. It really doesn’t matter where the money goes as long as the child is being supported.
You cannot stop paying child support if your spouse does not let you see your children until you have a court order allowing the payments to stop. If your spouse will not let you see the children, you cannot use child support as a weapon to get access to the children. Your recourse is through the court system.
If your ex fails to pay child support, you cannot stop him or her from seeing the children. The two are mutually exclusive.
If your income is largely based on year-end bonuses and commission, the court will take that into consideration. If the majority of your income comes in the form of bonuses, the court can set up a bonus schedule so that child support based on those bonuses is paid out as the bonuses are received. Overall, child support is normally based on average net income. Some people work seasonally, where they earn a lot of money. For example, the construction industry. In California, the construction industry is typically high in the summer. Because of rainy season, it slows down in the wintertime, and it’s calculated as an average. Therefore, if your income is based on bonuses and commissions, child support can be structured around those payments.
For more information on the Duration Of Child Support Payments In CA, a consultation with an experienced California Child Support Lawyer is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (916) 685-7878 today.
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