Child support ends when a child reaches the age of majority (18), or turns 19 if he/she is still in high school, whichever is latest. Wisconsin does not obligate parents to pay any support to a child after this period—the child is on his/her own. However, it is not necessarily true that a parent’s child support order will automatically terminate when a child ages out of support eligibility. I have worked with several clients who continued to have their wages garnished for child support even after support should have ended. Some child support agencies will take the position that, if a parent does not request a termination of the support, the agency will continue to garnish wages until ordered not to do so. The accuracy of this claim is questionable, but it is certainly best to avoid a dispute.
When a child is due to age out of support, the best practice is to notify the support agency and obtain a written agreement/order that support ends on the appropriate date. If you need assistance with this notification process, believe that you are paying support past the child’s eligible age,or have any questions pertaining to divorce, please contact me.
For a free consultation contact me in the Madison area at (608) 824-9540, Baraboo at (608) 356-3961 or throughout Wisconsin at (866) 455-2993. At Krueger Hernandez & Thompson SC, we listen, we care, we get results!
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