Duration of Child Support Payments in Hackensack

If you’re a co-parent who’s going through the divorce process, there are understandably many new issues on your mind: Child Custody and Parenting Time and Determining the Best Interest of the Child, to name just two. One of the most pressing issues may be the question of Child Support.

Generally, child support in New Jersey finishes when a child turns 19 (and, in general, there is no need for a hearing on such).

However, there are some additional exceptional circumstances:

• If the child dies
• If the child marries (the age of marital consent in New Jersey is 18)
• If the child enters the Armed Services

If any of the above happens, documentation supporting such will need to be presented to the court. Additionally, it’s worth noting that if there is back child support owed (which is to say, if child support payments are in arrears), the co-parent who owes said support will still have to pay it at the time of termination.

Exceptions Where Child Support May Continue Past the Age of 19

• If the child is under 23 years old and enrolled (full-time) in school (i.e., high school, college, vocational school or graduate school)
• If the child has a physical and/or mental disability and is determined by the court as being unable to support themselves
• If the co-parents reach a separate agreement (which would still need to be presented to the court)
• The court grants a continuation as it deems appropriate for a separate reason

If the Child is Older than age 23

In 2020 the statue was amended to allow for child support beyond the age of 23 in certain circumstances, if the child has a mental or physical incapacity that renders the child financially dependent upon their parents. However, this requires a co-parent working with a family law attorney to submit a motion to the court compelling such, and the court then making its decision.

What Is The Schedule Of Child Support Payments In New Jersey?

In most cases, child support in New Jersey is automatically deducted from the non-custodial parent’s paycheck, in a process known as income withholding. In general, it takes about two weeks after the court’s order for child support payments to begin, and two days for the payment to go to the co-parent receiving child support after the payment is received by the state.

For more on child support payments, visit the New Jersey Department of Human Service’s Child Support website and the New Jersey Court’s Child Support Collections and Enforcement webpage.

If you need a compassionate lawyer who’s ready to fight for you to get the child support you and your family deserve, and are entitled to, schedule a consultation with a child support lawyer from the O’Cathain Law Group Family Law Department.