Termination of child support after age 18 can be a nebulous affair in Washington State.
Typically, 18 years is a milestone signifying the end of childhood. With adulthood come responsibilities including, one presumes, providing financially for oneself. For that reason, Termination of Support orders filed with a couple’s divorce decree usually set the child’s 18th birthday as the date support payments will end.
Case law, too, provides for extended support in certain circumstances, giving the courts the power to declare a child to be still a “dependent” at 18 and therefore entitled to support. Since the courts define “dependent” as someone who looks to another person for primary support, most 18-year-olds probably would qualify.
On the other hand, child support may end before the dependent turns 18. If the child emancipates himself from the parent providing the support, the parent’s payments for that child will end. The same applies if the child marries, or goes to work full-time and supports herself with the income.