When Does Child Support End?

Most states end support at 18 — but 19 and 21 are common, high school extends almost everywhere, roughly a dozen states order college support, and a disabled adult child can keep an obligation open indefinitely. The state-by-state matrix below shows the default rule and every major exception. Retrieved 2026-08-08.

Direct answer

Child support ends at 18 in most states, at 19 in several (Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska, New Jersey), and at 21 in New York, Mississippi, and D.C. Almost every state extends support while a child is still in high school (usually to 19–20). About a dozen states (CO, HI, IL, IN, IA, MA, MO, MS, NJ, NY, OR, PA, WA) allow courts to order college support — commonly to 21–23. Nearly all states allow indefinite support for an adult child whose disability began before majority.

1. The three default ages: 18, 19, and 21

Termination age is set by state law — there is no national rule (the federal Office of Child Support Services leaves duration entirely to the states). Three buckets cover everyone:

Age 18 — the majority rule (about 35 states), almost always with a high-school-finishing extension.
Age 19 — Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska, and New Jersey as the default (Colorado and New Jersey also extend for school).
Age 21 — New York (D.R.L. § 240), Mississippi (Miss. Code Ann. § 93-11-65), and the District of Columbia.

Whatever the default, the language of your specific court order controls. Orders sometimes set a different termination date or include post-majority clauses (Alaska explicitly requires one), so read the order before assuming the state default applies.

2. State-by-state termination matrix

Default support-termination age, extensions, and college-support authority (retrieved 2026-08-08)
State	Default	Extensions & notes	College support?
Alabama	19	HS graduates first; post-majority only for pre-majority disability (Ex parte Brewington)	No (court-ordered college support ended 2013, Ex parte Christopher)
Alaska	18	19 or HS graduation if enrolled and living with a parent (order must contain post-majority language)	No
Arizona	18	19 or HS graduation; certified GED/high-school-equivalency programs count	No
Arkansas	18	19 or HS graduation	No
California	18	19 or HS graduation if full-time student and not self-supporting	No (parents may agree in a settlement)
Colorado	19	HS or equivalency enrollment extends, but not beyond 21	Yes — post-secondary support may be ordered
Connecticut	18	End of grade 12 or 19, whichever first	No
Delaware	18	19 or HS graduation	No
District of Columbia	21	—	Yes
Florida	18	19 if still in HS and expected to graduate before 19	No
Georgia	18	20 if still in HS (orders after 7/1/92 may extend)	No
Hawaii	18	May extend by court order for full-time school, up to 23 (by stipulation)	Yes — up to 23 with court order
Idaho	18	19 if enrolled in formal education (by court order)	No
Illinois	18	19 if HS; educational support discretionary with no statutory age cap	Yes — discretionary
Indiana	19	21 with court-ordered post-secondary education support	Yes — discretionary
Iowa	18	19 if HS; full-time students 18–21	Yes — through 21 for full-time students
Kansas	18	Through the school year in which the child turns 18 (June 30)	No
Kentucky	18	19 if still in HS (through that school year)	No
Louisiana	18	19 if in HS, vocational, or trade school	No
Maine	18	19 or HS graduation	No
Maryland	18	19 if still in HS	No
Massachusetts	18	21 if dependent and domiciled with a parent; 23 if enrolled in an undergraduate program (M.G.L. c. 208 § 28)	Yes — up to 23 for undergraduate programs
Michigan	18	19½ if in HS	No
Minnesota	18	20 if attending HS	No
Mississippi	21	2024 amendment (SB 2131) creates a rebuttable presumption of continued support for pre-majority disability	Yes — discretionary
Missouri	18	21 if HS or enrolled in college/vocational by Oct. 1 after HS graduation; disabled child beyond 22 with order (RSMo § 452.340)	Yes — through 21
Montana	18	19 or HS graduation	No
Nebraska	19	—	No
Nevada	18	19 if in HS	No
New Hampshire	18	19 or HS graduation (RSA 461-A:14)	No
New Jersey	19	May continue beyond 19 (not past 23) for HS/college enrollment (N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56.67)	Yes — full-time college enrollment
New Mexico	18	19 if in HS and stated in the order (NMSA § 40-4-7)	No
New York	21	Support beyond 21 for children with developmental disabilities to 25–26 (DRL § 240-d)	Yes — discretionary
North Carolina	18	20 if still in primary/secondary school (must make academic progress)	No
North Dakota	18	19 or HS graduation	No
Ohio	18	19 if HS (by statute/order language)	No
Oklahoma	18	20 if in HS	No
Oregon	18	21 if in HS (half-time or more) or college	Yes — through 21
Pennsylvania	18	HS graduation; court may extend for college under exceptional circumstances (23 Pa.C.S. § 4321)	Yes — discretionary
Rhode Island	18	19 or 90 days after HS graduation	No
South Carolina	18	HS graduation	No
South Dakota	18	HS graduation	No
Tennessee	18	HS graduation (or class graduation if 18 during senior year)	No
Texas	18	HS graduation (Tex. Fam. Code § 154.001)	No
Utah	18	Expected HS graduation	No
Vermont	18	HS graduation	No
Virginia	18	19 or HS graduation	No
Washington	18	19 if in HS; support may be ordered through 23 for post-secondary (RCW 26.19.020(7))	Yes — up to 23
West Virginia	18	20 if in HS/vocational and living with a parent	No
Wisconsin	18	19 or HS graduation	No
Wyoming	18	20 if in HS	No

Sources: csquest.oucpm.org “States Emancipation Ages” (state Intergovernmental Reference Guide data, reviewed Mar. 13, 2025); lawinfo.com state child-support table (2026); NAPA Family Court termination compilation; state statutes cited inline. Always confirm with your order and your state child-support agency.

3. High school, college, and disability extensions

High school

Nearly every state continues support through high school graduation for a child who turns 18 mid-year — typically capped at 19 (GA 20, MN 20, OK 20, WY 20, NC 20, WV 20, CO 21 for HS enrollment). Some states count GED or equivalency programs (AZ, CO).

College

Courts can order post-secondary support in roughly a dozen states — CO, HI (to 23), IL (no statutory cap), IN, IA (to 21), MA (to 23), MO (to 21), MS, NJ (full-time enrollment), NY, OR (to 21), PA (exceptional circumstances), WA (to 23). Rules vary: enrollment deadlines (MO requires enrollment by Oct. 1 after HS), credit loads, and satisfactory progress. In other states, parents can still agree to pay college costs in a settlement — that contract is enforceable even where the court could not have ordered it.

Disability

All states permit support to continue indefinitely for an adult child with a physical or mental disability that prevents self-support, typically requiring the disability to have begun before majority (about half the states impose that timing requirement; Mississippi’s 2024 SB 2131 creates a rebuttable presumption; New York’s DRL § 240-d extends to 25–26 for developmental disability). Expect to prove the disability with medical records and a functional assessment — a diagnosis alone is not enough.

4. Why you should never just stop paying

In most states, support does not stop automatically on the termination date — andarrears never disappear. If the child ages out but you simply cancel payments:

Missed payments after the termination date are usually still recorded as arrears until the order is formally modified or terminated (AL, MS, IA, and others require a court motion).
Each missed payment becomes a judgment under the Bradley Amendment (42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(9)) and may accrue interest.
Stopping without an order can lead to contempt, license suspension, and passport denial.

The right move: file a petition to terminate (or modify) with the issuing court, bring your state’s age rule, and keep paying until the order is entered. Arrears that accumulated before termination remain enforceable — see the statute-of-limitations matrix.

Not legal or financial advice. This estimate follows the state’s statutory guideline formula but cannot capture every factor a court considers (health insurance, childcare, prior orders, deviations, imputed income).