For most parents in Illinois, paying child support is an obligation that ends once a child turns 18 or graduates from high school. However, for other parents, child support can continue for several years or even indefinitely. It is important to know when child support can be ordered after a child reaches legal adulthood so you can financially prepare yourself for any obligations you may have, as well as ensure that your child’s needs are met throughout their life.
Child Support for an Adult Child in College
Illinois is one of the few states that allows judges to order divorced parents to help their children pay for college or trade school. Married parents cannot be ordered to do this, but divorced parents can because of the idea that a child should continue to enjoy the standard of living she would have expected had her parents stayed married. For some families, this includes assistance with college tuition, although judges are not obligated to order parents to pay their child’s educational expenses.
The financial assistance a child gets for college cannot exceed the cost of in-state tuition at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, although the limit does take into consideration expenses like books, living expenses, and health insurance. Parents paying for their child’s university expenses are entitled to access to the child’s educational records, and the child is obligated to keep up a C-grade average. A parent’s educational support obligation ends once the child turns 23, gets married, earns a bachelor’s degree or skills certificate, or falls below a C-grade average.