Addressing Support For College Tuition And Expenses

Dimitra S. Scott, Edmonds Lawyer

Many high school seniors are looking ahead to college, university, or technical school later this year. Faced with rising tuition costs, most of their parents wonder how they will help pay tuition in the Fall. If you have an Order of Child Support, post-secondary support can be ordered to contribute to the cost of tuition, books, housing, and other related expenses. However, you must be careful to ensure the issue is addressed timely or risk waiving the opportunity to seek ongoing support after high school graduation.

In most cases, the issue of post-secondary support is reserved in the Order of Child Support, leaving the parents to resolve those issues at some future date. Although all Orders of Child Support are not identical, most require a petition for court review of post-secondary issues before the Order of Child Support expires on the child’s 18th birthday or graduation from high school, whichever occurs later. A petition for post-secondary support must be filed timely to preserve the opportunity to seek contribution toward the child’s post-secondary expenses.

If your child is set to graduate this year, it is important to review your Order of Child Support to determine whether post-secondary support was addressed. If not, consider whether seeking post-secondary support is right for your family. Contact our family law attorneys for a consultation to explore whether a petition for post-secondary support is an option for funding your child’s post-secondary expenses.

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