Do I pay child support if my child is in University? How long do I have to pay?

When a child attends university away from their home, the support obligation will still continue.  Although a court may reduce the amount of base support when the child is away at university, the payor will likely pay the full amount of support when the child returns home after the school year.  If the child does not return home very often during the school year, there is a stronger argument that the payor should pay no support or a reduced amount of support to the recipient.  This is especially the case if the payor is also paying for a share of the child’s residence at university.

It is likely that once a child is no longer in school and cannot explain why he/she cannot withdraw from parental control his/her claim for support will terminate.  Courts expect an adult child to apply him/her self to her studies and make a meaningful contribution to the expenses associated with his/her education.  It used to be that a court would be reluctant to extend a child support obligation past one post-secondary degree.  This no longer seems to be the case.  If the family had approved of the career that the child is pursuing, it is unlikely that support would terminate.

With award after award, Fine & Associates is your only choice for divorce law in Toronto. Family law is our specialty and we do it well.