Child Support Laws

About Child Support Laws

Child support laws vary depending on your state of residence. You may have a child support claim filed in several states. In this case it is necessary that you follow the laws and regulations for each state as they are outlined by the government.

Two different statutes that may affect your child support claim are known as the age of emancipation and the statute of limitations. These child support laws can have a direct correlation on your ability to collect the money owed to you by an absent parent. I will outline these two topics briefly in the paragraphs below.

Age of Emancipation

In the state of Massachusetts, you are eligible to collect child support on behalf of your kids until they turn 18 years of age. After this age, the original claim is considered obsolete and the court cannot require the absent parent to pay any additional funds. At 18 years old your child is about to go to college; a point in their life when financial support is crucial.

There is no statute of limitation in the state of Massachusetts. That means that regardless of when your child support claim was issued by the state you are still eligible to collect the money owed to you. In the case of past due amounts, it doesn't matter how old your child is when you finally collect that money. If your ex-spouse chooses not to pay the claim until after the child turns 18, that money is still rightfully yours and your child's.