What Is Post-Secondary Child Support?

What Is Post-Secondary Child Support?The expenses covered usually include room and board, the tuition and a meal plan. This means that the young person is not required to obtain loans in addition to grants and scholarships to ensure that the degree and courses are paid for during his or her stay at the university or post-secondary educational school.In order for post-secondary support to be applied to a child, there are two possible ways to determine this. 

When an experienced and knowledgeable lawyer is used to assist with the divorce proceedings and custody arrangements, it is possible to receive or agree upon additional support for the child’s college or other educational expenses. 

These may be divided between the parents, or it may be allocated through a divorce settlement as has been noted and entered into the court judgment. If it is not agreed between the spouses for the youth, it may be ordered by the court so that the parent paying child support must also keep paying for additional education after High School. 

 Post-Secondary Support TypesWhen both the husband and wife have a peaceful relationship at the end of the marriage, it may be determined that secondary education support payments may be made by one or both of the parties to ensure the youth is given the opportunity to seek a degree, a trade or a skill. However, some state laws have been implemented that permit the courts to order the parent providing monetary support to continue to do so for the young person so that he or she has money to go to college or another post-secondary school. 

This could be advisory or binding depending on the judge presiding and the state with the laws.There are many factors that the courts will consider when determining if post-secondary education should be provided for by the parent or parents of the child. However, many of these cases exist where one individual is asking the other for support through a request. 

This would mean that help is asked for and, in many situations, it is granted if the ex-spouse has the funds and the drive to do so for the youth. If the court is involved, the judge will step in and examine the circumstances such as the dependence and need of the young person, if living expenses are relied upon by one parent, necessities and similar concerns. 

If the mother or father is taking on the majority of the costs, the court may order the other to provide post-secondary educational expenses.Factors Considered by the CourtCertain factors are more important than others, but they all add up to encourage the judge to make a decision about the request for continued child support for post-secondary education. 

These would include the age the child is at the time of the request, his or her financial needs, what expectations or plans the parents both have for this education when they marriage was intact and similar matters. The abilities, disabilities and desires of the young person are taken into account as well. The amount of support may be determined by the type of education that is being sought by the child, the different backgrounds in education of the parents, the youth’s living conditions with his or her custodial parent and what resources are available. 

One last factor may be important in swaying the judge in how much support the child would have had if the marriage remained and the parents were still together.Obligations and Legal AssistanceIn order for support to go through or to continue, the child must be enrolled in good academic standing in an accredited school with an active drive to reach career goals. 

Both parents must be provided access to records, grades and any issues that occur. Additionally, some children are only permitted to receive this support until a certain age. In one state, this is 23, in another it may be 21, but even if schooling has not been completed by this time, there are no more obligated payments provided.When one parent cannot provide for school due to being a single mother or father, a lawyer is usually hired to assist with these matters. While conditions may change, an experienced legal representative may assist in ensuring the best possible outcomes to a case.