Legal Question in Family Law in New Jersey

Re: child support/emancipation

In New Jersey, emancipation occurs only when a child reaches 18 years and/or becomes financially independent. A child is not automatically emancipated at the age of 18; the courts determine emancipation on an individual basis. New Jersey has no fixed age or specific event triggering the end of support, unless it is stated in a court order. In some cases, support may continue beyond the age of 18 or high school graduation. To emancipate a child, one of the parents must ask the court to end or change the support order, or both parents can agree and sign a request for case closure. The emancipation of a child does not automatically excuse the payment of accumulated arrearages.

Most courts will not terminate child support if a child is enrolled in college. Moreover, when a child finishes college, most judges will not emancipate him or her until the summer is over. They prefer to give the young college graduate at least a summer to seek permanent employment before he or she is �cut loose� in the real world.

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