Child Support Past 18 in Maryland: High School Graduation and Age Limits

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

In Maryland, child support ends at 18, but a child who is 18 and enrolled in secondary school has a right to support until the first of death, marriage, emancipation, graduating or leaving school, or the 19th birthday.

What is the child support age limit in Maryland?

Eighteen. The age of majority is 18 years (General Provisions 1-401(a)), and the parents of a minor child are jointly and severally responsible for the child’s support, care, nurture, welfare and education (Family Law 5-203(b)).

What if the child is still in high school at 18?

An individual who has attained 18 and is enrolled in secondary school has the right to receive support and maintenance from both parents until the first to occur of: death, marriage, emancipation, graduating from or no longer being enrolled in secondary school, or attaining 19 (1-401(b)).

Try your own date in the Maryland child support end date calculator.

Is the Maryland extension automatic?

The statute gives the individual a right to support; whether a court order already covers it depends on the order’s language. Read your order, and if it says support ends at 18 ask the court to confirm the extension while the child is enrolled.

What counts as secondary school in Maryland?

The statute does not define it in the text we read. Keep a school letter showing full enrollment and the expected graduation date.

What if the child turns 18 during senior year?

A child who turns 18 while enrolled in secondary school has the right to support until graduation or the 19th birthday, whichever comes first, so a child who turns 18 in the fall of senior year usually stays covered through graduation. Keep a school letter with the expected date.

Does a GED program count as secondary school?

The statute says secondary school without defining it in the text we read. Ask the court to confirm in writing before relying on a GED program to continue support.

Can parents agree on a different end date?

Yes. A written agreement or a decree term can set a different date, and the court decides whether to enforce it. Without one, the statutory events apply (1-401(b)).

Who has the right the statute describes?

The individual who has attained 18 and is enrolled in secondary school has the right to receive support and maintenance from both parents (1-401(b)). In practice the parent the child lives with, or the child, can ask the court to confirm it.

What ends the extension early?

Death, marriage, emancipation, graduating or no longer being enrolled, or the 19th birthday, whichever comes first (1-401(b)). A child who stops attending school ends it even before the 19th birthday.

Do I have to file to end child support at 18?

The statute sets the end point, but withholding keeps running until it is stopped. Ask the court or the Child Support Administration to end it in writing and keep proof of the child’s birth date. See how to modify child support in Maryland.

Do arrears end when child support ends?

No. Installments already owed stay owed. See the Maryland child support arrears calculator and how long arrears last.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Md. Code, General Provisions 1-401: age of majority; support for a student at 18
• Md. Code, Family Law 13-101: destitute adult child
• Md. Code, Family Law 13-102: duty to a destitute adult child
• Md. Code, Family Law 12-104: modification
• Md. Code, Family Law 5-203: parental responsibility for a minor child

This is general information, not legal advice. It is based on the cited Maryland statutes, rules and court opinions, and every case turns on its own facts. Confirm how the law applies to your situation with a licensed Maryland attorney.