According to the Post-Tribune article posted yesterday, “Indiana Lowers Cutoff Age to 19 for Receiving Child Support” 10 Apr 2012, the Indiana General Assembly has lowered the age from 21 to 19 for emancipation, which cuts off a father or mother’s obligation to pay child support when the child reaches the reduced age.
Indiana had always been in the minority when it comes to this cutoff age. An overwhelming majority of states have already set the age to 18 or 19. The reason that the Indiana General Assembly chose the age of 19 for the new law is because it wanted to ensure that children would receive support up to and including K-12 education.
Unfortunately for those paying child support, Indiana is still among the states that does not automatically terminate child support. A petition must be filed to legally terminate the child support obligation. Also, many Income Withholding Orders (IWO’s) will remain in effect unless they are modified or terminated pursuant to a court order. (An IWO is a form used to automatically withhold child support from a parent’s income.) The new law goes into effect July 1, 2012.
If you are paying child support and your child is or will be turning nineteen (19) years old in the near future, you should contact an attorney. We at SFT Lawyers have a wide breadth of experience in this area, and we can help. CALL FOR A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY. (219) 841-5683.