Family · Child Support
When Does Child Support End, by State
The age ordinary child support ends in each state, whether it runs to 18, 19, or 21, and the big split on whether a court can order parents to help pay for college. Each cited to the statute.
Read this first: the age, and the college question
Ordinary child support ends at 18, or high-school graduation, in most of these states, with California and Florida capping the high-school extension at 19 and Texas and Pennsylvania running to graduation whenever it falls. New York is the outlier at 21. A disabled adult child can be supported far longer in every state.
The fact people search most is college, and the states split cleanly. California, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania cannot order a parent to pay for college; only a voluntary agreement binds. New York and Illinois can: New York at a court’s discretion, often capped at SUNY rates, and Illinois through a separate statute that generally runs to age 23. Every card shows the college answer. Every figure links to the statute, and pages still pending verification say so.
Every state in one table
The end age, whether a court can order college, and the statute in each row.
All states (10)
| State | Support ends at | Court-ordered college | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18 (or 19 in high school) | No | Cal. Fam. Code §3901 |
| Florida | 18 (or 19 in high school) | No | Fla. Stat. §743.07 |
| Georgia | 18 (or 20 in high school) | No | O.C.G.A. §19‑6‑15(e) |
| Illinois | 18 or HS graduation | Yes | 750 ILCS 5/505 |
| Michigan | 18 (or 19½ if still in high school) | No | Mich. Comp. Laws § 552.605b |
| New York | 21 | Yes | N.Y. Fam. Ct. Act §413 |
| North Carolina | 18 (or 20 if still in school) | No | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50‑13.4(c) |
| Ohio | 18 (or 19 in high school) | No | Ohio Rev. Code §3103.03 |
| PennsylvaniaCited | 18 or HS graduation (later) | No | 23 Pa.C.S. §4321 |
| Texas | 18 or HS graduation (later) | No | Tex. Fam. Code §154.001 |
What these pages are, and what they aren't
Each state page is a reference for the age child support ends and whether college can be ordered. They are deliberately not advice for your case: enrollment, emancipation, disability, and college conditions can all change the answer, so each page links to the statute and a court or attorney resource. This is legal information, not legal advice.