Child Support

In a divorce, separation, support or paternity case, the court may order either or both parents to pay a reasonable amount of child support, without regard to marital misconduct, weighing each parent's resources and needs, the standard of living the child would have had, and the child's condition and educational needs. Incarceration may not be treated as voluntary unemployment.

• §IC 31-16-6-1StatuteChild support orders; relevant factors; income withholding; account at financial institutionOpens iga.in.gov ↗

The court orders the support withheld from the paying parent's income immediately.

• §IC 31-16-6-1StatuteChild support orders; relevant factors; income withholding; account at financial institutionOpens iga.in.gov ↗

General support ends when the child turns nineteen unless one of these applies.

• The child is emancipated earlier: on active military duty, married, or not under the care or control of either parent or an approved person.
• The child is incapacitated, in which case support continues during the incapacity.
• The child is at least eighteen, has not been in school for four months, and can support himself or herself.
• The child is still a full time high school student, and a parent files notice between the child's seventeenth and nineteenth birthdays, in which case support continues to graduation.

• §IC 31-16-6-6StatuteTermination of child support obligation; exceptions; petition for educational needsOpens iga.in.gov ↗

For an order made after June 30, 2012, a petition for educational needs may be filed until the child turns nineteen.

• §IC 31-16-6-6StatuteTermination of child support obligation; exceptions; petition for educational needsOpens iga.in.gov ↗