Child Support
N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56.67 — support ends at 19 by law unless an order or a request carries it on, never past 23
Unless an order, judgment or court approved agreement says otherwise, current child support and medical support end by operation of law, with no court order needed, when the child marries, dies or enters military service, and when the child reaches 19.
Who handles this in New Jersey: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the New Jersey directory.
- An order or judgment can name another end date, but never past the child reaching 23.
- Support continues where an order provides for a child whose severe mental or physical incapacity makes the child financially dependent on a parent.
- Before the child turns 19, the custodial parent can ask in writing to continue support for a child still in high school, a child enrolled full time in a post secondary program, or a child with a disability that began before 19, and the court decides.
- A custodial parent can also ask the court to extend support past 19 for exceptional circumstances.
In a case not governed by court rule, the court setting the amount and how long it runs considers at least the child's needs, each parent's standard of living, income, assets and earning ability, the child's need and capacity for education including higher education, the ages and health of the child and parents, the child's own income and assets, each parent's other court ordered support, and reasonable debts.
Most amounts are worked out under guidelines set by court rule rather than in the statute. Whether support should continue for a particular child, and how much, are questions for a licensed New Jersey attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56.67 — Termination of obligation to pay child support, medical support
- N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23 — Alimony and maintenance
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New Jersey attorney.