Child Support
S.C. Code 63-17-470 — the guidelines amount is presumed correct, and high school support past eighteen
In any child support case, the amount the guidelines produce is presumed to be the correct amount. A different amount may be awarded on a showing that the guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate in that case, and an award that varies significantly from them comes with specific written findings stating the guidelines amount and why the order departs from it.
Who handles this in South Carolina: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the South Carolina directory.
Eighteen, or the end of high school. Child support runs until the child turns eighteen, marries or becomes self-supporting, whichever comes first, or past eighteen while the child is enrolled and still attending high school, up to graduation or the end of the school year after the child turns nineteen, whichever is later, or as a preexisting agreement or order provides.
Applying the guidelines to an existing order is not, by itself, a change in circumstances for modifying it, except in a Title IV-D case. The court considers listed factors, such as educational expenses, both as reasons to depart from the guidelines and in deciding whether circumstances have changed.
The guidelines themselves are issued under a separate section rather than written into this one. How they apply to a particular household are questions for a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- S.C. Code 63-17-470 — Proceedings and awards
- S.C. Code 63-3-530 — Jurisdiction of family court
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.