Spring in Western Washington is a time for rain, tulips, planting gardens, and planning for summer vacation. It is also a time for unmarried parents of high-school aged children (especially seniors in high school) to consider whether they will be looking to their child’s other parent for help paying for college or technical school. Some parents are surprised to discover that they can’t wait until fall, when their kids will actually start school, to deal with how their child’s postsecondary education will be paid for. Waiting for fall may be too late!
In most cases postsecondary child support is not included in the original order of child support, and it is instead reserved (or not addressed at all) for parties to deal with at a later date. Importantly, the later date must be prior to the end of the current order of child support. Most orders of child support terminate when the child turns eighteen or graduates from high school whichever is later. Parents should check their orders of child support to see when their order terminates.
It is important to note that postsecondary child support is not mandatory. Courts may refuse to order post-secondary support based on the circumstances of the child or the parents. When deciding whether to order postsecondary support courts look to RCW 26.19.090. This statute sets forth the standards for postsecondary educational support awards. The court in these cases must determine whether the child is still dependent on the parents. If the child is still dependent on the parents, the court is to determine whether to award postsecondary support, how much to award, and for how long support should be provided based upon the following factors: