Emancipation Age
Under Kansas law, child support is required until a minor child reaches the age of 18 or graduates from high school, whichever is later. On the first day of the month prior to the child's eighteenth birthday, a Certification of School Attendance Form is mailed to the custodial parent. Upon completion of the form, if the child graduated prior to the eighteenth birthday or has dropped out of high school, the child will be emancipated (dropped from the child support order) at the end of the payment cycle for that period.
Unless child support is court ordered in unequal amounts for each child, the child support would decrease proportionately as each child is emancipated. When the last child is emancipated and the last payment received, the case will close. If there is an arrearage at the time of the last child emancipating, that amount will be a judgment still due and owing.
For more information on Kansas Law regarding Emancipation, see K.S.A. (Kansas Statutes Annotated) 23-3001.
Kansas School Year
The Kansas school year runs from July 1st until June 30th. If the child is still in high school on his/her eighteenth birthday, in most cases child support will continue until June 30th of that year.
Examples
Joan is an only child and graduated in May. Her eighteenth birthday is October 3rd.
Child support is due monthly on the first day of the month. The last child support due for Joan would be for October, and this case would be closed as soon as all amounts due and owing prior to November are paid.
John's eighteenth birthday is July 21st. He will be entering his senior year in high school in August. John is one of three children, and child support is due on the first day of the month, but is paid semi-monthly.
Unless otherwise court ordered, child support for John will continue until June 30th of his senior year, even though John's graduation date is May 28th, with both installment payments of the June support being due. In July, the child support will reduce by one-third.
Amy's birthday is November 16th, with the child support due monthly on the 15th. The Certification of Attendance form was returned stating that Amy dropped out of high school in September.
Amy will emancipate on her birthday with the November 15th payment being the last due.