New Jersey has a new procedure for automatic termination of child support that is raising a lot of questions. If you aren’t clear about your situation or you need to oppose an automatic termination, please contact us at 856-227-7888. Every circumstance is different, but the court doesn’t know your situation unless you are competently presenting it in front of them, and sometimes that takes an attorney.
From the New Jersey Child Support Webpage:
“Families with a child age 22 3 /4 or older as of February 1, 2017, will be mailed a Notice of Child Support Obligation Termination on February 1, 2017, with child support ending on May 1, 2017 (and not the child’s 19th birthday) as the new law is phased in. Families with a child between the ages of 22 1/2 and 22 3/4 on February 1, 2017, will be mailed a Notice of Child Support Obligation Termination on February 1, 2017, with child support ending on August 1, 2017 (and not the child’s 19th birthday) as the new law is phased in.
Families with a child between the ages of 18 1/2 and 22 1/2 as of February 1, 2017, will be mailed a Notice of Proposed Child Support Obligation Termination on February 1, 2017, with child support ending on August 1, 2017 (and not necessarily the child’s 19th birthday) as the new law is phased in. This Notice will contain information on how to request a continuation of child support as well as how the amount of child support may change.
If your Judgment of Divorce (JOD) or support order specifies a termination date other than the dependent’s 19th birthday, that date will stand and you will not be permitted to request an administrative continuation of support. However, you still may receive a termination notice and be asked to send in a copy of the JOD or order containing the termination date.
If you have a dependent turning 19 after August 1, 2017, you will receive a Notice of Proposed Child Support Obligation Termination 180 days before your child’s 19th birthday.
If there is no response to the first notice, a second Notice of Proposed Child Support Obligation Termination will be sent out 90 days before the dependent’s 19th birthday. If no continuation is granted after the second notice, the order of support will end as of the child’s 19th birthday. Both parties will receive an updated order reflecting this change.
If back child support is owed when the child support terminates, the non-custodial parent still is responsible for paying that off and the order will still be enforced for the arrears.
For more, and also to log in and check your account: http://www.njchildsupport.org/Services-Programs/Custodial-Parents/Termination.aspx