Post-Secondary Support in Tacoma and the Rest of Pierce County:
In Washington State, post-secondary support refers to financial assistance provided by parents for their child’s post-secondary education expenses, such as college or vocational training. Unlike child support, which typically ends when the child reaches the age of majority (18), post-secondary support may extend beyond this age to cover the child’s educational expenses.
In determining whether to provide support for postsecondary educational expenses, the court will assess the child’s dependency and reliance on the parents for essential needs. The court will exercise discretion considering various factors including, but not limited to:
- The child’s age, needs, and expectations established by the parents when together.
- The child’s aspirations, abilities, and the nature of the desired postsecondary education.
- The parents’ educational background, standard of living, and available resources.
- The level and type of support the child would have received if the parents had remained together.
Additionally:
- The child must enroll in an accredited academic or vocational institution, pursue a suitable course aligned with their career goals, and maintain good academic standing, failing which the court-ordered support will be suspended.
- The child must provide academic records and grades to both parents.
- Postsecondary educational expenses will generally not extend beyond the child’s twenty-third birthday unless exceptional circumstances like disabilities exist.
- Payments for educational expenses shall be directed to the educational institution directly if possible, or to the child if residing separately, with the court’s discretion to allocate payments between parents or to the parent with custody of the child.
This framework ensures that decisions regarding postsecondary educational support are made with consideration for the child’s welfare, the parents’ abilities, and the circumstances of the family dynamic. If the court determines that post-secondary support is appropriate, it may order one or both parents to contribute to the child’s educational expenses, including tuition, books, fees, room and board, and other necessary costs. We have often seen that the child pay 1/3 third of the costs while the parents pay the other 2/3s in accordance with their proportional share. However, our past case results might not be the results for your present case. To find out what proportional share is, see our page on calculating child support.
