In the state of Washington, a court can order a parent to provide support for your children attending college or receiving vocational training. This type of support is called post-secondary child support and, in most cases, requires parents to return to court before regular child support terminates.
Washington law sets forth various factors that a court considers when making an order for post-secondary support. For example, a court must consider the age of the child, the needs of the child, the child’s aptitudes and abilities, the parents’ level of education, and the resources of the parents to pay post-secondary support. The court also must consider what kind of post-secondary support the child would have received from his or her parents if they had remained together.
The court has a great deal of discretion in ordering post-secondary support. For instance, a court may order a child to pay a part of his or her own college expenses, but is not required to so. The court may not order some parents to pay post-secondary expenses at all. If the court does order post-secondary support, it will order the payment of tuition, room and board, lab fees, and books. The court also can, but is not required to, order the payment of a travel allowance or the cost of a computer or other equipment.
If you wish to pursue college expenses for your child from his or her other parent, our child support attorneys can guide you through every step of the process. We are here to answer your questions, both now and in the future, about your post-secondary education expenses case and the legal impact that it will have on your family. At Pacific Northwest Family Law, we have represented the interests of countless families throughout their family law cases. Contact our office today at (509) 537-1961 or by e-mail at [email protected] and set up a time to talk about your case.