When do I stop paying maintenance for my child?

A maintenance calculation stops when a child aged 16 or over leaves non-advanced education or becomes too old to be counted as a child.  Non-advanced education is up to Higher, Advanced Higher or SVQ level 3 and below.

Young people aged from 16 to 19 qualify for child support if they are still in full-time non-advanced education – more than 12 hours of weekly contact time. After leaving school or college a young person still counts as being in full-time education until child benefit stops being paid.

Parents also have an obligation to support children up to age 25  if they are “reasonably and appropriately undergoing instruction at an educational establishment, or training for employment or for a trade, profession or vocation”.   The amounts to be paid aren’t subject to a formula like child support, and both parents are liable.  The young person would have to raise a court action to enforce payment.