If you’re a custodial parent, you may be wondering, “when is this year’s (2014) deadline to ask for help paying college expenses for a child from the other parent.” The fact of the matter is that in both divorce and paternity cases, it completely depends on when the court made its order establishing child support.

If a court has established a duty to support a child in a court order issued before July 1, 2012, a custodial parent can file a petition for educational needs until the child turns 21. However, if a court has established a duty to support a child in a court order issued after June 30, 2012, the parent can only file a petition for educational needs until the child turns 19.

If you have a child that is getting ready to apply to college, make sure you don’t miss the deadline to request assistance for the payment of college expenses and have your child support order reviewed by the experienced family law attorneys of Vonderheide & Knecht.