i am a father in mi who was never married to the mother of my son who is seventeen. i have been paying child support outside of the friend of the court steadily since he was three. i need to know when i can stop paying and what she can do to me if i do after he turns 18. can she burn me after he turns 18 and is still in his senior year of high school? please help.

i am a father in mi who was never married to the mother of my son who is seventeen. i have been paying child support outside of the friend of the court steadily since he was three. i need to know when i can stop paying and what she can do to me if i do after he turns 18. can she burn me after he turns 18 and is still in his senior year of high school? please help.

Support usually ends at 18 unless there is something written about college in the original support order. Since you mention you do not have a child support order, the mother of your child would need to file for one to have you continue to pay.

At this point in the game, I don't see any court allowing her to tack on tuition fees. Check on the establishing paternity Statute of limitations in Michigan, which may be 2 or 3 years past the child's 18th birthday. The reason I mention this is that since you have not paid via the court system, she may be able to file for back child support and have you pay all over again.

In MI, the age of emancipation (for child support purposes) is 18 or until graduation from high school, which ever comes last.

If the child is still in high school and is over the age of 18, child support will continue until age 19 1/2 or graduation, whichever comes first.

Once your child reaches the age of emancipation, she will not be able to go back to court to establish a child support order. If you don't want to rock the boat, I suggest that you continue to pay CS until your child graduates from HS.