There are many misconceptions about child support in Minnesota. Divorcing parents might assume that the cutoff for child support is 18 years old no matter what. However, according to Minnesota statute 518A.43 there are several reasons for a deviation from standard guidelines.
One area of deviation is education. If you have questions about your child support arrangement and how it affects the future of your child’s schooling, see below for some exceptions and clarifications of Minnesota guidelines.
1. Does child support cover private tuition?
For the most part, child support does not cover private school. Under Minnesota law, however, there are certain exceptions. For example, if your child requires special educational needs for their well-being, a child support arrangement might include the cost of private tuition. Besides exceptional circumstances for the child, the parents can choose to create a legal agreement that pays for private school. Remember that this is different from court-ordered child support, and courts most likely will not modify the child support amount to include the private school tuition.
2. Does child support cover college tuition?
Most child support lasts until the child turns 18. However, if the child is still in high school, then Minnesota law still dictates the parent pays for child support until they turn 20. After high school, child support does not cover college tuition. Similar to an agreement to pay for private education, the divorcing parents can enter into an arrangement that covers college tuition. Unless you create a written contract, though, you have no way to uphold this arrangement in court.
Education is a complicated subject for divorcing parents. Sometimes the spouses do not see eye to eye about how their children receive an education. It is essential to create a legal agreement from the beginning to ensure your children receive the education you believe they require.
