Maintenance of children over 18
Maintenance of children over 18
Although divorce proceedings are only between the spouses, they also have consequences for the children. When these children reach the age of majority, they have the power to have the points of the divorce decree that concern them amended, without going through a legal representative, by putting forward their own considerations. On the question of the maintenance of a child who has reached the age of majority, the law stipulates that if the person concerned has not yet had an appropriate education by the time he or she reaches the age of majority and if circumstances allow, his or her parents must continue to contribute to his or her maintenance. Pension payments do not therefore automatically cease when the child reaches the age of majority. However, the child will be expected to do his or her utmost to acquire an education within an appropriate period of time.It sometimes happens that, when the divorce is granted, certain changes in life are not anticipated and the contribution to child maintenance has to be revised accordingly, if it is no longer appropriate to the circumstances.When such a change is significant and lasting, it is possible to appeal to a judge to increase or reduce the maintenance contribution, for example in the event of a substantial fall or increase in the income of the debtor parent.There is a special condition where the child is of age, relating to the personal relationship between the parent and the child: the absence of any contact may sometimes justify the elimination of the maintenance contribution, if the child of age is solely responsible for the breakdown in the relationship with his parent, particularly if he adopts a seriously hostile attitude towards him. You may therefore consider requesting an increase in the maintenance contribution paid to you, but your father may argue that you have no personal relationship with him. If you are not solely to blame for this situation, your father will not be able to put an end to the financial support he owes you, and certainly not just because you are now an adult.
