Child support in California generally continues until the child turns 18 — or 19 if the child is still in high school. But several circumstances extend or modify this timeline, and custodial parents should know when arrears can still be collected after support terminates.
When Support Continues
Support continues past 18 if the child is a full-time high school student and will graduate before turning 19. Courts can also order support for adult children with disabilities who are unable to support themselves. And critically: arrears that accrued while support was active don’t disappear when the child ages out. Those arrears remain collectible indefinitely.
There is no statute of limitations on child support arrears in California. A paying parent who owes arrears from a decade ago still owes them. The interest continues to accrue. Enforcement tools remain available. Custodial parents who stopped pursuing arrears years ago can restart — the obligation doesn’t expire.
The California Child Support Recovery System gives custodial parents the exact tools, templates, and step-by-step guidance to enforce support orders, calculate arrears, and use every enforcement mechanism available — without paying an attorney to get started. Request your free evaluation here.
California Child Support Recovery System 
Leave a comment