As a result of a divorce when a child is involved and only one of the par-ents has custody of the child, the other parent that was providing finan-cial stability for the family when married, must provide the same means for the child’s welfare. The purpose for child support is to ensure the child’s wellbeing from health, shelter, clothing and anything that provides the needs for the child.
Depending upon which parent has the majority of custody of the child, the courts will determine which party is responsible financially to contrib-ute child support to the other party. In addition, the timeframe that a party must maintain child support differs from each state, ranging from when the child reaches age 18 to age 21.