Q: My daughter will be off to college this Sept. As the non-custodial parent, do I have to pay for her tuition and what not
There is nothing in the divorce decree/permanent orders that states anywhere about me paying for any part of her college tuition/room-board. My wife and I have seen online that in the state of Colorado if a divorce happened after July 2007 that the courts can not force a parent(s) to pay for their Childs college cost; we divorced in March of 2005. On top of that, she is going to CU at a cost of $25K a year which even at half is more then what I can afford since I am paying $6266 a year in child support until May 9 2018 when she turns 19.
Can my wife file something anyways with the state, and they would eventually side with her and make me pay for some of the college expenses, or like I said above the state is pretty much out of it?
A: You do not have to pay for college. Your only obligation would be to continue to pay for child support until she turns 19. If your ex-wife files a motion to modify child support based on changed income or parenting time, then you would have to deal with that, but nothing more. Statute actually indicates that starting in 1997, unless there parties agreed in the orders regarding college costs then the court cannot do anything related to college. Additionally, if she did try to modify the child support college costs would have nothing to do with it. Thus, you have nothing to worry about on this issue and should be fine.
1 user found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.