Maintenance for a Disabled Child: when it continues past 18

Maintenance for a disabled child refers to a father’s duty to keep paying maintenance for a child with a disability even after that child passes age 18, because the child remains financially and physically dependent^[1].

In real cases, a mother caring for a disabled adult child usually needs to prove the child’s disability through medical reports or confirmation from a welfare agency, along with evidence that the child still needs full support.

Unlike ordinary child maintenance, which ends automatically at a set age, maintenance for a disabled child can continue without an age limit as long as the need and the disability are confirmed by the court.

How courts weigh disability evidence can differ by case and by state. Read more on child maintenance or the full article on this issue.