Child Support

A parent’s legal responsibility to pay child support usually ends when their child becomes “emancipated.” Your child becomes emancipated when they do any one of these things:

• turn 21;
• get married;
• join the military and serve full-time; or
• get convicted of a felony and sentenced to two or more years in prison.¹

The judge may also decide that child support payments will end if your child does any of these things:

• turns 18, stops going to school full-time, and does not have a disability;
• chooses to move out of their custodial parent or guardian’s home, lives independently, works full-time, and stops pursuing their education;
• lives with another person without the approval of the parent who pays support;² or
• is incarcerated but not emancipated. Note: Child support payments will stop while a child is incarcerated, but they may start again once the child is released.³

If a parent is behind on their child support payments, emancipation does not end their obligation. A parent who already owes back child support (arrears) from before the child became emancipated is still responsible for paying the full amount they owe.⁴

¹ Miss. Code § 93-11-65(8)(a)
² Miss. Code § 93-11-65(8)(b)
³ Miss. Code § 93-11-65(8)(c)
⁴ Miss. Code § 93-11-65(9)