Maintenance payment-child nearly 18

[Sandals]

looking for any advice on this situation to pass on:

Father (working all his life) pays just under €70 a week for past 16 years. Court order in place from week one of split: never reviewed since for fear of payment increasing despite getting married and having more children. Child is 18 in 2014 and has just did the leaving cert, currently at home, refused FAS position. school wouldnt allow the option of repeat the LC.

Father has contacted court clerk and was told court would get a letter off the mother and the payments would simply stop on the 18th birthday week.
Is it this simple?

 

[Deas]

The child in question becomes an adult at 18. I can't see why it should not be so simple legally unless you have signed up for anything else in the original court order.

 

[Guinea pig]

Maintenance usually continues until 21 as long as the child stays in full time education. I'm not sure if the child leave education and then returns to education again what happens.

 

[PaddyW]

Maintenance usually continues until 21 as long as the child stays in full time education. I'm not sure if the child leave education and then returns to education again what happens.

My niece's father stopped maintenance payments at 18, although she went on to college after that.

 

[Sandals]

Thanks, Court order actually said 16 but father decided to keep paying till child officially finished school.

Its been a long road. No relationship whatsoever with mother as too stressful. However good phone relationship between father and child since about 14 yrs of age, which works both ways, as issue of distance. Father never insisted on visitation rights from the start, even though 2 hours on a sunday was written in court order. Clothes/presents etc would be throw out onto the front lawn broke or cut. Child has had a tough life but father feels he's paid enough to childs mother and would like to work with child.

Issue has arisen as mother now threatening to throw child out once maintenance stops (court clerk must have said something). She will do this as did with older child who couldn't pay her rent after children's allowance stopped. Mother's situation has gradually worsened over the years, two new children since, one only a baby (whose fathers dont pay maintenance either), she'd had to move from the original social house she had to a much rougher estate due to her relationship choices, she doesnt drive either.

The mother has always maintained she was worse off because of the maintenance she received weekly as social welfare would never give her anything as told try father.