Not without a court order.
You see, going to college does not emancipate a child – even if she moves away. The age of child support emancipation is 19* unless a child is incapacitated or still are a high school student . Emancipation also occurs when a child gets married or enlists in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Stopping support on your own before emancipation can get you in trouble. The law requires the paying parent to comply with the most recent court order. Before you stop paying support or reduce it, you need a new court order.
Your child’s move into a dorm, sorority/fraternity house, or apartment near campus can be grounds to change support. In our experience, most central Indiana courts will adjust support when a child goes to college, living in a dorm, fraternity/sorority house, or near-campus apartment. But the effective date for a child support modification can only go back to the date when a motion to modify is filed, even if the change of circumstances occurred much earlier. So you’ll want to get that on file with the court before your child goes to college.
* Support can continue past age 19 if a child is incapacitated or the child is still in high school and a statutory notice of that fact is filed with the Court.
