Child Support for Adult Children in Post-Secondary School in Alberta

Your child is 18 or older and heading to college or university, or already there. You may be asking whether support continues, who pays tuition, and whether the child's own earnings or student aid change the answer.

Alberta does not use a single fixed rule for every student. This article explains the parts of the law that apply and the information you will want to gather.

This article covers the law of Alberta.

Does support continue while a child studies?

Alberta sets the age of majority at 18, and support for a child 18 or older is not automatically cut off at a fixed age. It depends on whether the child remains a dependent, for example a full-time student.

Under the Divorce Act, a child who is of age but unable, because of illness, disability or other cause, to withdraw from the parents' charge or obtain the necessaries of life can also be a child of the marriage. Unmarried parents proceed under the Family Law Act and the Alberta Child Support Guidelines, which adopt the federal tables.

How the basic amount is decided

For a child the age of majority or over, the court can order the table amount. If it finds the table amount inappropriate, it can order whatever amount it considers appropriate, having regard to the child's condition, means and needs and the parents' ability to pay.

Table amounts depend on the paying parent's annual income, the number of children and the payer's province. Updated federal tables took effect October 1, 2025. The 2025 tables apply to periods on or after that date.

The child's own income can be part of the picture, because the court looks at the child's means, along with the child's condition and needs and the parents' ability to pay, when it considers whether another amount is appropriate.

Other rules can change the basic amount. Where the paying parent's income is over $150,000, the court may depart from the plain table amount. The court may also award a different amount if a parent or child would otherwise suffer undue hardship.

Tuition and other post-secondary costs

A court may, on a parent's request, provide an amount for post-secondary education expenses. These are shared by the parents in proportion to their incomes, after deducting any contribution from the child. The court must take into account subsidies, benefits and income tax deductions or credits relating to the expense.

The facts do not set a single dollar figure for the child's expected contribution. What is fair depends on the child's circumstances, so a lawyer can help you assess it.

What to gather

• Proof of enrolment, program, course load and expected completion date.
• Tuition invoices, fee schedules, and cost estimates for books and other required items.
• Details of scholarships, bursaries, student loans and other aid your child receives.
• Records of your child's own earnings and savings.
• Information on where the child lives during the school year.
• Income tax returns and notices of assessment for the last three years, which are the documents commonly exchanged in support applications.

If you are the parent served with an application, the same income documents must be provided within 30 days if you are in Canada or the United States, or 60 days if elsewhere, unless the court sets another deadline.

Practical next steps

• Review your existing order or agreement to see whether it deals with post-secondary education or adult children.
• Talk with the other parent early about costs and your child's contribution.
• If your order is registered with MEP, remember it only continues enforcing past the age of majority where the child is financially dependent as a full-time student.
• If you cannot agree, speak to a family lawyer about applying to vary the order. For a table-based order, a change in circumstances is any change that would result in a different order.

Existing orders are not automatically changed by the 2025 tables. If the new tables produce a different amount, that may count as a change in circumstances, and parents can seek a variation order or use a recalculation service.

To use the Maintenance Enforcement Program, either the payor or the recipient must live in Alberta, and there must be a filed maintenance order or maintenance agreement that sets an enforceable amount. The program cannot enforce terms that appear only in Reasons for Judgment, Endorsements, Minutes of Settlement or separation agreements. How this applies to your paperwork depends on your situation, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer.

Frequently asked questions