If you searched for "jack and jill law" to understand who pays for college after a separation, the useful starting point is the actual law and support order governing the family. This guide examines Washington RCW 26.19.090 and the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines as two state-specific examples. It does not treat that search phrase as the title of either authority or turn these examples into a nationwide rule.
The Massachusetts document identifies its effective date as December 1, 2025; that date is separate from the date this guide checked it. These materials explain different decision-making frameworks, rather than a guaranteed college payment for every family.
Washington's Postsecondary Educational Support
Washington RCW 26.19.090 makes the child support schedule advisory rather than mandatory for postsecondary support. Before considering an award, the court must determine whether the child is actually dependent and relies on the parents for the reasonable necessities of life. The court then exercises discretion over whether support should be awarded and for how long. Its listed factors include the child's age, needs and educational prospects; the parents' expectations when together; the education sought; and the parents' education, standard of living, and current and future resources. It also considers the support the child would have received if the parents had remained together.
The child must enroll in an accredited academic or vocational school and actively pursue a course of study commensurate with the child's vocational goals. Good academic standing is determined by the institution. RCW 26.19.090 requires automatic suspension during periods when these conditions are not met. Academic records and grades must also be made available to both parents as a condition of receiving this support; each parent is entitled to full and equal access under the statute's records provision.
Support typically does not extend beyond the child's 23rd birthday unless exceptional circumstances, such as disabilities, are present. The court must direct payments to the educational institution if feasible. If direct payment is not feasible, the statute permits payment to the child when the child lives with neither parent. If the child lives with a parent, the court may direct the transfer to the child or to the parent receiving support.
Massachusetts Guidelines for College Support
Massachusetts approaches postsecondary educational support with discretion, as outlined in the 2025 Child Support Guidelines effective December 1, 2025. The guidelines state that a college contribution is not presumptive: the court may order or decline one, in addition to or instead of child support for a child age 18 or older. Relevant factors include education costs, the child's aptitudes and living arrangements, the resources of the parents and child, affordability, possible borrowing and available financial aid.
A notable aspect of Massachusetts guidelines is the benchmark that limits parental contributions to no more than 50% of the in-state costs at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, unless the court enters written findings that the particular parent has the ability to pay a higher amount. This benchmark includes tuition, mandatory fees, housing, meal plans and books. It is a limit measured against specified UMass-Amherst costs, not an automatic order that each parent pay half of any college bill. The guidelines apply the benchmark regardless of where the child lives or studies. If both child support and educational contributions are ordered, the court must consider their combined amount.
Comparing the actual decision rules
| Issue | Washington RCW 26.19.090 | Massachusetts 2025 guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Support schedule is advisory; dependency and statutory factors guide discretion | College contributions are not presumptive; the court may order or decline them |
| Study and resources | Accredited study, active pursuit and good standing are conditions; parents must have access to records | Aptitudes, living arrangements, family resources, affordability and aid inform the decision |
| College-price benchmark | Section 26.19.090 identifies individualized factors | Fifty percent of specified UMass-Amherst in-state undergraduate costs, with a written-findings exception |
Read each column within its own jurisdiction. The Massachusetts price benchmark should not be imported into a Washington calculation, and Washington's study conditions should not be presented as a word-for-word Massachusetts rule. The table summarizes the identified provisions rather than resolving an individual family's order.
Questions parents should separate
Does turning 18 settle the college-support question?
Not under the two frameworks discussed here. Washington expressly addresses postsecondary educational support and limits awards beyond the twenty-third birthday to exceptional circumstances, such as mental, physical or emotional disabilities. Massachusetts section F addresses support between ages 18 and 23, while section G addresses educational contributions. Those are jurisdiction-specific provisions; an age alone does not substitute for reading the relevant conditions and order.
Is ordinary child support the same as tuition support?
The Massachusetts guidelines expressly distinguish them and allow a contribution to educational expenses in addition to or instead of support. When both are ordered for a child over 18, their combined amount matters. A college invoice therefore should not be treated as a complete calculation of every support obligation.
What information helps explain a possible contribution?
The cited provisions make education costs, resources and the child's circumstances important. A useful factual starting point is the actual school charges, aid information, living arrangement and existing order. Washington also makes academic records and grades available to both parents as a condition of postsecondary support. Gathering those facts helps frame a question about the applicable rule; it does not establish an automatic entitlement or payment amount.
Understanding State-Specific College Support
For the college-support question behind this search, use the jurisdiction's actual authority rather than relying on an informal label. Washington and Massachusetts illustrate why dependency, education, resources and the terms of an order matter. This is general information about the specified sources, not a determination of what a particular parent owes.