When Does Child Support End in Washington State?
updated:
10/21/2026
by
Mark D. Hodgson
WELCOME TO HODGSON LAW OFFICE
Family Law Attorneys Serving Spokane County
Hodgson Law Office has represented Spokane families in custody, parenting plans, child support, and divorce since 2003. Talk to an attorney who knows the Spokane County Superior Court, its judges, its procedures, and what it takes to protect your rights and your family.
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The Best Attorney I Have Ever Worked With
In person, Mr. Hodgson is like Mr. Rogers: caring and kind. In the courtroom, he is like John Wayne. In my 40 years as a small business owner, he's the best attorney I have ever worked with!
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about us
A Spokane Family Law Firm Built Around Families
Hodgson Law Office is a Spokane family law firm focused on divorce, parenting plans, child custody and support, property division, spousal maintenance, and protection orders. Mark D. Hodgson founded the firm in 2003, and family law has been the whole of our practice since.
Family law in Washington is its own practice area, separate from personal injury, criminal defense, or general civil litigation. These cases turn on the people you love most and the money that supports them. Our attorneys appear in Spokane County Superior Court every week and know its judges and calendars.
Some families come to us at the start of something: an adoption or a first parenting plan. Others come to change a court order that no longer fits their circumstances, or to end a marriage. We match the approach to the matter: trial, negotiation, or collaborative.
Practice Areas
Our Family Law Services
Testimonials
Hear from Spokane Families We Have Helped
What To Know
Common Family Law Questions in Spokane
Family law is all we do, and we have practiced it in Spokane County Superior Court for more than 20 years. That experience tells us which questions matter most, and which ones people wish they had asked sooner. Here are the answers we give before a case begins.
What does a family law attorney do?
A family law attorney handles the legal matters that arise within families. At Hodgson Law Office, that means parenting plans, child custody and child support, paternity, adoption, guardianship, protection orders, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and divorce.
Family law is a distinct area of practice, separate from criminal defense or general civil litigation. Our family law practice covers each of these matters in detail.
How do you find a good family law attorney in Spokane?
There is no single answer, because the right fit depends on what your matter involves and how involved you want to be. Meet with more than one attorney before you decide, and confirm the attorney is licensed in Washington.
Ask who will work on your file day to day, how they reach you when something changes, how the fee agreement works, and what happens if the case settles early. Ask for that agreement in writing and read it before signing.
Spokane County has family law attorneys in solo practices, small offices, and large firms. Each setup trades something off: availability, depth of support staff, cost. Pick the trade-off you can live with for the length of your case.
Does Washington use custody orders or parenting plans?
Washington courts use a parenting plan. People still use the word custody, but in Washington the parenting plan is the order that governs where your children live and who makes decisions for them.
A plan does three things: it sets the residential schedule, assigns decision-making authority over matters such as education and health care, and states how future disagreements are resolved.
Parenting plans are entered in divorce cases and in cases between parents who were never married. A plan can be modified later, but in most cases the court must find a substantial change in circumstances and that the change serves the child’s best interests.
How is child support calculated in Washington?
Washington sets child support by a statewide formula, not by argument. Both parents' incomes go into a schedule under chapter 26.19 RCW to produce a base obligation, and the court can order a deviation in the right circumstances.
Estimate your own figure with our child support calculator, then talk to an attorney about your specifics.
Supporting You Through Life's Many Changes
Whether you are planning ahead or in the middle of a case, our Spokane family law attorneys will tell you where you stand.
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why us
Why Choose Hodgson Law Office
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Start with a Consultation
Every case begins with a 30-minute consultation for $300, where we learn about your situation and walk you through your options.
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Get a Strategy Built Around You
No two family law cases are alike. We tailor our approach to your circumstances, your goals, and the specific judges and procedures of the Spokane County Superior Court.
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Stay Informed Every Step
We return calls promptly and update you on the status of your case without you having to chase us.
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Battle-Tested Advocacy
More than 20 years of family law experience and a team of attorneys with decades of combined practice in Spokane County.
our team
Meet Our Team
Our family law attorneys bring decades of combined experience to Spokane County Superior Court. When you face the complications of a family law matter, rely on counsel that has navigated these courtrooms for years. We are dedicated to protecting your family and your rights.
Attorney
Mark D. Hodgson
I am committed to helping my clients through one of the most difficult times in their lives....
Our Local Roots
Spokane is where our team members went to school, built careers, and grew alongside the community, and that means everything to us. Among us are graduates of Mead High School, Gonzaga University, and Eastern Washington University, and several of us came to Spokane from small Eastern Washington towns like Connell and Clarkston.
That connection reaches past our office. Founding attorney Mark D. Hodgson has served as a pro tem commissioner for Spokane County since 2018, worked as a counselor at YMCA Camp Reed, and still supports the Mead High School debate program that first pointed him toward law.
Spokane is home for us, just as it is for the families we represent.
Areas We Serve
Visit Our Spokane Office
Hodgson Law Office is based at 1321 W. Broadway in downtown Spokane. Most family law cases for Spokane County residents are filed in Spokane County Superior Court, so we represent clients from anywhere in the county, including Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Cheney, Airway Heights, Mead, Deer Park, Medical Lake, Otis Orchards, and Newman Lake.
If your case will be filed in Spokane County, we can represent you regardless of which community within the county you call home.
Hodgson Law Office
1321 W. Broadway, Spokane, WA 99201
Phone:
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Schedule a Consultation Today
Take the first step toward resolving your family law matter. Contact Hodgson Law Office at (509) 327-1415 or fill out our contact form to schedule a 30-minute consultation for $300 with one of our experienced attorneys.
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blog
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