Despite the ongoing process of his parent’s divorce, a Singapore 22-year-old undergrad has successfully obtained a lump-sum payment for about S$180,000 from his father.
When he had turned 21, he asked the court if they can order to have his father pay for his education, living, and travelling expenses amid his parent’s divorce, as he was no longer entitled to maintenance from his parents with his age at that time.
Expense claims of the 22-year-old son
As per the report of Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the current 22-year-old son made many claims against his father, including being ‘neglectful’. He demands the following:
- Education fees – S$91,757
- Living expenses across four years – S$87,840
- One-time travelling expenses – S$3,000
- Backdated expenses – S$1,532.95
All these finance claims amounted to over S$180,000. On top of that, the father has to provide S$600 monthly maintenance to his son until he graduates and gets his university degree.
In fact, the son also asked for S$200 for “clothing, bags, and shoes”, which were allegedly denied as the judge found the sum “extravagant” and lowered it to S$75 per month.
The son argued that he needs smart attire for school presentations as well as other items for his co-curricular activities (CCAs).
There are other claims that the judge turned down, such as:
- Social activities, dinner & entertainment – S$200
- Gym fees – S$100
It is the parent’s duty to provide for children
The 22-year-old son’s mother, who spent about two decades as a housewife, started the divorce proceedings in 2019.
Meanwhile, the father used to work as a teacher and considered as the sole breadwinner during the marriage. He had a stable job in the education sector and had placed the family in a “relatively comfortable financial situation at the time”.
In March 2020, the father was ordered to pay S$1,000 every month, which is for the expenses of both the mother and son, who was 19 then.
Two years later, the son turns 21 years old and he was no longer legally eligible for the maintenance order. Therefore, the young man filed a separate order asking for maintenance on his own behalf under the Women’s Charter.
The judge further added that the court has to consider a few factors when ordering maintenance, such as the following:
- The financial needs of the child
- The earning capacity of the parent or child
- Standard of living before parent stopped providing “reasonable maintenance” to the child