When Would You Stop Paying their Phone Bill?

[BruFord]

Just thinking about adult children and finances tonight, and it's got me wondering when other parents consider it time to stop paying for items such as their adult child's phone bill? Do you have a specific age in mind or is it more to do with their earnings, e.g., if they start working FT at 20, you'd expect them to cover their phone bill, but if they did a Ph.D., for example, you'd pay it until the end of their studies?

What about car insurance? I know some parents who are still paying it for children well into their 20's.

I'm not entirely sure tbh, although I generally consider 25 as my cut-off age unless there's a very good reason. Thoughts?

25! For a phone bill?

Mine both took over their own phone bills at around 18. DD went into full time work and DS went to uni but we are in Scotland where he gets the max funding and he lived at home so was quite well off for a student.

I’m still paying for my 18 year old’s phone, when his contract is up then it’s over to him, dd took over hers at 19/20 too. They’ve both paid their own car insurance from the beginning although I bought their cars. I suppose I might have carried on paying dd’s phone while she was a student if she’d been on a cheap giff gaff but she wanted to upgrade her phone so she was going to pay that herself.

When they started university. DS1 was 19, but DS2 will be 18.
25 is crazy, to me!

I also think that 25 is too old really, I’m giving that as my absolute limit assuming that they were still in education or having trouble finding employment, for example.

DD is doing a four-year degree so will graduate at 22. We’ll definitely pay until then and hopefully tail off once she’s earning. But she might do a Master’s!

18 for my kids phone bills, even working part time around uni, they have a higher disposable income than me. We bought them cars, but they pay their own insurance. We don’t charge them rent or board but they do cook (and buy the ingredients) once a week.

I'm still paying bills at 20&17 but as my 20 year old is almost finishing uni he knows that's about to stop.

My rules were in full time education I'll support after you are on your own.

Insurance and cars are all for them to pay, saying that I do occasionally do an IKEA order M&S etc and grab bedding and socks and pants and a few t-shirts and bits.

That's just mum gifts.

My daughter's are 20 and 22. They've both said I can stop paying their phone bills but I'm not fussed. It's smarty, a group plan and under a tenner a month and I don't really miss it 😁

DD uses my car when she’s at home and we pay the insurance because it’s more convenient than ferrying her around!
But she’s not home for long periods anymore and when she gets her own car, that’ll be fully her responsibility.

@Damnloginpopup Yes, we’re also on a group plan so it doesn’t make much difference right now.

I did graduate school. I didn’t expect my parents to support me. I only considered fully funded offers. It was lean living, but it was manageable. So at that point I paid all my own bills.

I think first full-time or grad school is the time to take over bills.

Alternatively, if the child has decided to not be in some combination of school plus work that adds up to full-time, without medical reason, then they should also need to take adult responsibility for all bills.

@Ponderingwindow I definitely think that some of my friends are softer with their adult children than ours were with us (although as I’m 50, I didn’t have a mobile until well into my 20’s). 😂