Age of majority

The age of majority is the age at which a minor child legally becomes an adult. The age of majority varies by state.

When a child reaches the age of majority, they can legally sign contracts. For example, students who are younger than the age of majority are not eligible for private student loans unless they have a cosigner who is over the age of majority (usually a parent). However, a student who is minor can borrow from the federal student loan programs, even though they are underage, because the Higher Education Act has preempted the defense of infancy for federal student loans since 1986 [20 USC 1091a(b)(2) and (3)].

The age of termination of child support obligations is usually pegged to the age of majority, although child support obligations may continue if the child is still enrolled in high school or disabled. The end of child support payments is a special circumstance that can justify an appeal for more financial aid. 

The Credit CARD Act of 2009 prevents children from obtaining a credit card unless they have an independent means of repaying the debt, are age 21 or older, or have a cosigner who is age 21 or older. So, a college student could have reached the age of majority for their state of residence, but be unable to obtain a credit card. This is why many college students rely on debit cards instead of credit cards.

The age of majority is not necessarily the same as the age of trust termination, which is the age at which a child gains control over a custodial bank or brokerage account or a custodial 529 college savings plan. The age of trust termination is specified by the Uniform Transfer to Minors Account (UTMA) in most states.

The age of majority differs from the legal drinking age (age 21) or voting age (age 18), which are the same in all U.S. states. The age of consent is age 16, 17 or 18, depending on the state.

The age of majority and the age of trust termination vary by state and are shown in this table.

All of the states in the table have enacted UTMA statutes except for South Carolina and Vermont, which still operate under UGMA statutes. Puerto Rico does not have an UGMA or UTMA statute.

When a state enacts an UTMA statute, the previous UGMA statute is repealed and existing UGMA accounts are grandfathered in. However, based on the date of enactment of the UTMA statutes, the grandfathering of UGMA statutes has expired.