What Changes at 18

The story: A birthday and a legal change

Jade and a grown-up talk at the kitchen table about the contracts, records and accounts that become Jade’s at the age of majority.

1. Narrator: Jade is about to reach the age of majority in Jade’s state. It’s a birthday, and a legal change.
2. Jade: Does anything really change? I’m the same person tomorrow.
3. Adult: Legally, a lot. Contracts you sign are binding, and credit is in your own name.
4. Narrator: Parents also lose automatic access to an adult’s medical records. Jade decides who can see them.
5. Jade: What about my custodial account, and my taxes?
6. Narrator: Custodial money passes to Jade at an age the state sets. Jade signs Jade’s own tax return, though family may still claim Jade as a dependent while in school.
7. Narrator: Your name now means your responsibility.

What you’ll learn

1. Your name, your responsibility

   At the age of majority in your state, contracts you sign are binding. Credit is in your own name. Leases, phone plans and loans you sign are yours to repay. The fact card links to your state’s rules.

2. Your records

   Parents lose automatic access to your medical records (HIPAA). Under FERPA, school record rights move to you at 18 or when you start college. Colleges may still share some information with parents who claim you as a tax dependent.

3. Accounts and taxes

   A custodial account passes to you at an age your state sets. You sign your own tax return. Your family may still claim you as a dependent while you’re a student, if you qualify.

4. Civic paperwork

   You can register to vote once you’re eligible, and some states let you preregister earlier. Selective Service registration applies to many young men. How each one works now is on the fact cards.

Key words

age of majority

the age the law treats you as an adult

FERPA

the law that says who can see your school records

HIPAA

the law that protects your health information

Common questions

Can a parent still help with medical decisions?

Yes, if you choose. A health care proxy lets someone you trust decide for you if you can’t. A HIPAA release lets them see your health information. A lesson on these forms is coming.

Remember this

At 18, your name means your responsibility.

Try it: Three things that will change

1. List 3 things from this lesson that will change for you.
2. For each one, write a first step, like reading a contract or asking about a custodial account.

List 3 things that will change for you.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• Age of majority and when custodial accounts pass to you, by state

  Source: Your state attorney general (NAAG directory)(opens in a new tab)

• How Selective Service registration works now

  Source: Selective Service System(opens in a new tab)

• Register to vote

  Source: Vote.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Age you can stay on a parent’s health plan

  Source: HealthCare.gov(opens in a new tab)

• FERPA: school records and parent access

  Source: U.S. Department of Education(opens in a new tab)