A Father's Guide To Child Support Law

Child support has become an important social issue given the growth in the number of single parent families and the divorce rate in this country. Regardless of whether a father is facing paying child support because of divorce or an out of wedlock pregnancy child support is an issue that cannot be ignored.

Paternity Issues

If you have any reason to believe that a there is a question about your child’s paternity, it would be a good idea to resolve that question early in the relationship for the following reasons:

The court will not require that the mother pay back child support if you should find out several years into your relationship with the child that it is not yours.
It is best to resolve paternity issues when a child is very young to mitigate the emotional damage to both yourself and the child if you are not the father and if you feel you cannot continue the parental relationship.
Early knowledge of paternity will make it easier to establish custody and visitation rights in situations where the parents are not married or do not get along.

How much will you have to pay?

Both parents are charged with the obligation to support their child. Every state has set up guidelines for how child support is to be calculated as well as minimum standards of support. The premise is that the child’s standard of living should not suffer because the parents are divorcing or chose not to marry. There are common factors in all child support law cases:

The non-custodial parent is required to pay support to the parent that has custody
Most states require that child support be paid by a wage order to facilitate the payment of support
Medical insurance has to be provided for the child
The cost of daycare is factored into child support if the mother needs it to work
Paying child support to multiple mothers usually costs more than paying child support for multiple children to one mother.
Because many men still earn more than women do, the father’s obligation for support is likely to be higher than the amount calculated for the mother.
Penalties for non-payment of support include, jail, loss of driver’s license and other business licenses. The courts take a harder line against deadbeat parents.

Do you need a Lawyer?

Some child support issues can be complicated. It does not hurt to seek competent legal counsel initially to find out what you need to know to protect yourself.

Thinking About Divorce?