Is it important that I establish paternity for my child(ren)?
A. Establishing paternity is necessary before the court can order child support. If the parents are not married at the point of a child’s conception, paternity is at issue. Paternity can be established either by signing a Declaration of Paternity form, signing a paternity stipulation, or by filing a civil action (Summons and Complaint/Proposed Judgment) to establish paternity and a child support order. Blood tests may be requested to determine whether or not a man is the father of the child if a paternity judgment has not been issued previously (except under FC 7646(a)). There are many excellent reasons for parents to legally establish the paternity of their child. • A man’s name cannot appear on his child’s birth certificate unless paternity has been established. • A child is entitled to financial support, including child support, social security benefits, veteran’s benefits, military allowances, and inheritance, once paternity has been established. • A child may be entitled to health
Related Questions
- I would prefer that the other parent of my child(ren) have no partial custody or visitation with my child(ren). What are the chances?
- What standard does a court use in determining who should have custody of the child(ren)?
- If we have a play-date set up, will the sitter watch the other child or child/ren?
