How to establish paternity when you are a single parent

Often when a relationship ends badly and a child is born out of wedlock and the mother of the child tries to obtain support, the other party might claim that he is not the father of the child, and therefore not responsible for the child’s needs. In a case like that, the mother can establish paternity by citing the father on the birth certificate which will give the child the same legal rights as a child born to married parents. Children with legal fathers are entitled to benefits such as Social Security benefits, veteran benefits and inheritance benefits. Other, non-tangible benefits would include knowing the family’s biological, cultural and medical history, which would be helpful in the event of an illness. You do, however, have to establish the legal father of the child, commonly called the establishment of paternity, before child support can be applied for.

Child support offices can help either parent in establishing paternity, which must be established before the court can order child support. Establishing paternity in this case, would require that the unmarried mother and the alleged father sign an Affidavit of Parentage form, legally establishing the father’s legal rights, or the unmarried mother and alleged father can ask the court to determine the legal father of the child.

An unmarried single parent might also want proof that the man is the biological father, in which case genetic testing will be done to prove that the man is the biological father of the child, or a greater than 99% likelihood that the man is the father of the child. Once paternity is established, an order for child support can be established. Have the test done at a well-established, accredited DNA laboratory.

How to go about obtaining a paternity test

• A DNA paternity test compares the DNA of the child, alleged father, and mother. It is not necessary to have the mother’s participation. DNA comes from both the biological parents. Therefore the child’s DNA is a combination of the DNA from the mother and father. Because DNA is found in all body cells, paternity can even be established before the child is born through prenatal testing.


• A paternity test can be done either through in-home collection or through Chain of Custody collections which are performed if the paternity test results are to be used for legal purposes, such as claiming child support, Social Security, or inheritance benefits.


• When an individual to be tested is unavailable, the DNA can also be obtained from samples the person has left behind, such as stored blood or tissues, even hair, or items such as a hairbrush or toothbrush the person has used. These samples require a separate viability test to determine whether there is enough DNA suitable for a paternity test.


• If there is more than one child or alleged father to be tested, all parties must be tested at the same time.


• There is also an all-inclusive DNA collection kit and DNA testing and analysis package for the price of $99.