For Men » Parenting » Child Support
What You Need to Know About
Child Support
Child support is an emotional subject. Parents who are supposed to receive it on behalf of their children often do not. Parents who are supposed to pay it often cannot, or choose not to for a variety of reasons that are not legally recognized. It is the children who suffer the most when child support levels are inadequate or obligations are not met.
1. How long must a father financially support his child?
If you are the biological father of your child you must support until:
- your child reaches the age of majority (and sometimes longer if your child has special needs)
- your child goes on active military duty, or
- your rights and responsibilities are terminated (such as when a child is adopted).
2. If the father never marries the mother of his child, is he still required to pay child support?
The short answer to this question is yes. The biological father of a child born to an unmarried woman is required to pay child support.
3. If the father lives in another state, is he required to pay child support?
Yes — crossing the state line does not end the father's responsibility to his child. All states have an agreement that allows for the collection of support payments across state lines.
4. If a court of law has not ordered it, does the father have to pay child support?
Yes. The obligation to pay child support does not depend on marriage or a court order. Where most unmarried fathers encounter this principle is when the mother seeks public assistance. Sooner or later the welfare department will pursue the father for reimbursement based on his support obligation. Sometimes this happens many years later, and the father is required to pay thousands of dollars in back support that he never knew he owed because there was no court order.
5. How are child support obligations affected by divorce?
When one parent is awarded sole custody in a divorce, the other parent typically is required to fulfill his or her child support obligations by making payments to the custodial parent. When parents are awarded joint physical custody, the support obligation of each is often based on the ratio of each parent's income and the percentage of the time the child spends with each parent.
6. Is a stepfather obligated to support the children of the woman to whom he is married?
Not unless he legally adopts the children as his own.
7. Where can I go for more information?
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has established a Fatherhood website.
Child Support, 'Lectric Law Library, Nolo Press Editorial Staff, 1996. Retrieved May 2007