Regardless of how old the parents are when their child is born, parents have the legal responsibility to support their child until the child is 21 years old. The following provides the information most requested for teen parents:
Who is the legal father of the child?
If parents are not married at the time of their child’s birth, there is no legal father for the child. That means that unless the parents take action to establish paternity for the child, there will be no legal father for the child, and the father’s name will not be on the child’s birth certificate.
How do teens establish paternity?
The easiest way for unmarried teen parents to establish paternity for their child is for both parents to complete a form called a voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity. This form can be completed any time after the child is born and is available at hospitals, clinics, child support agency offices, family court, and birth registrar’s offices.
What does a voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity mean? Is it legally binding on teen parents?
Yes. The voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity is equal to a court order that legally establishes the identity of a child’s parents. It has the same force as a court order, so it is legally binding on both parents, no matter how old they are.
Teen parents should ask their parents or an attorney to review the voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity with them before they sign the form. Both teen parents must understand the information contained in the form. They must also understand that by signing the form they are making a legal and binding commitment to provide financial support for the child.
If teen parents need additional information about voluntary acknowledgment of paternity or have questions about child support services, they should contact their county child support office.
What if the mother isn’t sure who the father is?
If the mother has any doubt about the identity of the father of the child, the parents should not sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity. If either parent has any doubt about who the father is, she or he can ask the court to establish paternity. The court will order the mother, child, and alleged father to submit to genetic tests.
Based on the results of the genetic tests, the court will decide who is the legal father of the child. If the court decides that the teen male is the father, the court will issue an order of filiation that says he is the child’s legal father.
Who will have to pay child support?
The noncustodial parent is responsible for paying child support. After legal paternity is established, the custodial teen parent can go to court to get an order for child support. The child support order will establish the amount of money the noncustodial teen parent will have to pay as child support until the child turns 21 years of age.
Do teen parents have to pay child support?
Yes. The court will determine the amount of child support teen parents will have to pay in the same way the amount is determined for all other noncustodial parents—regardless of their age.
Remember that child support has to be paid until the child is 21 years old, even if the custodial parent gets married to someone else or receives temporary or safety net assistance.
The above information is an excerpt from an article entitled Teen Parents published by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. The full article can be found here.