child support?

Question

i am a mother and i have a 5 month old son. and me and my boyfriend been together for about 2 years and plan on being married next year. i dont feel like going trough that child support stuff but i keep getting letters telling me i have an appointment with them. im just asking do i have to participate

Answer 1

Yes, you do...by law....until you are married. I am happily divorced and the mother of two boys. My exhusband and I are great friends and even coach our boys together on their baseball teams. I know he will always take care of them. However, the law requires that you register. You should know that you will get your child support, but they "charge" the father a fee. This "fee" is used supposedly to help mothers with deadbeat fathers as well as to help with customer service issues related to child support. Me? I think it is all a scam. They collect a whole lot of money...and where the sam hill does it all go????? Every time you call with a minor question, you get tossed around and no readily available answers. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes you have to participate--especially if you're receiving any state aid (food stamps, medical assistance). If you don't show-they will NOT ISSUE A WARRANT, but rather suspend any benefits you're receiving from the state.

It's painless. They will ask if your BF is named as the baby's father on the birth certificate (if not, you will have to establish paternity legally). If so, they will just get basic info and should you separate, they would set a support amount. He will not have to pay support as long as you're residing together and he is providing support for the family unit.

He MAY be required to pay back a portion of the birth costs covered by the state, but there is a cap on that figure and payments are generally low. Most likely your information will be taken and your case closed.

Answer 3

If you are recieving letters from them and you haven't applied, then it is probably accurate to assume that you getting public assistance. They are required to file for child support on your behalf. This allows them to recouperate some of the cost that they have paid out to you. As to whether or not you have to participate the answer is yes. If you do not your benifits will be sanctioned or terminated.

Now as to your boyfriend believe it or not it will be benificial to him to have a support order. If you are getting married next year then while this is a bit inconvienent for you guys you can always have the support order terminated after you are married and off of public assistance.

This in unfortunately necessary because there are way too many dead beat dad's and mom's out there.

Answer 4

Participation is mandatory. My best advice to you is to minimize the amount of hassle by getting married right away. Go down to the JP and make it legal. If you can do it before the appointment, do it. Anything to avoid getting put into the system because it's a real pain in the butt. They'll be holding out money from your bf's check for no reason other than you aren't married and they'll be charging a fee to do it. Get down to the JP NOW!!!!

Answer 5

if you are on any type of government assistance then if you do not cooperate with them they will cancel your benefits. i went through the same thing , but my daughters father is my ex. I live in Minnesota if that helps, the laws may be different in other states.

Also, my ex was voluntarily paying me 200 dollars a month, which i was fine with, the state was not and told me that if i did not cooperate not only would my children be taken off of medical assistance, but they would go after him anyways. The way they explained it to me, was that in Minnesota if the money does not filter through the child support offices then it doesn't count.

We are now off of the assistance anyways, but he is still paying...i also have no problem taking the money from the jerkface at this point. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Yes, you do have to participate. A "no show" in any of those required appointments can lead to a bench warrant on you. If you are on welfare, then you can get in trouble also, because they want the money back (from the deadbeat non paying parent). and thats exactly where the money will go first, back to the state for exactly what they have paid out.

You are probably at a point in your life where you feel you dont want or need anything from the ex, and sure dont want to see or deal with him... but the state doesnt feel that way.

Even if your getting married, your ex has to pay support. they may require DNA testing to determine he is the father (most states do this today)... even if you dont want it.

way i see it, you have three choices:

1) allow your husband to adopt the child (with permission of the real father) after getting married.
2) hand back the support to the ex when you cash the check.
3) use the check for what ever the child may need (and we all know how much they always need things).

courts today will not allow people to just sign away their rights or waive child support. there needs to be a person willing to adopt the child in the case (such as a new spouse).

some links; one is a CHILD SUPPORT CALCULATOR; just click on your state and fill it in. that will give you a basic idea what will be ordered, give or take depending upon the needs of the child (medical insurance, daycare, etc)


http://www.divorcelawinfo.com/states.htm
http://www.divorcehq.com/spprtgroups.html

http://www.divorceinfo.com/statebystate.htm
http://www.divorcenet.com/states
http://www.divorcesource.com/
http://www.divorcecentral.com/
http://www.divorcelawinfo.com/calculators.htm
http://www.helpyourselfdivorce.com/child-support-calculators.html
http://family.findlaw.com/
http://www.divorcehq.com/deadbeat.html
http://www.divorceinfo.com/
http://www.divorceinanutshell.com/
http://www.lawchek.com/Library1/_books/domestic/qanda/childsupp.htm
http://family.findlaw.com/child-support/support-laws/state-child-/
http://www.supportguidelines.com/resources.html
http://www.supportguidelines.com/articles/news.html
http://family.findlaw.com/child-support/support-basics/

http://www.ncsea.org/
http://www.nfja.org/index.shtml

FACTS AND REGIONAL FEDERAL CS OFFICE INFO
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/opa/fact_sheets/cse_factsheet.html
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/newhire/fop/passport.htm
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/newhire/fop/fop.htm
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/newhire/faq/faq.htm
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/oro/regions/acf_regions.html
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse/extinf.html
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse/
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/grants/grants_cse.html
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/index.html
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/region2/index.html
http://www.fms.treas.gov/faq/offsets_childsupport.html
http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal
http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/
http://www.fedworld.gov/gov-links.html

FIND YOUR STATE REPS
http://www.usa.gov/
http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/State_and_Territories.shtml
http://www.nga.org
http://www.naag.org/attorneys_general.php

CHILD SUPPORT LIEN NETWORK
(some states work with them)
http://www.childsupportliens.com/

COLLECTORS
http://www.supportkids.com/
http://www.supportcollectors.com/faq.php

TAX INFO
http://www.taxsites.com/index.htm
http://www.divorceinfo.com/taxes.htm
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc354.html
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc422.html
http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq4-5.html
http://www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html
http://www.irs.gov/advocate/index.html
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p525/index.html
http://www.fms.treas.gov/faq/offsets_childsupport.html

http://www.womenslaw.org/
http://www.nwlc.org/
http://www.womenslawproject.org/
http://www.nwwlc.org/
http://www.women-law.org/
http://www.hg.org/women.html
http://www.law.com/jsp/nj/specials.jsp?p=contact
http://law-library.rutgers.edu/ilg/njlaw.php
http://www.aclu.org/womensrights/index.html
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/hcv/about/fact_sheet.cfm
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/hcv/forms/index.cfm
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/
http://www.singlemoms.org/info/main.htm
http://www.singlemotherresources.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/nj4/njcomputerchick
http://www.parentswithoutpartners.org/chapterfind.asp
http://www.mowaa.org/
http://modestneeds.org/
http://freecycle.org/
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf
http://www.redcross.org/where/chapts.asp

Answer 7

Unless you can prove to them that he is supporting his child or that the 2 of you are living together then you're going to have to at least talk to these people and tell them whats going on!

Answer 8

No, you don't. If you receive any kind of public assistance(including medical) they may be sending it because of that. If he is willing to provide for the child don't go through the system. When you get married just send them a copy of your license and the will leave you alone.

Answer 9

I cant believe a couple of the answers posted! (is mandatory to open a child support case??? you have to register???
The answerer above me explained it right.... The only reason child support is asking you to go to court and are opening a case on your behalf is to get 'their' money back. Public assistance is just that ASSISTANCE for custodial parents that need assistance because they don't have enough income to support their kids. Many individuals fail to realize that if the child's father is around then HE/SHE must provide that financial support.. Not the state. It is at times difficult for the child support office to enforce court orders if they are unable to locate the non-custodial parent but as long as he is around he will be expected (and enforced) to pay his support.

If you don't want a child support case open then all you have to do is close your welfare case... Then contact your local child support office to let them know you need them to close their case as well.

Answer 10

If you are on welfare yes. Unless he moves in with you and you add him to your case adding his income. Or get married, otherwise they will go after him.... and demand for money to be paid back to them for the birth.

Since I am assuming your on public assistance, They have a right to see that your get support. The baby is born, the father needs to pay 50% of the child's needs and you need to provide 50%. Not from welfare money but from work.

Either get married now or let them go after him. Only choice you have unless you dont want assistance. But remember if he takes off and dumps you then you will have to swallow it and go back to them and ask for them to go after hI'm for support.

If you were not on assistance they would not care if you got support or not. I am divorced, my ex pays nothing for my kids, and I dont have to go after him because im not on any kind of assistance.