Child Support?

Question

I'm having a baby in October. I'm not married or any thing. I will support my child to the fullest. I made her so i'm going to take care of her. that's just how i was brought up. I was wondering if I am going to be ordered to pay child support or will i just be able to do it on my own.

Answer 1

it depends on the mother's situation. if she wants court-ordered support, she'll take you to court and a judge will order it. if she trusts you to pay what you two have agreed on, it can be a private matter. problems start when she feels like she's not getting enough from you or your relationship sours. honestly, the best way to protect yourself is to get a paternity test (which isn't painful for you or your baby) and have a judge order the child support. then there are no questions.

i have plenty of friends who have been through this. if you end up in front of a judge ordering child support, make sure you are ordered the lowest amount the law allows for your income and situation. if you want to add more to your checks, fine. just don't try to "be a good dad" by offering additional money in court that the court orders you to pay - if your financial situation changes you could be in a world of hurt.

please be smart - never pay in cash, always save your canceled checks, keep meticulous records. if she comes back a year or even 5 or 10 years from now and says you haven't paid, you'll need to prove you did.

i applaud you for your desire to take care of your baby. congratulations! the mom is a lucky woman.

Answer 2

You are probably better off getting a court order. Offical documents filed with the court will protect your rights as a parent, and you will be able to make sure that if for some reason you and the child's mother has a falling out somewhere down the line, she doesn't file for back support (of which you have already paid but may not be able to prove.) Generally, a court ordered child support payment is pretty small, but that doesn't mean you can't kick in extra, if you wanted to.

Answer 3

That's totally up to the mother. If things are OK between you two but if later on things go bad between you she most likely go for child support and you will have to pay support from day one if the court orders it and any support you gave prior will be considered a gift and not count toward support (that is the way it works in Ohio) not sure about other states

Answer 4

I believe you should pay by check at all times and keep all receipts for food, clothing, school supplies, etc. that you may buy over the years. Also, if your job offers health care benefits you can add the baby as soon as it is born (keep track of this as well). Things may be well now but people's situations change over time especially if one or the other meets someone else. I believe the only way you can be ordered to pay child support is if the mother asks for any type of government assitance (food stamps, medicare, WIC, etc.). Good luck.

Answer 5

First off, let me commend you for wanting to take care of your child. You were raised well.....

Word of advice- Never do anything under the table. It usually ends up to be your word against hers and judgment usually goes against you

What i would recommend you do is talk to the mother and see if you two can agree on an amount you both can live with. Submit a petition to get a court date and get a final child support order. Do what you need to, weather you hire legal counsel, or appear pro se, you must get it in writing and in an order otherwise it will haunt you and all of a sudden you owe like $10,000 in back child support.

Answer 6

I'm glad that you want to support your baby. If your baby's mama agrees to support without involving the courts please have everything in writing, make and keep all receipts especially if paying with cash! Make sure the receipts state that it was support for your child for that certain month. Keep in mind that she could be okay with this in the beginning but if she feels that it isn't enough she can change her mind and get the courts involved. If you can, try and find out on your own how much it will cost you and work around that.

Answer 7

If the mother does not go to court or go to social services, they will not order it. However, if the mother is on any kind of state help they will go after the father for child support. I think it's great that you want to be responsible. It would be wise to keep records of all child support you do pay in case its needed in the future.

Answer 8

it is better to have a child support order in place. paying for your child is important , i commend you for wanting to do the right thing. the right thing also includes visitation. make sure you also get an order for that, a paternity test is also important these days . that way everyone involved is protected. by having both a support order and a visitation order in place you are safe guarding both you and your childs rights. you will also be able to claim your child as a dependent every other year.

Answer 9

It is fine to pay a fair amount but if you do I would highly advise making sure you always pay with checks and get the canceled copies and keep them. If she does put in for support then if you have canceled checks then she wont be able to go after back support since you have proof of paying!!!! I do commend you for being a good dad and trying to take care of your child. Most men would complain I know my EX does. Just because you keep copies of your checks doesn't make you bad, it just makes you more responsible for covering your butt.

Answer 10

It depends on the relationship that you and the mother have. If she considers you a stand up guy then there is no way that child support will ever become an issue.
You are right when you say that you will take care of your child and that is to be commended.
P.S. Keep records