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Can a Mother Receive Child Support Without Establishing Paternity in Nevada?

Now that it’s the 21st Century, it’s socially acceptable and common for children to be born to unmarried parents. In the Baby Boomer generation, having a child out of wedlock was highly frowned upon, but much has changed since the 1950s and 1960s. Today, more (and more) babies are being born outside marriage, which has mothers and fathers asking questions about an unmarried father’s rights and responsibilities toward his child.

Are you a mother who is interested in seeking child support for your baby who was born outside of marriage? Or, are you an unmarried father who is being asked by your child’s mother to pay child support? Either way, you probably have questions about child support in Nevada as it relates to unmarried fathers who have not confirmed paternity.

When Paternity Has Not Been Established

Not all unwed parents confirm paternity, which is the process of establishing who a child’s legal father is. If a mother, for example, wanted to ask the court to issue a child support order, the court would not be able to do it until paternity was established.

Generally, people establish paternity by both parents signing a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity form at the hospital after the child’s birth, or through genetic testing (a DNA test), which is ordered by a district court.

“Is there any way a mother can collect child support from the father without establishing paternity?” While the father can voluntarily give the mother money in the form of cash or a check, the court cannot issue a formal child support order, and there is no way a court can make the alleged father pay the mother child support until paternity is officially established. So, if the father wants to give the mother money, that’s his choice and she has no legal recourse if he doesn’t feel like giving her money.

Related: Can a Child Custody Order Be Changed in Nevada?

If you need help with paternity, child support, or child custody case, contact Leavitt Law Firm at (702) 996-6052.

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