What Are My Rights And Obligations When I Have A Child Outside Of Marriage?

Both parents have the obligation of parents to support the child. The child has the right of inheritance and succession. The mother of a child born out of wedlock has the right to financial support for the child from the other parent including regular support payments (if the income shares calculation results in a payment for the mother), coverage or assistance with health insurance, child care costs, uncovered health care costs, education and extracurricular activity costs and maybe more depending upon the circumstances. The father of the child born out of wedlock has the obligation to pay support for any of the above purposes either voluntarily or as ordered by a court to do so.  And the father has the right to have parenting time with the child. The parents can reach an agreement on all of the relevant issues, acknowledge parentage at the hospital when the child is born follow their agreement privately or have their agreement written and entered in the court or they can fight and litigate. The litigation is referred to as a parentage action. A parentage action must be brought to establish the paternity of a father if there is no agreement or before one can obtain court orders for support or parenting time. Oftentimes most of the same child-related issues in a divorce proceeding are litigated in this venue.

An Experienced Parentage Attorney

Even if you were not married when you had your child, you still have parental rights and responsibilities. Attorney Marsha H. Cellucci will help you understand and safeguard your role as a parent. Contact The Law Office of Marsha H. Cellucci at 630-912-5058 to schedule your initial consultation at the firm’s Naperville office today.