Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland

Re: Child Support

It is impossible to tell you how much the child support will be because I would need to know what your income is and what the income of father is. Maryland has child support guidelines which calculate, based on incomes, how much the monthly payment will be. He can request that his support be reduced based upon the support of 2 other children, but it will likely not be a significant reduction.

If you can't afford an attorney contact the Department of Social Services. They will calculate the support and pursue him for payment.

You ask an interesting question, "when does child support begin." I've never been asked that before. It absolutely begins when the child is born but one could argue, I believe successfully, that it begins at conception so if you have medical bills that are not covered by insurance you may seek action against him now for reimbursement.

Good luck to you. I'm sorry that you find yourself in this situation right now, but once you see that sweet baby face you'll know for certain he/she is worth all the grief you're going through right now. And don't worry you'll get child support, either through an attorney or the Dept. of Social Services will make him pay.

Re: Child Support

Maryland law contains a set of child support guidelines that pretty much determine how much each parent must contribute to the support of his/her child. First, you must determine the monthly income of each parent before taxes. This includes all forms of income, including such things as interest, dividends, etc. The combined income determines how much support each child is entitled to, and each parent must pay in proportion to his/her income. An additional amount must be provided for child care expenses, medical expenses and a few other things.

If the father is unwilling to admit paternity and voluntarily begin paying support, the county where you live will pursue him if you are receiving public assistance. If not, you should hire an attorney to file a paternity and support action.