Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland

Re: child support

You need to file a court petition to require the father to pay child support based on the MD child support guidelines. Of course, if his paternity hasn't been established in a court proceeding, you will first have to do that, but the two can be done simultaneously. The guidelines determine the amount of support a noncustodial parent has to pay based upon his income. He may well owe more than $200/mo under the guidelines.

Once a support order is issued, the court will also enter an earnings withholding order which requires the father's employer to withhold the money from his paycheck and send it to you. This eliminates collection worries as long as he's working.

An experienced family lawyer can help you with this, or you can go to the child support office in your county and they may be able to assist you.