Child Support

In Ohio, paternity between a father and a child can be established by an acknowledgement of paternity filed with the Ohio Department of Health and Human Services at the time of the child's birth, an administrative establishment of paternity through a County Child Support Enforcement Agency, or a court order establishing paternity through a divorce or juvenile paternity case. Sometimes, this involves DNA testing to determine whether paternity exists and sometimes the parties acknowledge paternity without DNA testing.

The main process the court uses in determining child support is the child support worksheet calculation. This worksheet formula is required by the Ohio Revised Code and is too detailed for inclusion in this book. However, any family law attorney who you consult with can perform a worksheet calculation for you or, if you prefer, you can find several websites online that will calculate child support for you. If you want to obtain an estimate of your child support on the internet, just make sure that you use an Ohio child support guideline worksheet as they tend to differ from state to state.