There are lots of reasons you may consider ordering a paternity test. They’re a good way to get certainty but they aren’t a decision to be taken lightly, as depending on your situation and the results, they can have a big impact on your life and the life of your family or the other people involved.

Here are some reason of the reasons that many people of consider getting a paternity test:

Legal obligations

It is common for their to be legal obligations for a paternity test to be sought. For example when a suit has been filed against someone claiming that they are the father, often because the mother is looking for financial support for the child. They are also commonly sought in custody disputes as they can prove who are or are not a child’s parents and can influence decisions around the care and access of a child. A paternity test may be ordered so that the courts can decide how to rule on many different kinds of cases, such as for child support and custody arrangements. The results of the medical DNA kits can be used in court. Often when it is court ordered, people need to undergo laboratory testing; rarely will at-home kits suffice when parentage is legally within question. Proper identification must be authenticated with a professional and samples needing to be gathered.  There are many different reasons why a biological connection might need to be established, such as inheritance or other reasons where parentage may matter.

Establishing biological family

There are many situations that can arise where the biological father of a child is in questions and so it can be prudent to have a DNA paternity test performed to clear up any doubts and be fair to all family members involved.  In situations where a child was adopted or conceived through donor conception, children can grow up not knowing who their biological parents are. In addition to it being a question of identity, a person may also want to find out who their biological parents were so that they can understand any family history of illnesses or other conditions.

A common reason for people to not know who their biological parents are is that their parents may have divorced or separated, and the parent with full custody may not tell their child who their other parent is. A paternity tests can be an essential step in locating family members such as a father, sibling or other family.

Establishing relationships

In addition to finding family connections, paternity tests can also verify relationships, such as whether parents or siblings are related.  For example, siblings may want to ascertain whether they share a father.

Insurance claims or benefits

If a father has died and a child wants to claim benefits after their death than they may need to establish that they are related. This is common in inheritance cases and a medical examiner may choose to run the test to verify that the child is biologically connected to their father and has the right to lay claim to their possessions or assets after their death. This can also be important for life insurance or payouts of their super or any unpaid government benefits after their death.

Medical history

Sometimes people may also want to get testing performed to look into the medical history. Biological information and genealogy can be very helpful in determining whether someone is likely to suffer from genetic conditions or other potential illnesses and diseases.

There are many other reasons to seek a paternity test and nowadays they are quick and inexpensive to perform.