If a child is not biologically yours, you do not have to pay child support. The exception is if you adopted a child – in that case, the child is legally considered your biological child, and you do have a legal duty to support that child.
You may be required to pay child support for that child. However, children born during a marriage are presumed to be the children of both parties unless there is proof offered to the contrary.
If you believe that a child is not biologically yours, you should take a paternity test to be sure before you agree to pay child support. In Florida paternity cases, typically DNA tests are used. A DNA test is very accurate, and will compare a child’s genetic code to the genetic code of the suspected father in order to determine whether the child is the biological child of the father.
Courts will assume if the test indicates a man is a child’s father, the test is correct, unless someone produces proof to the contrary.
If you suspect you are not the biological father of a child, and you do not wish to pay child support for that child, you can ask the court for a paternity test. The court may order the test, and if you are not the father you aren’t responsible for child support.
However, you will also lose your legal rights to the child as well. If you are the father, any child support and visitation issues will be decided the same as in any other divorce case. You may be ordered to pay child support, which is calculated based on the parents’ combined net income, the number of children involved, and any expenses for the children such as health insurance or child care.