How long do I have to pay child support if I am not the biological father? 22 Answers as of September 12, 2011

When someone is ordered to pay child support, any unpaid child support becomes a judgment. A judgment for child support can be collected for up to ten years after the child turns age 18. So, if there is a valid order for support and unpaid arrears, they may be trying to collect that money for some time to come.

Ask the judge of the appropriate court which you should/ve petitioned long ago to be relieved of this particular obligation.

Arrears mean that you missed payments that could have benefited child while child was a minor.

In Michigan , a child born during a marriage, is the legal child of the husband, further a child support order cannot be modified retroactively. You can petition to modify the support order going forward. However you will be required to pay the accumulated arrearages until the amount of the arrearages are paid off. You may be able to work a compromise and settle the arrearages for less than the amount owed but that will take the agreement of the payee. I f the payee has been on state assistance, she will not be able to compromise the arrearages due to the state of Michigan.

If there was a child support order and you failed to pay that obligation, the arrears will be collected until paid in full.

I do not understand why you are paying child support if you are not the father. Child Support is no longer paid after the age of 19, but if there are arrearages to be paid those are paid until they are paid in full.

I do not have enough information to give you much of an answer. The answer hinges on the facts. It sounds like you either thought you were dad (in which case I hope you have developed a close and loving bond with this child); or, if you knew you were not dad, you did not act. If you can prove that mom intentionally defrauded the court about your paternity, then you have an action. But an action like that could also have devastating effects on this child. This is far too complicated an issue for me to give any decent advice - I urge you to speak to an attorney about your options and whether the matter is worth pursuing.

Usually you pay support until the child is 18 and has graduated high school. God to CSEA in your county and ask a counsellor to end support if appropriate.

You can petition to terminate the current support order once the child is 18 and graduates high school and its arrears garnishment once all the arrears have been fully paid.

You would need to file the appropriate motions with the court along with a DNA test proving you are not the biological father and the child support obligation would likely seize.

If you were found to be the father of this child, then you have to pay pursuant to the order. If you failed to pay during the minority of the child, then you are in arrears and must pay that off. If you didn't think you were the father, you should have challenged it when you first learned of this. It is likely too late now.

You could have fought the original judgment based on the fact that you were not the biological father, as soon as you found out. If there is an arrearages judgment against you that you did not fight originally, you may be held liable until it is paid. If you only recently found out you were not the biological father, you may seek to have the judgment annulled for fraud or ill practices.

Because you failed, many years ago, to get a lawyer when all this first started and challenge paternity at the very beginning.