Should Single Mothers Put the Father on Their Child's Birth Certificate? Key Facts on Naming the Dad

For many single mothers in the United States, putting the father's name on their child's birth certificate is a confusing and thorny issue. According to childwelfare.gov, legally including his name on a child's state-issued birth certificate requires the father's participation and cannot be done solely by a single mother.

If the child's father happens to be unavailable because the single mother cannot locate him or does not know who he is, this becomes a non-issue. Even if the single mother listed the child's father on the application form, his name would not make it onto the actual birth certificate as his signature is needed first on a legal Acknowledgement of Paternity form.

However, things would be different if the baby's father were involved. It would be wise for the single mother to name the father on their child's birth certificate as it could benefit their son or daughter later on. For example, suppose the father died while their child was still a minor. In that case, they will be eligible to receive Social Security death benefits with the child's birth certificate legally acknowledging the paternity.

Fathers can formally request visitation or custody at any time

Single mothers also have the idea that putting the father on their children's birth certificate makes it easier for them to get custody. That is a misconception as the baby's father, in reality, can formally request visitation or custody at any time. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the child's father can do that whether he is on the birth certificate or not.

All the father needs to do is file a request with their local family court. If the father's name were not included on the child's birth certificate, the court's response would likely have paternity testing to check if he is related to the kid. That being the case, it would not make the judge more or less likely to grant the child's father visitation or custody.

If the single mother currently receives state assistance in the form of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or if she will apply for benefits in the future, the government will require her to put the name of the child's father. This is done for the government to recover child support payments from him in the future.

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The decision to put the father on a child's birth certificate is a personal one

The decision to include the father on the child's birth certificate is ultimately intensely personal. If the father acknowledges that the baby is his and that he will be a part of the child's life moving forward, formally acknowledging paternity and putting his name on the birth certificate is a worthwhile endeavor.

Unfortunately, that is not a common occurrence with the child's father in most cases usually reluctant to sign an acknowledgment of paternity. According to VeryWellFamily, if the father is unwilling to do this, the single mother could request paternity after the baby is born.

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