Establishing “legal fatherhood,” or paternity, is one of the most important things you can do for your child. You don’t have to be the biological father to establish legal fatherhood; you simply need to be married to the birth mother at the time of the child’s birth. If the mother is unmarried at her child’s birth, paternity needs to be established.
This topic is so important because children gain many rights and benefits once paternity is established, such as life insurance, Social Security benefits, military and veterans’ benefits, and coverage on the father’s health insurance. The child will also have inheritance rights under both parents.
Learn more about what paternity is and why it is important to establish paternity from the MA Department of Revenue’s Child Support Services division.