What’s the process of taking a paternity test?

Getting a paternity test is an important decision, and HomePaternity is here to guide you through the process. A DNA paternity test is highly accurate and can determine the biological father of a child if doubt arises regarding parentage. Here, you will find a step-by-step overview of what to expect when you prepare to order a paternity test from HomePaternity.

Getting a paternity test is an important decision, and HomePaternity is here to guide you through the process. A DNA paternity test is highly accurate and can determine the biological father of a child if doubt arises regarding parentage. Here, you will find a step-by-step overview of what to expect when you prepare to order a paternity test from HomePaternity.

Choose your paternity test and order. With a company like HomePaternity, you can order your test directly to your home. If a legal test is needed, you can make arrangements to go to a testing location to ensure your test follows the correct chain of custody.

While the potential father and child must be tested, in many cases, a mother can also provide her DNA sample. While this isn’t usually necessary, it can be helpful in specific cases.

For example: if two potential fathers are closely related (brothers, for example), including the mother’s DNA can increase the level of confidence in the results. However, in situations where the mother is unwilling to participate, or her DNA is unavailable, highly accurate paternity test results are still typically achievable.

There are several collection options for providing DNA samples for paternity testing.

If a legal test is ordered, all samples must be collected in person at one of our 5,000+ testing facilities nationwide within our network. The potential father, child, and mother (if willing) can provide their DNA sample in person at the same appointment, or if desired, the representative can arrange separate appointments. It is not uncommon for appointments to be arranged in different states. The DNA samples are collected via a painless cheek swab.

The legal test collection process adheres to AABB standards regarding the chain of custody. This method ensures that DNA samples cannot be tampered with and the tested parties’ identities have been verified.

If you just want paternity results for your own peace of mind and don’t need results to be admissible in court, an at-home paternity test can be a great solution.

With at-home paternity testing, we can ship a cheek swab kit to the child’s guardian and potential father, so the tested parties can collect their DNA without needing to leave the house. Please note that we cannot ship home collection kits to an address in New York State due to New York State law prohibiting at-home DNA tests. Paternity test reports from home tests will not include the names of the tested parties because we have not verified their identities.

In many cases, women unsure about their child’s biological father prefer to conduct a paternity test discreetly without involving additional parties. With paternity testing, it is possible to collect a potential father’s DNA from various sources and use it as the necessary testing sample.

If you’re interested in a discreet testing option, please contact HomePaternity and our team will help you coordinate the details of this test.

Once the paternity test results are determined and then reviewed by our in-house Ph.D. team, a technician will prepare your results report.

You can expect results within two business days after samples are received at our lab, although expedited results are available for an additional fee. When your results are ready, you’ll receive an email notification with a link that will prompt you to log into a secure portal. There, your results will be available for viewing and downloading.

If you choose a legal test, your results will display the names of the people who were tested.. If your paternity test is not admissible in court, your results will not display the names of the tested parties. Instead, your results will show a case number and use the terms “MOTHER,” “CHILD,” and “alleged FATHER.”

When you review your results, there are three key areas to note:

• Combined Paternity Index
• Probability of Paternity
• The Conclusion Sentence

The CPI is a ratio that tells you how much more likely it is that the man tested is the biological father than a randomly selected individual from the public with the same racial background. The higher the CPI on the report is, the stronger the results are.

For example, consider a report that shows a CPI of 42,960,792. Here, the tested party is 42,960,792 times more likely to be the biological father than a random individual with the same racial background.

If the paternity test determines that the tested man is considered the biological father, the probability of paternity will typically be at least 99.999%. If he is not considered the biological father, the probability of paternity will be 0%.

The probability of paternity can never be 100%. To guarantee paternity at 100%, we would have to also test every man in the world with the same racial background, which obviously isn’t possible.

If the tested man is the biological father, the sentence will read, “The alleged father is not excluded as the biological father of the tested child.” If he is not the father, it will read, “The alleged father is excluded as the biological father of the tested child.”

Paternity testing can be easy when you work with a trusted partner like HomePaternity. Order your test today, and get the answers and peace of mind to help you move forward.