Who is responsible for stepchildren

Download PDF. Two Exceptions that Can Require You to Pay Child Support for Your Stepchildren All state governments understand that it would be unfair to require stepparents to pay child support for stepchildren.

This means that a stepparent has voluntarily accepted some parental functions and responsibilities. This legal obligation can only be imposed when a stepparent has taken the role of parent to a child, and has been interfering with the relationship between the child and his or her biological parent, and is causing the child to be dependent on their financial support. Wall Legal Solutions. We understand the many complexities surrounding the issues of family law and divorce.

Parents navigating a household with stepchildren should also hold each other accountable. No child should feel like he or she is being treated differently than the others. Have these discussions when the children are not around and, when communicating with a former partner, try to do so in private and not at a time that will disrupt your family. Who pays when your stepchild is getting married? What happens if your new spouse wants his or her child to go to a private school when your children went to public schools?

The potential for conflict and, hopefully, resolution is endless. Newly married spouses may want to create child custody agreements to clearly spell out what would happen to their children in the event of divorce, death or disability. Or would your new spouse be better suited to the job? These are big questions couples with children from previous relationships should consider.

In some situations, the relationship between the child and the stepparent may be so strong that a court may order that stepparent to pay child support.

In most divorces, stepparents are not required to pay child support for their stepchildren. Washington law focuses on making sure that the biological parents of a child cover his or her financial needs first. As a result, the times when a stepparent can be ordered to pay child support are limited.

For example, you can get parenting orders that allow you to:. Adoption Only a court can grant an adoption. Only a court can order you to pay child support for a stepchild. When deciding whether you should pay child support as a step-parent, the court would look at things like:. Visit Department of Human Services — Child support for more information. You can also ask to have your stepchild live with you.