If I Adopt My Spouse’s Child, Will He/She Still Get Child Support in Alabama?

The presence of a caring stepparent in a child’s life can completely change their future. As a stepparent, you know how much work goes into parenting and what it takes to help a child thrive. However, coparenting with an uninterested or uninvolved coparent can be challenging. If your spouse’s coparent is unreliable, ill-equipped to parent, or simply uninterested in meeting their obligations as a parent, you may be interested in adopting their child as your own.

If you’re thinking about a stepparent adoption, there’s a lot to consider and a lot you need to know. Get the legal advice you need with Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short. Call us at 334-821-3892 to schedule a consultation.

The Other Parent’s Duties End

When you pursue stepparent adoption, you are asking the court to terminate the other parent’s rights and duties to their child. This includes the right to visitation or custody and the obligation to pay child support. As a result, you will not receive child support from the child’s other parent if you adopt your spouse’s child. In the eyes of the court, you are the child’s other natural parent and therefore have the obligation to provide for them.

How This Impacts Your Obligations

Not only does this impact the child support payments your spouse currently receives it may also impact your obligations down the road. If you and your spouse were to divorce in the future, the child would be treated as your natural child. This means that you could be ordered to pay child support. After an adoption, you cannot take it back or try to reclaim your stepparent role. Once the adoption goes through, you have all the rights and responsibilities of a natural parent.

Stepparent Adoption in Alabama

The process of adopting your spouse’s child can be time-consuming, but with an experienced attorney, you can navigate it with minimal stress and anxiety. Much depends on what the other parent wants. If they are ready to sign over their parental rights to give up paying child support, the process is straightforward and fairly quick. It is much more difficult if the other party is not willing to sign over their rights.

When this occurs, you have to petition the court to have the other party’s rights terminated. The court may terminate a parent’s rights if they abuse, abandon, or neglect the child. If the parent has never had an active role in the child’s life, the court may move to terminate their rights.

However, if there is a way for the parent to step up and take on a parental role, the court may explore that route first. For example, if an individual could become a suitable parent with counseling, parenting education, or rehabilitation, the court may require that before they even consider termination of parental rights.

In Alabama, the court does not often ask for a home study if a stepparent adoption is being considered. They do have the right to do so, though, so be prepared for that request. A home study simply looks at whether or not the home environment is suitable for the child. This is rarely requested in Alabama since the child has presumably already been living in your home without issue.

While this process can be challenging, it can have significant benefits for the child and the family unit as a whole. It protects your rights as a parent if your spouse were to pass away. Stepparent adoption allows the child to stay with the stepparent, rather than leaving their future in the hands of the court. Additionally, adoption ensures that the child is treated as your natural child upon your death, allowing for easier distribution of inheritance funds and other assets in your estate.

An uninterested parent can leave a child feeling untethered and unappreciated. Being adopted by a loving and secure stepparent can help their mental health and give them a brighter future.

Learn More About Your Options Today

If you’re interested in adopting your spouse’s child but you’re not sure what your next step is, let us help. We can guide you through this process as you prepare for this change in your family. Call us at 334-821-3892 or reach out online to schedule a consultation.