DNA Paternity Testing
Our Process
With our simple DNA paternity testing procedure, all you need to do is come into one of our centers to provide a sample. The general process follows these steps:
- Order the test: In most cases, the alleged father, legal mother or a child over 18 years old can initiate this step.
- Provide the DNA specimen: DNA is collected with a buccal swab collection. We follow chain-of-custody collection and verification procedures to ensure the specimen's integrity. All identities are confirmed and detailed procedures are followed from collection to results report.
- Wait while we analyze the sample: AABB-accredited lab affiliates analyze and process specimens twice for accuracy.
- Receive the results: In most cases, your results will be ready in three to four days. Our results are 99.99% accurate.
Types of Paternity Testing (Legal & Non-Legal)
Legal Paternity Testing
A certified DNA collector and professional company — such as Test Smartly Labs — must complete legal paternity testing. Many prefer this form of paternity testing as it is valid evidence in a legal setting should the need arise. For example, this test can confirm a parent's name on a birth certificate or for use in child support and child custody cases. It's essential to follow proper procedures and specific documentation requirements for a legal paternity test. An unbroken chain of custody from specimen collection through lab analysis is paramount for a test to be reliable, accurate, and admissible for a judicial proceeding. For people opting to use mail-in kits or use retail boxed tests, we advise everybody to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the final results. More often than not, these results can end up involved in some form of legal process.
To have a Legal-Paternity Test taken find your nearest Test Smartly Labs and schedule your appointment.
Non-Legal Paternity Testing
If you do not need child paternity testing for involvement in a court matter, you can purchase a “good to know” paternity test.
While these tests are not a part of the legal chain-of-custody protocols, they are still highly accurate for peace of mind.
Keep reading to learn more about the "good to know" paternity test or find your nearest Test Smartly Labs location to take your non-legal child paternity test.
Prenatal Paternity Testing
Why Run the Test While Pregnant?
Running a test sooner rather than later can help you:
- Avoid additional stress while pregnant
- Make decisions sooner and bring your child into a settled situation
- Set up the rights and responsibilities in order with regards to child support, custody, and more
Test Smartly Labs Offers Reliable Paternity Testing
At Test Smartly Labs, we understand that paternity testing is a personal experience. We prioritize reliable, accurate and confidential test results. Contact us today for your paternity testing needs. We can schedule donor collections separately at any of our locations as we understand the sensitive nature and sometimes contentious relationships that may be in place prior to the paternity test among interested parties. Ready to get started? Click the button to schedule a test or walk-in to any of our multiple locations in the Kansas City Area.
When would you need a relationship DNA test?
Relationship DNA tests most often deal with families (and all of the complications that can come with them)! Here are some of the most common reasons people need our help with DNA testing in their families:
- Prove or disprove someone is the father (paternity testing) or mother (maternity testing)
- Prove or disprove someone is the father/mother or prove a biological relationship with a child by testing grandparents (grandparentage testing)
- Determine if two individuals are full or half siblings (siblingship testing)
- Check if twins are fraternal or identical (twin zygosity test)
- Whether you need DNA testing for issues of custody, child support, inheritance, name changes or for general information and/or peace of mind, we can help.
- Immigration DNA testing. This can play a significant role when someone’s trying to get a visa application to go through and enter the U.S. – especially if you need to prove biological relationships. At Test Smartly Labs, we work with AABB-accredited labs for immigration DNA testing to make sure the DNA test results can be used as part of the Department of State’s visa review process. Learn more about immigration DNA testing.
How many DNA tests will be needed to prove family relationships?
All DNA tests will require samples from at least two people in order to be performed, but oftentimes adding more people in the biological family tree can help with the accuracy of results.
Because genes have variants (called alleles), they can be expressed differently from person to person. (That’s why we don’t all look the same!) However, because of these variants, when you’re testing for family relationships, the more people willing to offer samples, the more complete picture of a biological family you’ll get. DNA testing looks for “matches” within the samples offered – so the more people willing to offer a sample, the more accurate the matching process will be.
What is an “At-Home” or “Good-to-Know” Paternity Test?
Home Paternity Kits are a convenient method to provide individuals with results about your paternity towards a child, all from the privacy of your home. Following a similar process as Professional DNA Lab, they both take and analyze your DNA. You ship the kit away to the DNA company and receive the results through the mail.
The accuracy and results of the test differ between each company and the quality of DNA you provide to the labs. Before you purchase your home paternity kit, research the quality of the lab and shelf life of your kit ensuring it isn’t expired.
These kits are okay for finding initial information related to the paternity of your child, but they are not accepted as evidence if you decide to go to court. There are also many reported errors from insufficient samples to contaminated specimens. If this occurs, the home kit must be repurchased and the process starts again.
Why Test Smartly Labs for Legally Admissible Tests
When there's a need to legally prove the father's identity for child support, establishing parental rights, or getting custody or inheritance, courts always need a legally admissible paternity DNA test. The most obvious reason is that it is one of the most certain tests because it is acceptable in most courts and is unlikely to face judicial challenge or rejection. Since sample identification and the course of testing are rigorously documented and test participants' rights are protected, you can ensure the integrity of the results.
- Accredited - Test Smartly Labs only partners with AABB Certified Labs. These labs carry on-site inspections to govern quality control and quality assurance in chain-of-custody paternity testing by ensuring that the procedures in place adhere to AABB's published Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories. The AABB Standards encompass sample collection, laboratory testing, safety, confidentiality, competence, qualifications, experience, and maintenance of records. AABB supports high standards for medical performance, scientific investigation, and clinical application. We use AABB-accredited laboratories, guaranteeing you get the best service possible, and expert specimen collection, analysis, and reporting processes using the strictest and highest standards.
- Speed - Unlike most At-Home Lab kits which take a minimum of 5-7 days (not including shipping times), Test Smartly Labs provides your Paternity DNA test results within 2-3 days.
- Genetic Markers - Standard At-Home Tests save money by testing for 16 or fewer genetic markers. At Test Smartly Labs we test more markers with more alleles providing a 99.99% accurate result. “All Paternity tests are not created equal”. Cheaper tests test fewer genetic markers and lack the highest degree of certainty.
- Double Checking - Test Smartly Labs processes the samples independently, testing them two times and comparing the data for consistency before running the report, ensuring reliable, reproducible, and accurate test results. The test is always performed by our certified specimen collectors who are specially trained to maintain the integrity of the DNA specimen and accurately track and document the specimen and its donor.
- Accuracy - At-home DNA Kits have the potential to be tampered with and manipulated easily. DNA swabs can be swapped and submitted using someone else’s DNA sample. Going through a strict verification process ensures your paternity test results are accurate and valid, providing peace of mind.
Why Paternity Testing Is Important
While the reasons for father-child relationship testing may vary, establishing paternity can benefit any individual through the following:
- Peace of mind: Confirming the father of a child can provide comfort for all parties involved.
- Child Support: This can be essential in securing the well-being of a child
- Legal rights: If paternity isn't legally established, a child may not be eligible for the rights of inheritance from the father.
- Medical history: Knowing the father of an individual can offer medical professionals a wider assessment of health history for predisposing genetic conditions or diseases.
- Bonding / Relationship: It is very important for all involved to understand the relationship bond.
Why Chain-of-Custody is Critical in Paternity Testing
A DNA Paternity Test is crucial when there are doubts or the father's rights and duties are in question. Discussing paternity is an unsettling experience, especially when it's in dispute. We want to shed light on the legal course of action that should be followed when an individual seeks to settle such a conflict. Non-legal paternity tests can be done with at-home DNA kits and are done for personal knowledge and peace of mind, but cannot be used in court. This type of test utilizes many of the same processes and genetic markers as legal tests but may test for fewer genetic markers (alleles) and, therefore, less accurate or cheaper.
Suppose parental testing is needed for legal purposes such as immigration, custody, visitation, inheritance, or child support. In this case, the test must be made with a professional DNA lab testing company like Test Smartly Labs that has certified specimen collectors and partners with AABB accredited DNA laboratories.
The term chain-of-custody refers to the control of the DNA sample and how it relates to Court Admissible DNA Tests, starting with the provision of the samples. In legal cases, a third party that has no connection with any of the individuals involved is assigned to ensure the subjects' identity and collect their DNA samples. If all the procedures are followed accordingly, the laboratory can issue notarized results that can be used in court since the chain-of-custody should have been validated. Chain-of-custody is made to ensure that the test results are entirely reliable and impossible to manipulate.
Whatever your reason for testing, Test Smartly Labs makes things easy for you. Walk-ins are welcome, and insurance is not required. Our testing centers are staffed for exceptional customer service and fast turnaround times on lab results. Whatever your needs, we have a solution!
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Popular$309
This is the "Gold Standard" for Paternity testing and highly recommended over mail-in kits or other indirect specimen collections. Strict identity verification of all donors, documented collection procedures and strict lab practices are adhered to throughout the entire testing process. Due to the sensitive nature of these tests, we often collect the DNA specimens from participants at different times based on need. The key components of this Paternity test are Identity and Specimen Integrity, which is mandatory to be legally admissible in a court of law. This is the best option if you don't know how the results may ultimately be used. Specimen Type: Buccal Swab (Mouth)
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$259
This Paternity test is good for people simply wanting Paternity results who know that they won't be needing to use the Paternity findings in a court of law. This test is not as rigorous in its procedures as the "Legally Admissible" Paternity testing. A Buccal Swab specimen is collected from Alleged Father and Child. Specimen Type: Buccal Swab (Mouth)
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$1,589
Pre-Natal or Pre-Birth Paternity Testing is available though a blood test prior to the birth of a child. This can be beneficial when the Paternity of a child needs to be determined. Call for a consultation and details regarding this unique test. Please call our office for additional information on this type of test. Specimen Type: Blood
