Does paying child support prevent abandonment claims in Alaska?

Paying child support does not on its own settle an abandonment question in Alaska. The Superior Court decides abandonment based on the facts of your case, so you shouldn't assume that payments, or a lack of them, will decide it.

The Alaska abandonment period. Alaska uses a 6-month period for abandonment, found at Alaska Stat. § 25.23.050(a)(1)-(2). That is the provision to read when the other parent's consent is in question. How the court weighs child support payments against contact, communication or other factors within that period is not something we can give you as a rule. The Superior Court clerk in your borough, or an attorney, can tell you how that works for your situation.

What usually matters in your situation. These details are worth gathering and writing down clearly:

• When the other parent last had contact with your child, as best you can date it
• Whether any child support has been paid, and what the payment records show
• Whether the other parent has been in touch with your child in any form, and when
• Whether the other parent has been told about the adoption and what they have said

If the other parent disagrees. If the other parent has not agreed to the adoption, or you don't know where they are, your case depends heavily on specific facts. That is the time to speak with the Superior Court clerk about procedure and with an attorney about strategy. A document preparation service can organize your paperwork, but it cannot decide a contested question for you.

If the other parent agrees. The abandonment question may not come up at all when the other parent is willing to sign a consent. In that case, the process is mostly paperwork and a hearing.

Other parts of the process.

• Alaska has no minimum residency period before you file.
• Your child's own consent is required starting at age 10 (Alaska Stat. § 25.23.040).
• A home study is waived for stepparent adoptions in Alaska (Alaska Stat. § 25.23.100).
• Stepparent adoptions in Alaska typically take 3-6 months.
• Filing fees and local procedures vary, so ask the Superior Court clerk in your borough, such as in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka or Ketchikan, to confirm the current fee and any local requirements.

How we help. StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your borough, ready within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. You then file it yourself without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child, and our 100% court acceptance guarantee applies. We have helped 126 Alaska families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.