How much is a paternity test?

Three things set the price: whether you need a result for court, whether the baby has been born, and how many people take part. The figures below are the starting prices each company listed on its website on November 14, 2026, mostly for one child and one possible father. Cleveland Clinic notes that health insurance doesn't cover a paternity test.

Paternity test prices at US labs

ARCpoint's prices cover the mother, the child and the possible father. DNA Diagnostics Center doesn't post prices online; it asks you to call.

How much is a legal paternity test?

Legal tests start at $185 to $340 at most of the labs above, and at $525 at Labcorp. Some prices include the collection and some don't. Genetrack adds $75 for each person collected in the US, so its test for a child and one possible father comes to $440. Health-Link DNA says a typical collection site charges $25 a person.

The extra cost pays for the collection, not for different lab work: DNA Diagnostics Center says its lab process is identical for home and legal tests. In a legal test, a neutral collector checks each person's photo ID, takes the swabs and seals them, and a chain-of-custody record follows the samples to an AABB-accredited lab. AABB says many state laws require its accreditation for results used in court. A home result can't be used in court, so if a court, a child support agency or a birth certificate is involved, price the legal test.

What adds to the price

• More people. Genetrack's legal test is $290 for a child and one possible father, and $400 for three people, such as the mother, the child and the possible father.
• Collection fees. $25 to $75 a person, where a lab charges them separately.
• Faster results. DNA Diagnostics Center charges extra for next-day results, and PaternityUSA sells a one-day rush.
• Express shipping. Choice DNA charges $30 to send its home kit by one-business-day express.
• A blood draw during pregnancy. AlphaBiolabs adds $99 if it arranges the mother's blood draw.

How much is a prenatal paternity test?

A test during pregnancy costs $675 to $1,700 at the labs above. It needs a blood draw from the mother and a cheek swab from the possible father. See prenatal paternity test cost for prices by lab, payment plans and what the blood draw adds.

How much is a paternity test at Walgreens?

Walgreens lists two paternity kits on its website, at $29.99 and $119.99. It says most kits also carry a lab fee that you pay directly to the lab, and that in most cases the lab won't process a kit until that fee is paid. HomeDNA, a kit sold at CVS and other stores, lists its kit at $24.99 on its own website, plus a lab fee of $119 to $139. Cleveland Clinic puts store kits at $15 to $200, plus a lab fee that is typically over $100.

A store kit gives an answer for your own use. Swabbed at home, it can't be used in court.

How much does a DNA test cost for other relatives?

If the possible father can't take part, a test with his parents, his brother or sister, or another of his children can answer the question. PaternityUSA lists home sibling, grandparent and aunt or uncle tests from $125, and legal versions from $245. Choice DNA lists a sibling test from $320. See paternity tests without the father.

For a visa, passport or citizenship case, the petitioner arranges the test directly with an AABB-accredited lab, and AABB says each lab sets its own fees. See immigration DNA tests. Ancestry kits sold for family history are a different product from a paternity test.

If a court, a child support agency or a birth certificate needs the answer, the next step is a legal paternity test, with a witnessed collection near each person taking part.

Questions

Does insurance cover a paternity test?

Usually not. Cleveland Clinic says health insurance doesn't cover the cost of a DNA paternity test.

Is a cheaper paternity test less accurate?

Not because of the price. Accuracy depends on the lab and on clean samples. AABB keeps a public list of the labs it accredits, and a lab that isn't on it isn't currently accredited.

Does it cost more to include the mother?

At some labs. Genetrack's legal test goes from $290 to $400 with a third person. Her sample isn't required, but DNA Diagnostics Center recommends it.

Can I pay in installments?

At some labs. GameDay DNA takes Afterpay and Klarna for all its DNA tests, and Choice DNA and DNA Diagnostics Center offer payment plans for prenatal tests.

Sources

• AlphaBiolabs USA: Paternity DNA test (alphabiolabsusa.com)
• AlphaBiolabs USA: Legal DNA test (alphabiolabsusa.com)
• AlphaBiolabs USA: Prenatal paternity DNA test (alphabiolabsusa.com)
• PaternityUSA: DNA tests and prices (paternityusa.com)
• PaternityUSA: Legal paternity test (paternityusa.com)
• Genetrack Biolabs: Home paternity test (genetrackus.com)
• Genetrack Biolabs: Legal paternity test (genetrackus.com)
• GameDay DNA: DNA test prices and costs (gamedaydna.com)
• Choice DNA: DNA tests (choicedna.com)
• Choice DNA: Home DNA test kit (choicedna.com)
• Choice DNA: Noninvasive prenatal paternity test (choicedna.com)
• Labcorp DNA: Paternity testing (dna.labcorp.com)
• TrueTest Labs: DNA testing in the Chicago area (truetestlabs.com)
• ARCpoint Labs, Rocklin: Paternity test (my.arcpointlabs.com)
• DNA Diagnostics Center: Paternity testing (dnacenter.com)
• DNA Diagnostics Center: Non-invasive prenatal paternity testing (dnacenter.com)
• DNA Diagnostics Center: Legal paternity test vs. at-home paternity test (dnacenter.com)
• DNA Diagnostics Center: Can I do a DNA paternity test with the father and child only? (dnacenter.com)
• Health-Link DNA: Frequently asked questions (healthlinkdna.com)
• AABB: DNA relationship testing FAQs
• AABB: Accredited relationship testing facilities
• Cleveland Clinic: DNA paternity test
• Walgreens: Paternity DNA tests (walgreens.com)
• HomeDNA: Get the paternity test kit (dnatesting.com)