Frequently Asked DNA Test Questions

1. Purchase the kit at participating retailers. 2. Register your paternity test kit online by using our test setup OR fill out the included order form and send it in with your sample envelopes. 3. Fill out the DNA sample envelope information for each participant. Write each participant’s name, date of birth, race description, and (if applicable) their relationship to the other participants on the sample envelope.

How do you collect DNA Samples?

Collect DNA samples by rubbing swabs on the inside of the cheek to gather cells. Cheek swabs are convenient and safe for participants of any age, including infants. Each participant should use three swabs and place them in the corresponding sample envelope provided.

What do I do with the DNA samples once I’ve collected them?

Once each participant’s DNA is collected, send your samples and order form (if you did not use online test setup) to HomeDNA using the prepaid envelope included, your own envelope or an express courier like FedEx for fastest service. Read more about collecting DNA samples here.

If you are testing for legal purposes, such as child support, child custody, immigration, or estate planning, you definitely need a court-admissible test. Courts will not accept test-results where DNA was collected at home because the identity of the participants cannot be verified. If you think you may ever need results for legal reasons (even if you may not right now), then it may be a better choice than at-home testing. Give us a call at 800-344-9583 to arrange for legal testing with court-admissible results.

Whether for legal or personal purposes, the DNA test results and testing are the same. When testing for legal purposes, a third-party must witness the DNA collection process and verify the identity of each person being tested. Purchasers of the DNA test kit sold at drug stores qualify for a discounted test price for legal purpose testing.

Learn more about legal paternity testing, or contact us for more help and information.

Please note that New York State requires all paternity testing to be authorized by a doctor or lawyer and collected by a disinterested third party. Thus, all New York State paternity cases meet the requirements for court-admissible testing. Learn more about paternity testing for New York state residents.

There are no age restrictions for DNA test participants. When collection is performed by an adult as directed, the cheek swabs are even safe for infants.

HomeDNA created a special paternity test kit for New York state. New York  has a different paternity-testing process than other states that requires a doctor or a lawyer to first authorize the DNA test. DNA collection and submission must then be supervised by an approved witness.  Call us at 800-344-9583, Monday through Friday from 8:30a – 5:30a ET, with any questions or to assist in finding a doctor in your area.

You can also visit our paternity testing for New York state residents page.

Paternity test results usually take two (2) business days from the time that all samples arrive at the laboratory, as long as no recollection is needed.  Other tests, like grandparent, sibling, or aunt/uncle tests, may take 5 – 7 business days.

You will be notified via email once samples arrive at the lab and go into testing. You will receive another notification once results are ready to view. Once the report has been posted, you can log in to view your results using the email address associated with the case or the case reference number and the password you selected for your case.

IMPORTANT: You cannot log in to your account until you are notified that your results are posted.

If you need assistance, feel free to call us at 800-344-9583, M-F from 8:30a to 5:30p ET.

HomeDNA  strongly recommends including the biological mother in a paternity test because her participation can strengthen the paternity test result. Occasionally, the mother is needed to get a conclusive result and we may contact you to request the mother’s DNA sample. For detailed information, see Why Test The Mother?

Very often, paternity can still be determined by testing relatives of the possible father, such as the possible father’s parents. Testing can also be done for a brother or sister of the child or a brother or sister of the possible father. For more information on this topic visit Paternity Testing without the Father. For guidance regarding this type of testing, please call HomeDNA at 800-344-9583, Monday-Friday, 8:30a-5:30 ET.

In cases where two or more possible fathers are biologically related to each other, definitive results are still possible. For the most conclusive results, test both possible fathers. The biological mother should be included as well. Learn about why testing the mother helps. If both fathers cannot be tested, be sure you let our lab know that there is a second, related possible father who is not being tested. The lab can often perform additional analysis for conclusive results.

Yes. We can do paternity testing with just one possible father and the child. If he is not the father, you would then encourage the other possible father/s to participate in a paternity test. If the two possible fathers share a close biological relationship (father/son, brothers, uncle/nephew) and only one is testing, then the mother should also contribute her DNA and you must notify the lab ahead of time of the relationship between the two possible fathers so that additional markers can be tested.

No. Cheek cells collected with the HomeDNA Paternity Test kit yield results with the same accuracy as blood samples. The DNA is the same, whether it is extracted from cheek cells or blood.

For home paternity tests, contact us by phone at 888-404-4363 and prepay for your test.  We can send collection materials to each participant in each state – please keep your kit for yourself or local participant who will be tested. Each participant can send their samples to us separately. We’ll make sure that all the samples are linked to the same case as we receive them.

Please note if a paternity test is for legal purposes, such as child support or immigration, then a witnessed collection is required. You will need to call us and we’ll arrange for the test and required collection appointments.

For other questions regarding this please contact us at 800-344-9583, Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

1. Purchase the kit at participating retailers. 2. Register your paternity test kit online by using our test setup OR fill out the included order form and send it in with your sample envelopes. 3. Fill out the DNA sample envelope information for each participant. Write each participant’s name, date of birth, race description, and (if applicable) their relationship to the other participants on the sample envelope.

How do you collect DNA Samples?

Collect DNA samples by rubbing swabs on the inside of the cheek to gather cells. Cheek swabs are convenient and safe for participants of any age, including infants. Each participant should use three swabs and place them in the corresponding sample envelope provided.

What do I do with the DNA samples once I’ve collected them?

Once each participant’s DNA is collected, send your samples and order form (if you did not use online test setup) to HomeDNA using the prepaid envelope included, your own envelope or an express courier like FedEx for fastest service. Read more about collecting DNA samples here.

Very often, paternity can still be determined by testing relatives of the possible father, such as the possible father’s parents. Testing can also be done for a brother or sister of the child or a brother or sister of the possible father. For more information on this topic visit Paternity Testing without the Father. For guidance regarding this type of testing, please call HomeDNA at 800-344-9583, Monday-Friday, 8:30a-5:30 ET.

Sometimes some saliva can also get on the swabs along with cheek cells. If a swab seems excessively wet, hold it in the air and wave it for about 60 seconds before placing in the paper sample envelope. If a sample envelope gets wet, let it air-dry on a clean countertop at room temperature before placing it in the mailer. Learn more

All samples must be mailed to our laboratory for testing. You may use one of three options for mailing your DNA samples:

1. Send samples in the pre-addressed and pre-paid mailing envelope. (7-10 business days mail time)

2. Send samples in your own envelope, using regular mail. (3-5 business days mail time)

Please send to:

HOMEDNA PATERNITY 1 DDC Way Fairfield, OH 45014

3. Send samples using an express courier service, such as FedEx or UPS. Please send to:

HOMEDNA PATERNITY 1 DDC Way Fairfield, OH 45014

Yes. If you don’t want to use the prepaid envelope included in the kit, you may choose to send DNA samples to our laboratory by courier, such as FedEx or UPS. Shipments should be sent to:

HomeDNA Paternity 1 DDC Way Fairfield, OH 45014

If someone tampers with a swab, it is likely to be discovered in the lab as a contaminated sample. Our lab uses many controls to prevent tampering from affecting your results. We check each sample for gender and multiple profiles. A new collection is required when a contaminated sample is discovered. That being said, for an at-home test, it is the customer’s responsibility to ensure the right people’s DNA is being submitted for testing.

To address concerns about the identity of each person in the test, we recommend a legal paternity test. A legal paternity test requires an approved third party to witness the DNA collection process and verify the identity of each person being tested. Additionally, the collector seals and sends samples directly to our lab to maintain chain-of-custody. To order a legal paternity test, please call 800-344-9583 Monday-Friday, 8:30a – 5:30p Eastern Time.

Yes. Three swabs for each person usually provides enough DNA to complete the analysis, and reduces the need for additional samples. Be sure to follow all kit instructions carefully.

No. The swabs provided in the DNA paternity test kit are made out of synthetic materials designed specifically to collect cheek cells and to withstand the rigors of lab robots and other equipment. Any other type of sample are considered a “special sample” and may incur additional fees.

For more information regarding special samples, please contact us by phone at 800-344-9583, Monday- Friday, 8:30a – 5:30p Eastern Time.

Paternity testing usually takes two (2) business days from the time that all samples arrive at the laboratory, as long as no recollection is needed. You can also select 1-day and same-day results for an additional fee. Other tests, like grandparent, sibling, or aunt/uncle tests, may take up to 5 – 7 business days or two (2) weeks.

 

For home paternity tests, contact us by phone at 888-404-4363 and prepay for your test.  We can send collection materials to each participant in each state – please keep your kit for yourself or local participant who will be tested. Each participant can send their samples to us separately. We’ll make sure that all the samples are linked to the same case as we receive them.

Please note if a paternity test is for legal purposes, such as child support or immigration, then a witnessed collection is required. You will need to call us and we’ll arrange for the test and required collection appointments.

For other questions regarding this please contact us at 800-344-9583, Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

If you are trying to access your results and forgot your password for the case, you will need to reset it. Just follow instructions online. If you still need help, call us at 800-344-9583, Monday through Friday from 8:30a to 5:30p Eastern Time.

Following paternity testing guidelines, paternity results show whether the possible father IS EXCLUDED or IS NOT EXCLUDED as the biological father. For example: If the paternity test result reads IS EXCLUDED as the biological father, the Combined Parentage Index (CPI) is 0 and means that he cannot be the father because the analysis shows that they do not share a paternal relationship. Or, if it reads IS NOT EXCLUDED as the biological father, the Combined Parentage Index (CPI) is 100 (or higher) and means that he is considered to be the father because the analysis shows that they share a paternal relationship. Get more information here  

Paternity test results usually take two (2) business days from the time that all samples arrive at the laboratory, as long as no recollection is needed.  Other tests, like grandparent, sibling, or aunt/uncle tests, may take 5 – 7 business days.

You will be notified via email once samples arrive at the lab and go into testing. You will receive another notification once results are ready to view. Once the report has been posted, you can log in to view your results using the email address associated with the case or the case reference number and the password you selected for your case.

IMPORTANT: You cannot log in to your account until you are notified that your results are posted.

If you need assistance, feel free to call us at 800-344-9583, M-F from 8:30a to 5:30p ET.

If you entered your email address on the paperwork or online, you’ll receive a notification once your results have been posted.

You can use the Results Login to view, download, and print your paternity (and other test) results. Results are posted to your secure online account only and may not be read over the phone. You can request a mailed hard copy for only $10 by calling us at 800-344-9583 Monday- Friday, 8:30a- 5:30p ET.

If you do an at-home DNA paternity test, the results report will not include names of participants: only their role in the test and a set of numbers associated with each participant. This is because, for an at-home test, we cannot verify the identities of participants.

If you want your test results to include names, you must pay a little extra to get a legal (chain-of-custody) test. For a legal test, DNA collection and submission to the lab is supervised by an approved DNA collector who verifies the identities of all participants. For more information, please contact us directly at 800-344-9583 (M-F, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Eastern Time).

Learn More

If you are trying to access your results and forgot your password for the case, you will need to reset it. Just follow instructions online. If you still need help, call us at 800-344-9583, Monday through Friday from 8:30a to 5:30p Eastern Time.

Yes. A maternity test works like a paternity DNA test, but focuses on the possible mother instead of the possible father. Be sure to clearly mark on your order form that you are requesting maternity testing.

This test can be used privately for personal peace of mind testing, or you can arrange for court-admissible using a third-party collector that by calling 800-344-9583, Monday-Friday, 8:30a – 5:30p ET.

HomeDNA does offer a DNA test for ancestry, but on a different website. We recommend a large autosomal array ancestry test to achieve the highest level of accuracy and precision, such as HomeDNA Advanced or GPS Origins^TM.

Payment in full for all DNA paternity testing, upgrades, and additional participants is required before testing results are released.

We accept payment through either a credit/debit card, cashier’s check, or money order. You may also submit a personal check; if you are doing a legal paternity test, grandparentage test, or other type of test with a fee of $249 or more, you must  include your driver’s license number in the memo section of the check.

You can pay online during test setup, include payment with your paternity test order (sent in with your samples), or by contacting us at 1-800-344-9583 , Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:30 PM Eastern Time.

No. The DNA markers (loci) we use for paternity testing are not informative for assessing or determining a medical condition or physical attribute. The test results are used solely for paternity and relationship testing. Read more about the paternity testing process.

Yes. Your information is absolutely kept confidential. We require password authentication and other case-specific information before any details can be discussed or released.

Customers can request that results be sent to a third-party, such as an attorney or spouse, by contacting us at 800-344-9583 , Monday-Friday, 8:30a – 5:30 pm Eastern Time.