The short answer
A court-admissible legal paternity test with Odosek Lab Solutions starts at $349. A private, peace-of-mind test starts at $299. Both include the mobile collector coming to you, the collection supplies, laboratory analysis at an AABB-accredited lab, and confidential delivery of results.
- Legal (court-admissible): from $349 — chain of custody, ID verification, admissible in family court.
- Non-legal (peace of mind): from $299 — same laboratory science, no chain of custody, not for court.
- Prenatal paternity: from $1,600 — the baby’s DNA is sequenced from a maternal blood draw, which is a far more complex laboratory process.
- Sibling, grandparent, aunt/uncle: from $399 — these compare more distant relationships.
- Drugstore at-home kits: roughly $300 all-in once the lab fee is added — and not admissible in court.
The single biggest cost driver is not the science. It is whether the result has to stand up in court.
Almost everyone researching this question is doing it under some pressure — a custody hearing, a child support case, or a private question that has been sitting unanswered for a while. The pricing information out there does not help much, because most of it is either a shop listing for a kit or a vague “contact us for a quote.”
This guide gives you real numbers, explains exactly what moves them, and tells you which questions to ask a provider before you pay. It also tells you when the cheaper option is genuinely fine and when it will waste your money entirely.
How much does a paternity test cost?
Here is the current Odosek pricing alongside the alternatives you are most likely to be comparing it against. Odosek prices are starting prices for mobile collection across South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland.
| Test | Price | Court-admissible? | What it answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-legal paternity | From $299 | No | Private confirmation for your own knowledge |
| Legal paternity | From $349 | Yes | Custody, child support, birth certificate, benefits |
| Prenatal paternity | From $1,600 | Yes | Paternity before birth, from a maternal blood draw |
| Siblingship | From $399 | Yes | Full or half siblings, when the father is unavailable |
| Grandparent | From $399 | Yes | Grandparent–grandchild link, court and Social Security |
| Aunt / uncle (avuncular) | From $399 | Yes | Relationship through the father’s sibling |
| Drugstore at-home kit | ~$300 all-in | No | Private confirmation; you collect the samples yourself |
The comparison people find most surprising is the last row. A pharmacy paternity kit looks like the budget option on the shelf, but the shelf price is only half of it. HomeDNA’s kit runs about $164, and registering it online triggers a separate laboratory fee of roughly $139 — about $303 in total, and the company states plainly that the result is not admissible in court.
So the honest framing is this: a court-admissible test collected by a professional who comes to you costs roughly $46 more than a drugstore kit you administer yourself. If there is any chance a court, an agency or an employer will ever need to see the result, that difference is not really a choice.
What drives the price of a paternity test?
Legal versus informational testing
This is the largest single factor, and the difference is not in the laboratory. A legal and a non-legal test are run on the same equipment, using the same genetic markers, to the same accuracy. What you pay extra for on a legal paternity DNA test is documentation.
A legal test requires a neutral third-party collector, government-issued photo ID verified and recorded for every adult participant, photographs, and an unbroken chain-of-custody form that follows the sample to the laboratory. Every one of those steps costs staff time, and every one of them is a step an opposing attorney can probe. Take them away and you have a non-legal DNA test — identical science, roughly $50 cheaper, and worth nothing to a judge.
Buying the cheaper informational test first, getting an answer, and then discovering the court will not accept it. You then pay for the legal test as well. If a case is filed, if one is likely, or if anyone else will need to rely on the result, start with the legal test. It is the cheaper path the moment a second test becomes necessary.
Mobile collection versus a lab visit
With Odosek, mobile collection is included in the price rather than added to it — the collector travels to your home, office, attorney’s office or another private location you choose. Providers that operate fixed sites often quote a lower headline figure and then charge separately for a collection appointment, or simply require you to travel.
That is why comparing headline prices between a mobile provider and a walk-in lab is misleading. The real comparison has to include what the trip costs you, which is covered further down.
How fast you need the results
Standard turnaround is typically two to five business days from the time the laboratory receives the samples. Expedited processing shortens that, and providers charge for it because it means moving your sample ahead of the queue and running a dedicated batch.
Rush processing is worth paying for when a filing deadline or a hearing date is genuinely close. It is worth nothing if you are waiting on a court date three months out. Ask what the standard turnaround actually is before you buy speed you do not need.
How many people are being tested
A standard paternity test compares one alleged father and one child. The mother’s sample is optional and, at most laboratories, included at no extra charge — including hers usually strengthens the statistical result, so include it if she is willing.
Additional children, a second alleged father, or a more complex family comparison each add a participant fee. This is the most common source of a quote coming in higher than expected, so state upfront exactly how many people will be tested.
Where the sample is processed
Accreditation is a real cost. An AABB-accredited laboratory is subject to ongoing inspection, proficiency testing and documentation standards, and that overhead is priced in. Odosek sends every specimen to an AABB-accredited laboratory — the accreditation belongs to the processing lab, which is exactly how it should be read on any provider’s website.
Which test do you actually need?
Most people overpay by buying the wrong category rather than by choosing an expensive provider. This is the whole decision:
What is included in the price?
A quoted price should cover the whole job. With Odosek, the starting price includes all of the following — and this is the list to hold any provider’s quote against:
- The collector travelling to you. Home, workplace, an attorney’s office, or another private location — there is no separate trip charge and no facility to drive to.
- All collection supplies. Sterile buccal swabs, tamper-evident packaging, and the chain-of-custody paperwork on legal tests.
- Identity verification and documentation on legal tests — photo ID checked and recorded, photographs, signatures.
- Laboratory analysis at an AABB-accredited lab, including the standard re-run laboratories perform to confirm a result before it is reported.
- Your report, delivered confidentially and only to the recipients you name when you book.
- Support before and after — someone to answer what the probability figure means and what to do with the document.
Hidden fees to ask about before you pay
These are the charges that most often appear after the fact. None of them are unreasonable in themselves — the problem is only when they are not disclosed upfront. Ask about every one of them:
| Charge | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Extra participants | “What does it cost to add another child, or a second alleged father?” |
| Travel or trip fee | “Is mobile collection included at my address, or is there a mileage charge?” |
| Rush processing | “What is the standard turnaround, and what exactly does expediting change?” |
| Certified copies | “Are notarised or additional certified copies of the report included?” |
| Recollection | “If a sample fails at the lab, who pays for the second collection?” |
| Cancellation | “What happens if a participant does not show up?” |
| Witness or testimony | “If the result is challenged, is expert testimony available and at what cost?” |
A provider that answers all seven clearly is usually a provider worth using. One that will not put the total in writing before collection is the one to walk away from.
Does insurance cover a paternity test?
Almost never. Health insurance covers medically necessary care, and paternity testing is classified as elective — it is establishing a legal or personal fact, not diagnosing or treating a condition. That applies to private plans and to Medicaid in most circumstances.
There are two meaningful exceptions worth knowing about:
- Court-ordered testing in a child support case. When a state child support agency orders testing, the agency frequently arranges and advances the cost, then assigns responsibility — often to the alleged father if paternity is confirmed. This is handled through the case, not through insurance. See DNA testing for child support cases.
- Prenatal testing with a medical component. The paternity analysis itself is not covered, but associated obstetric care may be billed normally. Do not assume the test is included.
Because coverage is not realistic, what actually matters is transparent pricing and knowing the full figure before you commit. If cost is the obstacle, say so when you call — scheduling around a pay date or splitting a collection across two appointments is a normal conversation, not an awkward one.
The real cost of a lab visit versus mobile collection
Comparing a mobile provider’s price against a walk-in lab’s price is not a like-for-like comparison, because a lab visit has costs that never appear on its invoice. For a legal test, every adult participant has to attend, which means the trip happens more than once unless everyone travels together.
There is a second saving that is harder to put a number on. Testing at home means a child is swabbed on a familiar sofa with a parent beside them rather than in a clinical waiting room. Collectors will tell you the same thing: a calm child produces a clean sample the first time, and a distressed one sometimes does not.
Mobile collection also solves scheduling problems that otherwise stall a case entirely — participants who work opposite shifts, live in different towns, or simply will not sit in the same waiting room. Evening and weekend appointments are available across the service area.
Other relationship tests and what they cost
When the alleged father is unavailable, deceased, or unwilling to test, paternity can often still be established by comparing DNA with his relatives. These comparisons are statistically harder than a direct father-child test, which is why they cost more. Prenatal testing is priced differently again — it requires isolating and sequencing the baby’s DNA from the mother’s bloodstream, a far more involved laboratory process than a cheek swab, which is why it starts at $1,600.
| Test | Price | When it is the right choice |
|---|---|---|
| Prenatal paternity | From $1,600 | Answers needed before birth — a non-invasive maternal blood draw from about 7 weeks |
| Siblingship | From $399 | Establishing whether two people share one or both parents |
| Grandparent | From $399 | The father is unavailable but his parents will test; also used for Social Security claims |
| Aunt or uncle | From $399 | Testing through the father’s brother or sister |
| Twin zygosity | From $399 | Confirming whether twins are identical or fraternal |
| Gender reveal | From $299 | Early fetal sex determination — personal use only |
One planning note for probate and inheritance matters: if the person whose relationship is in question has died, the options narrow quickly and some require coordination with a funeral home or medical examiner within a short window. Call before arrangements are finalised, not after.
Comparing providers without simply chasing the lowest price
Paternity testing is one of those purchases where the cheapest option can be worth literally zero — not poor value, but zero, if the result cannot be used for the purpose you bought it for. A short checklist protects you:
- Which laboratory processes the sample, and is it AABB-accredited? A provider should name it without hesitation. AABB accreditation is the recognised standard for relationship testing, and courts know it.
- Who collects the sample? For a legal test it must be a neutral third party. A collection performed by a family member is not admissible no matter which lab runs it.
- How many genetic markers are tested? Modern relationship testing examines a large panel; more markers means a more conclusive statistic, particularly when close relatives are involved.
- What does the report actually say? A legal report should state a probability of paternity and carry the chain-of-custody documentation. Ask to see a sample report.
- Is the total in writing before collection? Everything from the hidden-fee list above should be settled in advance.
Why AABB-accredited lab processing matters to the price
AABB accreditation is not a badge a laboratory buys. It requires documented procedures, regular proficiency testing against known samples, staff qualification records and periodic inspection. Laboratories carrying it are more expensive to run, and that is reflected in what testing costs.
What you get for it is a result that survives challenge. In a contested custody or child support matter, the other side’s attorney is entitled to question how the sample was collected, who handled it and how it was analysed. Accreditation plus a clean chain of custody is what makes those questions routine instead of fatal.
One point of precision, because providers blur it constantly: the accreditation belongs to the laboratory, not to the collection company. Odosek is a mobile collection provider whose specimens are processed at an AABB-accredited laboratory; Odosek’s own credentials are HIPAA compliance and a BBB A+ rating. If a provider describes their collection service itself as accredited, ask which lab they send to.
Paternity test costs near you: South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland
Odosek is a mobile provider, so pricing does not change depending on which town you are in — there is no facility to travel to and no location surcharge within the service area. A legal test is $349 in Columbia, in Lawrenceville and in Baltimore alike.
Book a collection or ask for a written quote
Call the number for your state. Live representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and same-day appointments are available across most of the service area.
Columbia and the Midlands, Lexington, Sumter, Orangeburg, Aiken, Newberry, Florence, Camden, Irmo, Chapin, Cayce and West Columbia. SC locations
Metro Atlanta and the northeast corridor: Lawrenceville, Duluth, Loganville, Snellville, Norcross, Buford, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Decatur, Conyers and Monroe. GA locations
Baltimore metro and the I-95 corridor: Towson, Columbia, Ellicott City, Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Bel Air, Silver Spring, Rockville, Bowie and Catonsville. MD locations
If your town is not listed, it is still worth calling — mobile coverage extends well beyond the named cities. The full list is on the service areas page. For a court-ordered test in the Columbia area specifically, see court-ordered DNA testing in Columbia, SC.
Get the total before you commit
Tell us who needs testing and what the result is for, and you will get the full figure in writing — including any additional participants — before anyone is collected.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a basic DNA paternity test cost?
With Odosek Lab Solutions, a private non-legal paternity test starts at $299 and a court-admissible legal paternity test starts at $349. Both prices include a collector travelling to your location, all collection supplies, analysis at an AABB-accredited laboratory, and confidential delivery of the report. Across the wider market, expect roughly $130 to $200 for a self-collected at-home kit before its separate laboratory fee, and $300 to $500 for professionally collected legal testing.
Are mobile DNA testing services more expensive than a lab visit?
Not once you count the whole cost. Odosek includes mobile collection in the price rather than charging a separate trip fee, so the headline figure is the figure. A walk-in lab may quote less but requires every adult participant to attend in person, which adds time off work, fuel, parking and sometimes childcare. For a two-participant legal test, a half-day of unpaid leave for two adults frequently exceeds the entire price difference between providers.
Does insurance cover DNA paternity testing?
Almost never. Health insurance covers medically necessary care, and paternity testing is treated as elective because it establishes a legal or personal fact rather than diagnosing or treating a condition. The main exception is court-ordered testing in a child support case, where the state agency often arranges and advances the cost through the case and then assigns responsibility — typically to the alleged father if paternity is confirmed. That is handled through the agency, not through insurance.
What is the price difference between legal and informational paternity tests?
About $50 with Odosek — $299 for non-legal versus $349 for legal. The laboratory work is identical and both are equally accurate. The difference pays for a neutral third-party collector, government-issued photo ID verified and recorded for each adult, photographs, and an unbroken chain-of-custody document. Only the legal version is admissible in court. If there is any realistic chance a court or agency will need the result, buy the legal test first — paying for an informational test and then repeating it legally costs far more than the $50.
Are there hidden fees when ordering a DNA test?
There can be, depending on the provider. The most common are per-participant charges for additional children or a second alleged father, travel or mileage fees for mobile collection, rush processing, extra certified or notarised copies of the report, and recollection charges if a sample fails at the laboratory. Ask for the complete total in writing before collection, and specifically ask who pays if a sample has to be recollected. A provider unwilling to put the figure in writing beforehand is the one to avoid.
How much extra does expedited DNA testing cost?
Expedited processing carries an additional fee that varies by test type, because it means moving your sample ahead of the standard queue and running it in a dedicated batch. Standard turnaround is typically two to five business days from the laboratory receiving the samples, which already meets most court deadlines. Rush processing is worth paying for when a filing deadline or hearing date is genuinely imminent; it is worth nothing if your court date is months away. Ask what the standard turnaround is before buying speed you may not need.
Why do AABB-accredited DNA tests cost more?
Because accreditation carries real operating cost. An AABB-accredited laboratory must maintain documented procedures, pass regular proficiency testing against known samples, keep staff qualification records and submit to periodic inspection. That overhead is priced into every test. What it buys is a result that withstands legal challenge — in a contested case the opposing attorney can question how the sample was collected, who handled it and how it was analysed, and accreditation plus a clean chain of custody makes those questions routine rather than fatal. Note that accreditation belongs to the processing laboratory, not to the collection company.
Can I get a payment plan for DNA paternity testing?
Payment arrangements vary by provider and are worth asking about directly rather than assuming. If cost is the obstacle, say so when you call — scheduling a collection around a pay date, or arranging participants across two appointments, is a normal request. What matters most is knowing the full amount upfront, including any additional participants, so there is no surprise after the samples have already been taken.
The bottom line
A legal paternity test starts at $349 and a private one at $299, and the gap between them buys admissibility rather than accuracy. The most expensive mistake in this entire process is not choosing a pricier provider — it is buying the informational test to save $50 and then discovering the court will not look at it.
Ask what the total is, ask which laboratory processes the sample, and ask who pays if a sample has to be recollected. Any provider worth using will answer all three without hesitating.
Related reading: legal versus non-legal DNA testing explained, how accurate DNA tests really are, can a paternity test be wrong, and what a drugstore paternity test actually gets you.
Notes on the figures
- Odosek prices are the current published starting prices for mobile collection in South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland, and are quoted as “from” figures because additional participants and expedited processing carry extra cost. Confirm your total when booking.
- The drugstore comparison uses HomeDNA’s published kit price of about $164 plus the separate laboratory fee of about $139 charged at online registration, verified August 2026. HomeDNA states its at-home kit is not court-admissible.
- Accreditation standards for relationship testing: AABB accreditation.
This article is general information about testing costs and procedures, not legal advice. If your test relates to a court matter, confirm the specific requirements with your attorney or the court before booking, as some orders name a facility or require particular procedures.
