How to Interpret Your Paternity Test Results

A formal paternity test report contains detailed information about the specific locations on the DNA that were analyzed to produce the paternity result. The main section you’ll want to focus on is the Probability of Paternity that is stated near the bottom of the report. The probability value will fall into one of two categories:

Inclusion: A probability value of at least 99.99% for a trio case (if the mother, child and alleged father were all tested) means that the tested man is the biological father.

Exclusion: A probability value of 0% means that the tested man is not the biological father.

Because a paternity test is calculated against a population database, the probability of paternity never reaches 100%. A 100% probability is only possible if every man in the world is tested. A probability value of 99.99% or higher eliminates most other men from being the biological father, virtually proving the paternity relationship between the child and the tested man.

Probability values below 99.99% for a standard paternity test (trio) are considered inconclusive—paternity tests that show this result require extended testing in order to have a definitive inclusion or exclusion result. When our laboratory encounters such cases, we perform extended testing of up to 24 locations on the DNA without any additional charge, so that you only receive results that are accurate and conclusive.