How to Read Your Paternity Test Results
Published February 14, 2026 · Medically reviewed by the partner laboratory's medical director, AABB-accredited relationship-testing laboratory
A paternity test result is either an inclusion (99.99%+ probability of paternity, with a Combined Paternity Index in the millions or higher) or an exclusion (0% probability, showing multiple markers where the alleged father cannot be the biological source). The rest of the report — allele values per marker — is the underlying evidence.
The headline number
Look for "Probability of Paternity." If it's 99.99% or higher, the alleged father is included as the biological father. If it's 0%, he is definitively excluded. There is no middle ground — a properly conducted test does not produce ambiguous conclusions.
Ready to move forward? Order our $99 at-home test — AABB-accredited, results in 1–2 business days.
The marker table
For each of 34 markers, you'll see the child's two allele values, the mother's, and the alleged father's. For an inclusion, every marker in the child must match either the mother or the alleged father. For an exclusion, multiple markers won't match either.
The Combined Paternity Index (CPI)
CPI is a ratio: how much more likely the alleged father is to be the biological father than a random man of the same population. Values above 100 are strong evidence; values above 100,000 are typical for a real biological father.