Does he claim that income on his taxes? If so you can summons for the court to review his taxes. If it is cash under the table, it's going to be a battle.

I don't think you are wrong for wanting your child to be supported financially by the father. Especially if he is not wanting to be a huge presence in this kids life. Sounds already like you will be taking the majority of the responsibility. There is nothing wrong with making him help you financially. He helped make the kid... after all.

And BTW, congratulations on becoming a mommy. No matter the circumstances, a child is a blessing.

As a BM and a SM I'll give you my opinion. I have never received CS from either of my ExHs. Not a dime. I tried to collect CS from ExH#1 - as soon as he got the paperwork at his job, he quit working and dropped off the radar. ExH#2 - works off the books. So getting anything from him will also be impossible so I don't bother.
My kids have ME. I chose to have them, therefore they are my responsibility. If you have a decent relationship with the father I'd try and settle this out of court. Tell him you know about the extra $$ and you prefer not to drag him thru court to get at it. Maybe come up with an amicable amount that you both feel is fair. If thru the courts you'll get $15.00 a week, maybe you can agree to $50.00 a week. He already sounds like he's pretty broke, there's not much more you can get out of him. $450.00 a week in earnings for a grown man is really pretty freaking broke. Good luck to you whatever you decide to do.

If he's working under the table, good luck. In the past 19 years, I have been unable to lock down anything on a biofather who works under the table.

You could hire someone to investigate how his lifestyle matches with his claimed income, but you're looking at a long and expensive battle...and nothing guarantees he'll ever pay anyway.

Does his prior support order include all of his income, or just the $150 a week?

1) Hold him to CS, even if it's only $15/week. The fact that he provides SOMEthing will matter to your child one day. It can make the difference between him looking at his dad as a deadbeat or a provider. While your ex may deserve to be viewed as a deadbeat, your child deserves to be able to feel good about his relationship with his parents. Not to mention, he deserves to feel like he's worthy of that support from his dad, & those things HAVE to carry more weight. CS isn't all about the help & benefit to the other parent. It also provides something, emotionally, for a child.

2) You don't owe your child a college education or a car. If it's do-able, fine. But don't put yourself out trying to make it happen. Don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't work out. Those are both things that kids are old enough to work & earn money for when they're old enough to have them.

3) The most rewarding & special things a parent can provide for their children are free. Life lessons, character-building, confidence, humility, quality time, etc. Of course it's fun to be able to provide everything a child wants, but in the big picture, those aren't the things that matter. I promise you, when all is said & done, your child will appreciate your patience & responsible parenting more than anything you can buy. It makes a world of a difference when a child grows up to be independent & be able to function & socialize with other people in a normal respectful/respectable way. It sounds corny, but take it from a SM whose stepkids, at 16 & 19 can't pull that off.

The fact that you're able & willing to look at your situation from both sides will help you make better choices for your child.

BTW, you have experience as a SM. Just because you aren't one anymore doesn't mean you don't still have sound advice to share with the rest of us. There's no reason you can't continue coming back.

Well lucky for you since you make very little money you'll be able to quality for all sorts of government programs. Not ideal, but thats what they're there for, to help when you need it.
You'll be ok, good luck with your baby.

I guess it doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but I'm curious... what about your DD? Are you getting any kind of support for her, is that dad in the picture at all? Or is your "income" strictly the $300.00 per month that you bring in?

Riddle,
This is totally OT but I hope you plan to breastfeed newBaby. Forget the natural benefits, it will sure ease the expense when you remove forumula from the mix. Its a lot of work if you have to pump and return to work early to support your family but it will be worth it.

Read up on it - you don't need a fancy pump (helps but you don't need it) figure it out, ziplock snack baggies work great for freezing it for future use without the expense of the special bottle baggies - you will save a fortune.

Good luck and congratulations on your new family member - what a wonderful gift.

I don't want to be insensitive. However I need to ask why a single woman with one previous child, who's barely surviving on $300 a week thinks bringing another child into the situation is ok. Are there plans in the near future for better job/career prospects? I'm a little resentful that the govt and therefore taxpayers are held to a higher standard than the parents. I know this may be an unpopular opinion but having kids you can't afford is unfair to everyone. Two kids by two different dads. One child in a broken home is one thing. Two is another thing all together. You say your ex was bad w/ money. I think you may be as well.