A Father Posted a $13.49 Child Support Check and Said His Ex Took Him to Court — the Internet Is Divided Over What the Story Actually Means

A father who posts on Instagram as @a_train86n claimed in a video that a court reduced his child support obligation to $13.49. The video was later reposted on X by @DailyLoud, where it drew significant attention.

Viewers questioned whether the payment was fair and whether the video told the full story, as the man displayed what appears to be a child support check made payable for $13.49 through the Illinois State Disbursement Unit. The check shown in the video is dated July 1, 2026, and is payable to Shaniquia Nichols. The Daily Dot has chosen to publish the name as it appeared in the publicly posted video.

In the caption accompanying the post, the creator claimed he had voluntarily been paying the child's mother $300 per week before his financial difficulties. "Told her I need 2-3 months to get back on my feet and could only give her $150 a week," he wrote. He also alleged that he has custody of his daughter three days each week, takes her to and from school every day, and covers daycare expenses.

After the child's mother got a formal child support order, though, a court adjusted his payment to $13.49.

The comment on Instagram explained his custody arrangement. "Y'all must not have seen the part where he said he has the kid 3x a week, takes and picks the kid up from school and pays daycare expenses! And I'm pretty sure as an active dad he will continue to do so … HE SHOULDN'T have even been on child support to begin with!!!" they write.

On X, a user said about the mother of this man's child, "[She] tried to be petty and Karma came right back." Many commenters interpreted the alleged court decision as evidence that the father's voluntary contributions were more than what the court believed he owed.

A social media user added, "$161.88 A YEAR ik she sick 😭 y'all that's 3k for the full 18 years." Others, however, urged caution and wrote, "Not something to be proud of."

Another questioned the amount, saying, "$13 could barely feed that child for 2 days." One user joked, "That's a subscription fee." Another commenter wrote: "Never underestimate the value of working together for the child's sake."

The Daily Dot could not independently verify the father's claims. No court documents related to the case were publicly available to confirm the details described in the video.

Child support orders typically use state-specific guidelines that can take into account each parent's income, parenting time, childcare expenses, healthcare costs, and other financial obligations.