# New Hampshire — Filial responsibility laws by state — what each statute actually says about an adult child's liability for a parent's care For New Hampshire, statute is 167:2; who owes the duty is a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance; condition on the parent is Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health; ability-to-pay qualifier is whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health; civil or criminal is civil, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31. - **State:** New Hampshire _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Statute:** 167:2 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_ - **Who owes the duty:** a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Condition on the parent:** Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Ability-to-pay qualifier:** whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Civil or criminal:** civil _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Who may bring the action:** Such action shall be brought by the attorney general or the county attorney for the county in which any such relative resides when so requested by the commissioner of health and human services. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Defences in the statute:** A parent shall be liable under this section only for assistance provided to a child under the age of 18, or for as long as the department of health and human services has the authority to recover support under Title IV of the Social Security Act. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Limited to public assistance cases:** public assistance only _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ ## What the source says > 167:2 Liability for Support; Recovery. – Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health, may be recovered in an appropriate proceeding in the superior court brought by the commissioner of health and human services, in the name of the state, from either a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance. ## Where each value comes from This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it. ### Who owes the duty > 167:2 Liability for Support; Recovery. – Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health, may be recovered in an appropriate proceeding in the superior court brought by the commissioner of health and human services, in the name of the state, from either a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance. ### Condition on the parent > 167:2 Liability for Support; Recovery. – Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health, may be recovered in an appropriate proceeding in the superior court brought by the commissioner of health and human services, in the name of the state, from either a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance. ### Ability-to-pay qualifier > 167:2 Liability for Support; Recovery. – Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health, may be recovered in an appropriate proceeding in the superior court brought by the commissioner of health and human services, in the name of the state, from either a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance. ### Civil or criminal > 167:2 Liability for Support; Recovery. – Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health, may be recovered in an appropriate proceeding in the superior court brought by the commissioner of health and human services, in the name of the state, from either a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance. ### Who may bring the action > Such action shall be brought by the attorney general or the county attorney for the county in which any such relative resides when so requested by the commissioner of health and human services. ### Defences in the statute > A parent shall be liable under this section only for assistance provided to a child under the age of 18, or for as long as the department of health and human services has the authority to recover support under Title IV of the Social Security Act. ### Limited to public assistance cases > 167:2 Liability for Support; Recovery. – Assistance rendered under this chapter or RSA 161 to anyone having a father, mother, husband or wife, whose weekly income or other resources are more than sufficient to provide a reasonable subsistence compatible with decency and health, may be recovered in an appropriate proceeding in the superior court brought by the commissioner of health and human services, in the name of the state, from either a father, mother, husband, or wife, who are declared jointly and severally liable for such assistance. ## Source - https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XII/167/167-2.htm Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-08-31. Part of [Filial responsibility laws by state — what each statute actually says about an adult child's liability for a parent's care](https://referencesource.org/filial-responsibility-laws-by-state/).