How Is Child Support Calculated in Texas?

Step one: net monthly resources

The calculation starts with the paying parent's resources, which is a broader idea than salary. It includes wages, self-employment income, commissions, overtime, tips, bonuses, interest and dividends, rental income, severance, retirement and pension benefits, unemployment and disability benefits, and other regularly received income.

From that, Texas subtracts a defined list of items to get net resources, including federal income tax for a single person claiming one child, Social Security taxes, union dues, and the cost of the child's health and dental insurance coverage.

Step two: apply the guideline percentage

For a parent supporting only the children in this case, the guidelines are:

| Children before the court | Percentage of net monthly resources | | --- | --- | | 1 | 20% | | 2 | 25% | | 3 | 30% | | 4 | 35% | | 5 | 40% | | 6 or more | not less than 40% |

If the paying parent also has a legal duty to support children in another household, the Family Code applies a reduced set of percentages instead.

Step three: the cap

The guideline percentages apply to net monthly resources only up to a statutory cap. The Office of the Attorney General reviews and adjusts that cap for inflation on a recurring schedule, so the current figure should always be checked against the OAG's published guidelines rather than an older article. Above the cap, additional support can be ordered based on the proven needs of the child.

When courts depart from the guidelines

Guideline support is presumed to be reasonable and in the child's best interest, but the presumption can be rebutted. Courts can order more or less after considering factors set out in the Family Code, including the child's age and needs, the ability of the parents to contribute, childcare expenses, periods of possession, special medical or educational needs, and other financial resources available.

Medical and dental support

Texas child support orders separately address health insurance and dental insurance for the child. That obligation is in addition to the base support amount, and the cost of coverage the paying parent provides is accounted for in the net-resources calculation.

Changing the amount later

Support can be modified. The two common paths are a material and substantial change in circumstances, or the passage of three years combined with a guideline amount that differs from the current order by defined thresholds. The Office of the Attorney General's Child Support Division also offers a review process.

When you may want an attorney

The guideline math is simple when someone earns a straightforward salary. It stops being simple when the paying parent is self-employed, paid in cash, has irregular commission income, is intentionally underemployed, has children in more than one household, or when the child has significant medical needs. Those cases are usually worth professional help.