Child Support in Texas: The Guidelines, How the Amount Is Set, and How to Collect, Change or End It

Texas child support usually starts with two figures: the paying parent's monthly net resources and the number of children before the court. Under Texas Family Code section 154.125 (opens in a new tab), the guideline is 20% of net resources for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four and 40% for five, with at least the five-child amount for six or more. Effective September 1, 2025, those percentages apply to monthly net resources up to $11,700, as shown in the Texas Attorney General's 2025 revised tax charts (opens in a new tab). Resources above that cap follow section 154.126 (opens in a new tab), a court may depart from the guideline when the evidence supports it, and medical and dental support are set separately.

How a Texas court arrives at the guideline amount

Section 154.121 (opens in a new tab) describes the Texas guidelines as a guide for the court in setting an equitable amount of support. Section 154.122 (opens in a new tab) then creates a rebuttable presumption that the guideline amount is reasonable and in the best interest of the child. The guideline figure is the starting point, and a different number needs evidence behind it.

The obligor is the parent ordered to pay, and the obligee is the person who receives the payments. The percentage applies to the obligor's monthly net resources, a narrower figure than a gross paycheck.

To find net resources, the court calculates annual gross income when it can and then averages it by month under section 154.061 (opens in a new tab). The Texas Attorney General, acting as the state's Title IV-D agency, publishes tax charts each year that subtract Social Security taxes and federal income tax figured for a single person claiming one personal exemption and the standard deduction. For obligors with monthly net resources below $1,000, section 154.125(c) (opens in a new tab) supplies a separate low-income schedule.

An online estimate is only a starting point; the amount that binds the parents is the one in a signed order. If support is being set as part of a divorce, our guide to filing for divorce in Texas explains where the support order fits in that case, and our guide to how child support is calculated compares the Texas method with other states.

What counts as income, and what is deducted

Section 154.062 (opens in a new tab) counts a wide range of money as resources. It includes all wages, salary, commissions, overtime, tips and bonuses; interest, dividends and royalties; self-employment income; and net rental income, with depreciation left out. It also includes severance, retirement and pension income, capital gains, Social Security, unemployment and disability benefits, workers' compensation, gifts, prizes, and spousal maintenance or alimony actually received.

Resources exclude the return of principal or capital, accounts receivable, TANF and other federal public-assistance benefits, and foster-care payments.

From the resulting total, the statute deducts Social Security taxes, federal income tax figured under the statutory method, state income tax, union dues, and court-ordered health insurance, dental insurance or cash medical support for the obligor's child. Nondiscretionary retirement contributions are also deducted when the obligor does not pay Social Security taxes.

Section 154.069 (opens in a new tab) bars adding a spouse's net resources to either parent's resources. The court may require tax returns for the previous two years, a financial statement and current pay stubs under section 154.063 (opens in a new tab).

Self-employed, unemployed or underemployed parents

For self-employed parents, section 154.065 (opens in a new tab) defines self-employment income as positive or negative income from a proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, close corporation, agency or independent contracting, less the ordinary and necessary expenses needed to produce it. A court may set aside depreciation, tax credits or other business expenses claimed on a federal return when the evidence shows they are not appropriate for child support purposes.

When a parent earns less by choice, section 154.066 (opens in a new tab) allows the court to base support on earning potential rather than actual earnings, if the parent is intentionally unemployed or underemployed. Incarceration is treated differently: it may not be counted as intentional unemployment or underemployment when support is set or modified.

The $11,700 cap and income above it

The Texas Attorney General announced the increase from $9,200 to $11,700 on August 15, 2025, and the new figure took effect on September 1, 2025. Under section 154.125(a-1) (opens in a new tab), the amount is adjusted every six years based on the consumer price index, rounded to the nearest $50, and each adjusted figure takes effect on September 1 of the adjustment year.

The cap is a calculation limit, not a payment amount. When net resources exceed it, section 154.126 (opens in a new tab) has the court apply the guideline percentage to the portion up to the cap. The court may then order additional support based on the parties' income and the proven needs of the child. The total cannot exceed the greater of the presumptive amount or 100% of the child's proven needs.

Children in more than one household

Section 154.129 (opens in a new tab) provides a multiple-family method that looks at the number of children before the court and the number of other children the obligor has a legal duty to support.

The court works out the total number of children, calculates a child support credit for the children in other households, subtracts that credit from the obligor's net resources, and applies the one-household percentage to what remains. Under section 154.070 (opens in a new tab), any child support the obligor receives is added to the obligor's net resources before the credit is figured.

When a judge can order more or less

Section 154.123 (opens in a new tab) lets a court set an amount different from the guideline when the evidence rebuts the presumption and supports a variance. The factors include the child's age and needs, each parent's ability to contribute, possession and access, the obligee's resources and earning potential, childcare needed for a parent to keep working, other children in a party's care, health insurance and uninsured medical costs, special education or health-care expenses, travel costs for visits, cash flow from property and businesses, and debts.

Shared or equal parenting time sits on that list as one factor. It does not automatically set support at zero.

Spousal maintenance is a separate obligation between spouses with its own rules, explained in our guide to spousal maintenance in Texas.

Health insurance, dental coverage and uninsured costs

Section 154.181 (opens in a new tab) requires a medical support order whenever periodic support is ordered or modified. Before a temporary hearing or final order, the parties must share details about existing coverage, or about Medicaid, CHIP and available private coverage if no private insurance is in place.

Section 154.182 (opens in a new tab) sets the order of priority. When coverage is available through a parent's job, union, trade association or similar group at reasonable cost, the court shall order that parent to cover the child. If no coverage is available, the court orders the obligor to pay cash medical support of no more than 9% of the obligor's annual resources.

Dental coverage falls under section 154.1825 (opens in a new tab). The order may also divide uninsured medical and dental expenses between the parents, and extraordinary health-care costs are among the variance factors.

Unmarried parents: paternity comes first

For unmarried parents, legal paternity is part of the path to a support order. An unmarried biological father can establish it voluntarily by signing an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP) (opens in a new tab) with both parents working through an AOP-certified entity, such as a hospital or a child support office. The Attorney General's office states that an AOP establishes legal paternity, yet the parents still need a court order for custody, child support, medical support and visitation.

An AOP can be rescinded by filing the required form within 60 days after it is filed with the state, or before a legal proceeding about the child begins, whichever comes first. When parents do not sign one, paternity can be set by court order, often with genetic testing, and the Attorney General's paternity services (opens in a new tab) can help once a child support case is open.

The DSHS Paternity Registry (opens in a new tab) is a separate tool. A Notice of Intent to Claim Paternity must be filed before the birth or within 31 days after it, and the notice alone does not establish paternity or add a name to a birth certificate.

Getting help from the Attorney General's Child Support Division

The Texas Attorney General's Child Support Division (opens in a new tab) locates parents, establishes paternity, sets child support and medical support orders, modifies and enforces orders, processes wage withholding, and collects and distributes payments. Mothers, fathers and other people can apply for services (opens in a new tab) online or at an office. Its attorneys represent the State of Texas, not either parent.

There is no charge to apply. According to the Child Support Division's fee page (opens in a new tab), a $35 annual service fee applies to custodial parents in full-service cases who receive at least $550 in collections during the year, unless the case has ever received TANF. That fee comes out of the support payments and does not raise the obligor's monthly amount. A separate $3 monthly fee covers registry-only payment processing.

Helpful papers include any existing order or divorce decree, an AOP, the child's birth certificate, income records, payment history, and the other parent's employer and address. Payments can be made through Smart e-Pay, by phone, at MoneyGram or TouchPay locations, by mail and through wage withholding. The payment page (opens in a new tab) lists a 2.55% convenience fee for Smart e-Pay payments from $1 to $9,999.99, subject to change, with up to seven business days for a payment to post.

Changing an existing order

Under Texas Family Code section 156.401 (opens in a new tab), a support order can be modified in two main situations. One is a material and substantial change in the circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order. The other is when three years have passed since the order was rendered or last modified and the current amount differs from the guideline amount by 20% or $100. Special rules also allow changes in Title IV-D cases when required medical or dental coverage is missing.

The request goes to the court with continuing jurisdiction over the child. TexasLawHelp's modification guide (opens in a new tab) notes that the Child Support Division can also file a modification case and that its uncontested forms are not meant for contested cases. A modification changes what is owed going forward; it does not erase arrears that built up before it.

When support is not paid

A parent owed support can file a motion to enforce under Chapter 157 of the Family Code (opens in a new tab) in the court of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction. The motion identifies the order provision, the missed payments and the arrears, and it may attach a payment record from the state or local registry.

The available tools include income withholding under Chapter 158 (opens in a new tab), contempt, money judgments for arrears, payment plans, liens on qualifying property, administrative enforcement by the Attorney General and federal and state intercept programs. Chapter 232 (opens in a new tab) allows license suspension and defines a license broadly, from driver's and professional licenses to hunting and fishing licenses. Section 157.265 (opens in a new tab) adds 6% simple annual interest to delinquent support above the monthly obligation, and to confirmed and retroactive support judgments.

When child support ends

Texas support generally continues until the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever is later, as long as the child is fully enrolled in a program leading to a diploma and meets attendance requirements. It can also end when the child marries, has the disabilities of minority removed, or dies. For a child with a qualifying mental or physical disability that existed or was known before age 18, and who needs substantial care and will not be able to support themselves, a court may order support indefinitely.

Support can also reach backward. Section 154.009 (opens in a new tab) allows retroactive support when a parent was never ordered to pay and was not a party to a case that set support. Under section 154.131 (opens in a new tab), limiting it to the four years before the petition is presumed reasonable, though that presumption can be rebutted. Ending current support does not wipe out arrears, judgments or interest.

Frequently asked questions about child support in Texas

A few more points parents often ask about.

Can child support depend on visitation in Texas?

No. Texas Family Code section 154.011 (opens in a new tab) bars an order that makes support payments depend on whether the managing conservator allows possession or access. Support and visitation are separate parts of the order.

Does the Attorney General's office represent me?

No. The Child Support Division's attorneys represent the State of Texas in providing services, not the mother or the father. A parent who wants personal representation can hire a family law attorney.

Are there Spanish-language child support materials in Texas?

Yes. The Attorney General's child support publications page (opens in a new tab) offers Spanish versions of selected publications, and DSHS has a Spanish Paternity Registry page (opens in a new tab). Child support is often called manutención de niños, and wage withholding retención de ingresos.

Does the court look at both parents' income?

The guideline percentage applies to the obligor's net resources. When a variance is requested, the court can also consider the obligee's resources and earning potential among the section 154.123 (opens in a new tab) factors.

Finding a family law firm in Texas

If you have a disputed amount, a modification or an enforcement question, a Texas family law attorney can review the order, the payment records and the income documents behind them. You can search our directory of Texas family law firms by city.