Child support enforcement in Texas runs through the Office of the Attorney General, which can garnish wages, freeze bank accounts, suspend driver’s and professional licenses, intercept tax refunds, block passports, and report the debt to credit bureaus without ever stepping into a courtroom. If those tools aren’t enough, a judge can confirm the arrears as a money judgment with interest, hold the non-paying parent in contempt, order jail time, and require them to pay the other side’s attorney’s fees. The process follows a predictable path, and the sooner you understand it, the better your position, whether you’re owed support or you’re behind on it.
What the Attorney General Can Do Without a Court Order
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is the state’s Title IV-D agency, meaning it is the designated authority for establishing, collecting, and enforcing child support under federal law.1Legal Information Institute. 1 Texas Administrative Code 55.1 – Agency and Agency Attorneys in Child Support Cases Any family can apply for its services regardless of income.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code 231.101 – Title IV-D Child Support Services Most of the agency’s enforcement power is administrative, which means it moves faster than litigation.
Wage Withholding
The primary collection method is an income withholding order sent straight to the paying parent’s employer. Under Texas Family Code Chapter 158, the court or the Title IV-D agency can order current support to be deducted from the obligor’s disposable earnings.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 158.001 – Income Withholding General Rule When there are arrears, the employer withholds an additional 20 percent on top of the monthly obligation, or whatever amount pays the debt off within two years, whichever clears it faster.4Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas Family Code Chapter 158 – Withholding From Earnings for Child Support Payments route through the State Disbursement Unit, which tracks every dollar and forwards it to the custodial parent.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Comptroller Manual of Accounts – Revenue Object 3620
License Suspension
If a parent falls at least three months behind, has been offered a repayment plan, and still doesn’t pay, the OAG or a court can suspend their licenses.6State of Texas. Texas Family Code 232.003 – Suspension of License “License” is defined broadly under Section 232.001 to include driver’s licenses, professional and occupational certifications, and permits for regulated activities like hunting and fishing.7State of Texas. Texas Family Code 232.001 – Definitions Losing the ability to drive to work or hold a professional license creates immediate pressure.
Credit Bureau Reporting
In every Title IV-D case, the OAG reports the amount owed and the amount paid to consumer reporting agencies. Before it does, the agency mails a notice to the obligor’s last known address giving 30 days to contest the information. If the obligor doesn’t respond, the delinquency goes on their credit report.8State of Texas. Texas Family Code 231.114 – Reports of Child Support Payments to Consumer Reporting Agencies A reported child support delinquency makes it harder to qualify for a mortgage, car loan, or credit card.
Bank Account Seizure
Through the Financial Institution Data Match program, the state runs quarterly matches of delinquent obligors against accounts at every financial institution operating in Texas. When there’s a hit, a lien arises automatically under federal law, and the institution must freeze or surrender the obligor’s assets in response to a levy notice.9Administration for Children and Families. Financial Institution Data Match Legislative Authority Overview A parallel federal program, Multistate Financial Institution Data Match, extends the same process to multistate banks.10The Administration for Children and Families. Multistate Financial Institution Data Match Specifications Handbook
Tax Refund Intercept
Texas can certify past-due child support to the federal government for interception of federal income tax refunds. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service carries out the offset under IRC Section 6402, and unlike federal tax debts, these offsets cannot be bypassed through a hardship exemption.11Taxpayer Advocate Service. How to Prevent a Refund Offset If you want to check whether an offset is pending, you can call the Bureau of the Fiscal Service at 800-304-3107.
Passport Denial
Once arrears pass $2,500, the state can certify the debt to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which forwards it to the State Department. New passports can be refused, and existing ones can be revoked or restricted.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary That threshold is low enough that even a few missed months can trigger it.
What a Judge Can Order
When administrative tools haven’t produced payment, the next step is a motion for enforcement in the court that issued the original order. You can file one yourself, or the OAG can file one on your behalf. The judicial side opens up remedies the agency can’t reach administratively.
Money Judgment and Interest
Every missed child support payment becomes a final judgment the moment it’s due.13State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.261 – Unpaid Child Support as Judgment The court can confirm the total owed and render a cumulative money judgment covering all arrears. Under Section 157.265, arrears that accrued before January 1, 2026, carry a six percent annual simple interest rate; delinquencies arising on or after that date accrue at three percent. On a large balance, even the lower rate adds thousands of dollars over time.
Contempt and Jail
A judge can hold a non-paying parent in contempt for violating the support order, and each missed payment can be treated as a separate violation. The maximum punishment for contempt in a Texas district court is a $500 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both.14Justia Law. Texas Government Code Chapter 21 – General Provisions Because each missed month is its own violation, penalties can stack, though judges don’t usually impose the maximum on every count.
Community Supervision
Instead of jailing the parent outright, the court can suspend the commitment and place them on community supervision, which is essentially probation tied to the support obligation. Conditions can include reporting to a supervision officer, attending financial planning or parenting classes, paying current support plus arrears, and job searching through the Texas Workforce Commission.15State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.211 – Community Supervision Violating any condition can activate the original jail sentence.
Attorney’s Fees and Costs
When the court finds that the respondent failed to pay, it must order them to pay the other parent’s reasonable attorney’s fees and all court costs on top of the arrearages.16State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.167 – Respondent to Pay Attorney’s Fees and Costs The statute says “shall order,” which makes it mandatory rather than discretionary.
Opening a Case with the Attorney General
You can apply for OAG enforcement services through the Texas Child Support portal or by submitting the application form on the Attorney General’s website. The more identifying detail you provide, the faster the case moves. Useful information includes the other parent’s current address, employer, Social Security number, date of birth, and any known financial accounts or assets. If you don’t know the current employer, give the last known one.
You will also need a copy of the existing support order and a record of what has been paid against what was ordered. That payment history is what lets the agency calculate the exact arrearage and decide which tools to use. The OAG can start enforcement as soon as a single payment is missed, so there’s no reason to wait until the debt is large.
If You’re the Parent Who Owes, Modify Before Arrears Lock In
This is where parents dig themselves into permanent trouble. If you lose a job or your income drops, you cannot simply stop paying and expect the court to sort it out later. Under federal law, child support arrears cannot be reduced retroactively once they’ve accrued.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 666 – Requirement of Statutorily Prescribed Procedures Each missed payment becomes a final judgment the day it’s due, and no court in any state can erase it. A narrow exception allows modification only from the date the other party receives notice that a modification petition has been filed.
Texas courts can modify a support order when the circumstances of the child or either parent have materially and substantially changed. A court can also modify if three years have passed and the current order differs by at least 20 percent or $100 per month from what the guidelines would now produce. Incarceration longer than 180 days counts as a material and substantial change, and so does release from incarceration if support was reduced or suspended during that time.18State of Texas. Texas Family Code 156.401 – Grounds for Modification of Child Support File the modification as soon as your situation changes. By the time an enforcement motion is served on you, the arrears are already fixed.
When the Other Parent Lives Out of State
Moving away from Texas doesn’t end enforcement. Under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, adopted in Texas Family Code Chapter 159, the state that issued the order keeps continuing exclusive jurisdiction to modify it, while any state where the obligor lives or has assets can enforce it. The OAG can register the Texas order in another state and pursue wage withholding, license suspension, or contempt there, with the federal Office of Child Support Services coordinating between state agencies.
How Long the State Can Keep Collecting
Child support debts in Texas don’t quietly expire. A motion for contempt must be filed within two years after the child turns 18 or the obligation otherwise ends. A cumulative money judgment confirming the total arrears can be sought for up to 10 years after the child reaches adulthood or the support obligation terminates.19State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.005 – Limitations Interest keeps running the entire time. Between wage withholding, tax intercepts, license suspensions, bank levies, and credit reporting, a parent trying to wait out the clock on child support in Texas will almost always lose that bet.