Child Support in Texas: Calculation, Orders, and Enforcement

Child support in Texas is calculated as a percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources: 20% for one child, 25% for two, and rising from there, applied to the first $11,700 of net resources per month as of September 1, 2025. The Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Child Support Division handles most cases, though parents can also file directly in district court. The order includes a cash amount plus medical and dental coverage, and the state has substantial power to collect when payments stop.

How the Monthly Amount Is Calculated

Texas uses a percentage-of-income model that looks only at the paying parent’s earnings, not both parents combined. The calculation starts with “net resources,” defined in Texas Family Code Section 154.062 to include wages, salary, commissions, overtime, tips, bonuses, interest, dividends, royalties, self-employment income, retirement benefits, and trust income.¹

From that gross figure, the court subtracts Social Security taxes, federal income tax calculated as if the parent were single with one exemption and the standard deduction, state income tax, union dues, and the cost of the child’s health and dental insurance premiums.¹ What remains is the net resource figure that goes into the percentage formula.

The guideline percentages under Texas Family Code Section 154.125 are:¹

1 child: 20% of net resources
2 children: 25%
3 children: 30%
4 children: 35%
5 or more children: not less than 40%

These percentages apply only to the first $11,700 per month in net resources. The cap is adjusted every six years for inflation, and the September 1, 2025 adjustment raised it from the prior $9,200 figure. If the paying parent earns more than $11,700 in monthly net resources, the court applies the standard percentages to the first $11,700 and may order additional support based on the child’s proven needs and both parents’ incomes.¹

When the Standard Percentages Shift

Low-Income Cases

When the paying parent’s net resources are at or below $1,000 per month, Texas applies a reduced schedule. For cases filed on or after September 1, 2021:¹

1 child: 15%
2 children: 20%
3 children: 25%
4 children: 30%
5 or more children: not less than 35%

If there is no evidence of the paying parent’s income, the court looks at employment history, job skills, education, health, and the local job market before imputing an income figure.

Children in Another Household

When the paying parent also supports children from a different relationship, the standard percentages drop. Texas Family Code Section 154.129 provides an adjusted table based on how many children are before the court and how many others the parent is legally obligated to support.¹ A parent with one child in the current case and one child from a prior relationship owes 17.50% rather than 20%. Two children in the current case plus one from another household drops from 25% to 22.50%. The adjustment keeps combined obligations across households from exceeding what the parent can actually pay.

Medical and Dental Coverage

Every Texas child support order must include a provision for the child’s health and dental coverage, separate from the monthly cash payment. Under Texas Family Code Section 154.182, the court assigns this responsibility in a specific order of priority.¹

If the paying parent has employer-sponsored coverage at a reasonable cost, the court orders that parent to enroll the child. If not, but the custodial parent has affordable employer coverage, the custodial parent enrolls the child and the paying parent reimburses the premium as additional support. If neither has affordable employer insurance, the paying parent must secure private coverage, which can include CHIP or another government health program.¹

“Reasonable cost” has a specific statutory definition: the child’s coverage cannot exceed 9% of the responsible parent’s annual resources.¹ When no private insurance meets that threshold, the court can order cash medical support instead to cover out-of-pocket costs or contribute toward Medicaid. A parallel statute applies the same framework to dental coverage.

Getting an Order in Place

Through the Attorney General

Most parents open a case through the OAG’s online portal. You will need Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, employment history, and contact information for both yourself and the other parent. The more detail you provide, the faster things move.²

After the application is filed, the case usually goes through the Child Support Review Process, an in-office negotiation where both parents meet with a child support officer. If both sides reach agreement, a judge signs the order. If not, the case moves to a formal hearing where a judge applies the statutory guidelines.³

Filing a SAPCR in District Court

Parents who prefer to handle the case privately can file a Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship with the district clerk in the county where the child lives. This is a lawsuit, so the other parent must be formally served. If they are served but never respond, you can obtain a default order. This path gives you more control over timing and terms but involves filing fees and often attorney costs. Courts waive fees for parents who file the appropriate inability-to-pay form.

Documents to Gather

Either route moves faster with the right records on hand: at least the last two years of federal tax returns, recent pay stubs, and documentation of what health and dental insurance would cost for the child. Incomplete records cause delays or produce an inaccurate calculation that may work against you.

Changing an Order Later

Under Texas Family Code Section 156.401, you can request a modification on either of two grounds.⁴

The first is a “material and substantial change in circumstances.” The OAG reads this broadly to include significant income changes, a new legal obligation to support additional children, a change in the child’s insurance situation, or the child moving to a different parent’s home.⁵ Incarceration lasting more than 180 days qualifies automatically, as does release from incarceration if the obligation was reduced during the jail term.⁴

The second is time-based. If at least three years have passed since the order was established or last modified, you can seek a change without proving a major life event, provided the current guidelines would produce an amount differing from the existing order by at least 20% or $100.⁴ With the net resources cap jumping from $9,200 to $11,700 in September 2025, many higher-income orders will now clear that threshold.

One warning. Informal agreements between parents do not change the court-ordered amount. Until a judge signs a modified order, the original obligation stands and any shortfall accrues as arrears.⁵ A verbal agreement to accept less does not protect you.

What Happens If Payments Fall Behind

Texas has a deep collection toolbox, and this is the area where people most often underestimate what the state can do.

Wage Withholding

The most common tool is an income withholding order sent directly to the paying parent’s employer, which deducts support from each paycheck.⁶ Most new orders include wage withholding from the start, regardless of whether any payment has been missed.

Tax Refund Intercept

The OAG submits past-due balances to the federal Treasury Offset Program. When the IRS processes the parent’s tax refund, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service intercepts part or all of it and redirects it to the state child support agency.⁷⁸

Liens and License Suspensions

For persistent non-payment, the state can place liens on real estate, bank accounts, and other financial assets under Texas Family Code Chapter 157, preventing sale or transfer until the debt is paid. Under Chapter 232, the state can also suspend driver’s licenses, professional licenses, and other state-issued licenses to pressure compliance.

Contempt and Jail

When administrative tools fail, a judge can hold a non-paying parent in contempt. Texas law allows confinement of up to 180 days and a fine of up to $500 for each instance of missed payment. Judges do use it.

Interest on Arrears

Past-due child support accrues 6% simple interest per year from the date each payment becomes delinquent, and that rate continues once arrears are reduced to a money judgment. The interest applies to any payment that became due on or after January 1, 2002.⁹ A modest arrearage can grow substantially over the years, which is why seeking a modification before falling behind is almost always the better move.

Taxes and Who Claims the Child

Child support payments are neither deductible by the parent who pays them nor counted as taxable income for the parent who receives them.¹⁰ That rule is flat and has no exceptions.

The related question of who claims the child as a dependent trips up many parents. The IRS treats the custodial parent as entitled to claim the child by default, meaning the parent with whom the child lived for more than half the year.¹¹ If both parents had the child for an equal number of nights, the parent with the higher adjusted gross income is treated as custodial.¹² The custodial parent can release that right by signing IRS Form 8332, which the other parent attaches to their tax return. Some divorce decrees allocate the exemption between parents on alternating years.

When Support Ends

The obligation to pay child support ends when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever comes later.¹³ If your child is still in high school after their 18th birthday, support continues until they finish. The standard guidelines do not extend support through college.

The main exception involves children with a physical or mental disability that existed before age 18. In those cases a court can order support to continue indefinitely.¹³ Parents in that situation should consult an attorney well before the child’s 18th birthday, because waiting until the original order expires creates avoidable complications.

1
State of Texas. Texas Family Code Chapter 154 – Child Support
2
Office of the Attorney General. How to Apply for Child Support
3
Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Understanding the Legal Process
4
State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 156.401 – Grounds for Modification of Child Support
5
Office of the Attorney General. Support Modification Process
6
Office of the Attorney General. Wage Withholding
7
Administration for Children and Families. How Does a Federal Tax Refund Offset Work
8
Internal Revenue Service. Reduced Refund
9
State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 157.265 – Accrual of Interest on Child Support
10
Internal Revenue Service. Dependents 6
11
Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit
12
Internal Revenue Service. Form 8332 – Release/Revocation of Release of Claim to Exemption for Child by Custodial Parent
13
Texas State Law Library. Child Support – Child Custody and Support