Child support in Fort Bend County follows Texas’s statewide formula: a judge takes a set percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources based on the number of children, and payments move through the state’s centralized disbursement system rather than parent-to-parent. Cases can start one of two ways. You can apply for free through the Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division, which handles locating the other parent, establishing paternity, and getting an order in place without an attorney.1Office of the Attorney General of Texas. How to Apply for Child Support Or you can file a private suit with the Fort Bend County District Clerk’s Office in Richmond, which is common when child support is bundled into a divorce or custody case.2Fort Bend County. Fort Bend County District Clerks Office The guideline math is the same either way.
How the Monthly Amount Is Calculated
Fort Bend judges apply the guideline percentages in Texas Family Code Section 154.125 to the paying parent’s monthly net resources:3Texas Public Law. Texas Family Code 154.125 – Application of Guidelines to Net Resources
- One child: 20%
- Two children: 25%
- Three children: 30%
- Four children: 35%
- Five or more children: 40%
Those percentages apply up to a cap on monthly net resources. For 2026, the cap is $11,700, which puts the guideline maximum at $2,340 per month for one child and $2,925 for two. When the paying parent earns above the cap, a judge can order additional support if the child’s needs justify it, but there is no automatic formula for the amount above the cap.
What Counts as Net Resources
Net resources start with almost all income: wages, salary, overtime, commissions, bonuses, tips, interest, dividends, retirement benefits, self-employment income, and Social Security benefits other than SSI. Irregular income like overtime and bonuses is typically averaged over 12 months using tax returns, so a strong year does not drop out of the calculation simply because the hours have since tapered off.
From the gross figure, the court subtracts Social Security taxes, federal income tax (figured as if the parent is single claiming one exemption and the standard deduction), state income tax, union dues, and the cost of health or dental insurance for the child. The guideline percentages apply to what remains. A judge can deviate from the guideline when applying it would be unjust given the child’s circumstances, but the parent asking for the deviation carries the burden.
Medical Support and Life Insurance
A support order usually also addresses medical coverage. The court can require one or both parents to carry health and dental insurance for the child, and the premium cost feeds back into the net resources calculation. When the paying parent covers the child on an employer plan that includes other dependents, the court divides the total premium by the number of dependents covered to isolate the child’s share.
Under Texas Family Code Section 154.016, a judge can also order the paying parent to carry life insurance sufficient to cover the remaining support obligation if that parent dies before the child turns 18.4State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 154.016 – Provision of Support in Event of Death of Parent The required coverage is based on the present value of the remaining monthly payments plus premiums through the child’s 18th birthday. A different amount can be set for a disabled child, and the court can demand proof of compliance at any time.
How Payments Are Made
Child support payments in Texas do not go directly from one parent to the other. They run through the State Disbursement Unit. About 80% of payments are collected through wage withholding, where the paying parent’s employer deducts the ordered amount from each paycheck and forwards it to the SDU.5Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Wage Withholding Withholding usually begins as soon as the Attorney General’s office sends an income withholding order to the employer.
Parents not on wage withholding can mail a check or money order to the SDU in San Antonio, or pay electronically through the SDU’s Smart e-Pay system.6Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Pay By Mail Payments can take up to seven days to post. Paying the other parent directly in cash is a bad idea; outside the SDU system, those payments may never be credited to the account, and the parent who paid can still be treated as delinquent.
When Child Support Ends
Support continues until the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever is later. A child who is 17 and still a junior will trigger support through graduation. A child who drops out and turns 18 ends support at 18. The obligation also ends if the child marries, is emancipated by court order, or dies. For a child with a disability as defined by the Family Code, support can be ordered to continue indefinitely.7State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 154.001 – Court-Ordered Support
Support does not automatically stop on an 18th birthday if the child is still in high school, and it does not end just because a parent believes it should. Either the order has to expire by its own terms or the paying parent has to file to terminate the obligation. Ignoring an active order on the assumption that it has expired is a common way to accidentally pile up arrears.
Changing an Existing Order
Fort Bend parents can ask the court to modify a support order under Texas Family Code Section 156.401 when there has been a material and substantial change in the circumstances of the child or either parent since the order was entered.8State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 156.401 – Grounds for Modification of Support Order Typical triggers are a major income change, a job loss, a shift in the child’s living arrangements, or new medical needs.
There is also a separate ground that catches parents off guard. If at least three years have passed since the order was entered or last modified, and the current guideline amount differs from the existing order by 20% or $100, either parent can seek a modification without proving any other change.8State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 156.401 – Grounds for Modification of Support Order That three-year rule means ordinary wage growth can justify an upward adjustment, and a parent whose income has dropped has a straightforward path to seek a reduction.
Modifications are filed with the Fort Bend County District Clerk, and the other parent has to be served. The court applies the same guideline percentages to updated income figures. The existing order stays in full effect until a judge signs a new one. Reducing or stopping payments on your own because a modification is “coming” is one of the fastest ways to build enforceable arrears.
What Happens If Payments Fall Behind
Fort Bend County has the full set of Texas enforcement tools available, and the Fort Bend County Child Support Office works with the Attorney General’s division to track and collect.9Fort Bend County. Child Support The consequences escalate the longer a parent stays behind.
License Suspension
Under Texas Family Code Section 232.008, once the court makes the required findings of non-payment, it must order suspension of the parent’s driver’s license, professional license, hunting license, or other state-issued license unless the parent proves all arrears and the current month’s support have been paid, or shows good cause.10State of Texas. Texas Code Family Code 232.008 – Order Suspending License for Failure to Pay The court can stay suspension if the parent makes an immediate partial payment of at least $200 and agrees to a repayment schedule.
Contempt of Court
A parent who willfully refuses to pay can be held in contempt, which carries up to 180 days in jail per violation. Each missed payment can be treated as a separate violation, so months of non-payment can stack into a substantial sentence. The court can also impose fines.
Passport Denial and Interest
At the federal level, arrears above $2,500 trigger the Passport Denial Program. The State Department will refuse to issue or renew a passport, and can revoke one already issued, until the debt is resolved.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary Partial payments do not clear the hold; the certified arrears balance has to be paid in full.
Unpaid support in Texas also accrues 6% simple interest per year, enforceable the same way the underlying support is. Over several years of non-payment, interest alone can add thousands to the total debt.
Federal Limits on Wage Garnishment
Federal law caps how much a paycheck can be hit for child support, even when state enforcement is aggressive. Under the Consumer Credit Protection Act, garnishment cannot exceed 50% of disposable earnings if the paying parent is supporting another spouse or child, or 60% if not. An additional 5% can be taken when payments are more than 12 weeks in arrears, which pushes the ceiling to 55% or 65%.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1673 – Restriction on Garnishment Those federal caps override any state garnishment order that would reach further.
Taxes
Child support is tax-neutral. The paying parent cannot deduct the payments, and the receiving parent does not report them as income.13IRS. Publication 504 – Divorced or Separated Individuals This trips up parents who remember the old rules for alimony. Child support has never worked that way, and the payments are invisible to the IRS on both sides.