Child support in Texas works as a percentage-of-income system: the parent without primary custody pays a fixed share of their net monthly income to the parent the child lives with, the amount is calculated under state guidelines, payments run through the state rather than parent-to-parent, and a judge can enforce the order with tools as serious as license suspension and jail. Both parents owe a duty to support their children financially whether or not they were ever married, and the money legally belongs to the child, not the receiving parent.
Who Pays and Who Receives
Texas calls the paying parent the “obligor” and the receiving parent the “obligee.” The obligee is usually the parent whose household covers the child’s day-to-day expenses. Even when parents share joint managing conservatorship, a court can still order one of them to pay support to the other.1State of Texas. Texas Family Code 153.138 – Child Support Order Affecting Joint Conservators The label turns on who carries the child’s everyday costs, not on which parent has more legal decision-making authority.
Once the court identifies the obligor, that parent is legally bound to pay until the order terminates or a judge changes it. The obligee has a corresponding duty to spend the money on the child’s benefit: housing, food, clothing, school supplies, activities.
How the Amount Is Calculated
Texas uses a percentage-of-income model, so the calculation looks only at the paying parent’s earnings. The receiving parent’s income doesn’t factor in.
The court starts by identifying the obligor’s “net resources” under the Family Code. That figure captures nearly all income: wages, salary, commissions, overtime, bonuses, tips, interest, dividends, rental income, retirement benefits, and self-employment earnings.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code Chapter 154 – Child Support From gross income, specific deductions come out:
- Social Security taxes
- Federal income tax, calculated as a single filer claiming one exemption and the standard deduction
- State income tax, if the obligor works in another state
- Union dues
- Court-ordered health and dental insurance premiums for the child
- Mandatory retirement contributions if the obligor doesn’t pay Social Security taxes
What’s left is net resources. The court then applies a fixed percentage based on the number of children before the court:3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 154.125 – Application of Guidelines to Net Resources
- 1 child: 20% of net resources
- 2 children: 25%
- 3 children: 30%
- 4 children: 35%
- 5 or more children: 40%
If the obligor already supports children from another relationship, a separate table of reduced percentages applies so the current calculation accounts for those existing obligations.
The Net Resources Cap
The guideline percentages only apply to the first $11,700 of monthly net resources. That cap took effect on September 1, 2025, up from $9,200.4Office of the Attorney General. 2025 Revised Tax Charts Effective September 1, 2025 For an obligor with one child earning above the cap, the guideline amount is 20% of $11,700, or $2,340 a month. A judge can order more than the guideline if the obligee proves the child has needs that justify it. The cap is adjusted every six years to track changes in the consumer price index.
Self-Employed Parents
A self-employed parent doesn’t escape the calculation for lack of a paycheck. The court counts income from a business, partnership, independent contracting, or close corporation, minus ordinary and necessary expenses to produce that income.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code Chapter 154 – Child Support Judges have discretion to disallow deductions that qualify under federal tax law but don’t reflect real money leaving the business, like depreciation or certain tax credits. A parent who minimizes taxable income aggressively on a return may see the court impute higher earnings for support purposes.
Medical and Dental Support
Cash support isn’t the only obligation. Courts routinely order the obligor to provide health and dental insurance for the child. When affordable employer coverage is available, the court usually orders the obligor to enroll the child. When it isn’t, the court can order “cash medical support,” a monthly payment that helps the custodial parent cover coverage costs.
Texas law defines “reasonable cost” as a percentage of the obligor’s annual net resources: up to 9% for health insurance and up to 1.5% for dental. These amounts sit on top of the base support. An obligor paying $1,500 in base support plus $200 for medical and $30 for dental owes $1,730 a month in total.
Uninsured and out-of-pocket medical expenses are typically split evenly between the parents. All court-ordered cash medical and dental support runs through the Texas State Disbursement Unit, the same channel as regular child support, so the state can track it.
How Payments Are Made
About 80% of Texas child support is collected through wage withholding. The court orders the obligor’s employer to deduct the support amount from each paycheck.5Office of the Attorney General. Wage Withholding The employer sends the money to the Texas State Disbursement Unit in San Antonio, which processes the payment and forwards it to the custodial parent.
The receiving parent can take payments by direct deposit or on a Texas Payment Card.6Office of the Attorney General. Direct Deposit Direct deposit generally clears in three to five business days. The centralized system creates a paper trail on every dollar, which becomes critical if either parent later disputes the payment history. The state keeps those records indefinitely.
When Support Ends
A Texas support order doesn’t run forever. Under the Family Code, the obligation ends when any of the following happens:7Texas Public Law. Texas Family Code 154.006 – Termination of Duty of Support
- The child turns 18 and graduates high school (if still enrolled at 18, support continues to graduation)
- The child marries
- The child enlists in the armed forces
- The child’s disabilities of minority are removed (legal emancipation)
- The child dies
The 18-and-graduation rule is the common one. A child who turns 18 in March but graduates in June continues to draw support through graduation. A child who has turned 18, is no longer enrolled, and isn’t meeting attendance requirements can have support terminated at that point. If a child has a disability that will extend beyond age 18, the court can order support indefinitely.
Changing a Support Order
Either parent can ask the court to modify an existing order when there’s been a material and substantial change in circumstances. The Attorney General’s office identifies common qualifying changes:8Office of the Attorney General. Support Modification Process
- The obligor’s income has significantly increased or decreased
- The obligor has become legally responsible for additional children
- The child’s health insurance coverage has changed
- The child is now living with the other parent
Texas also allows modification without proving a specific change if at least three years have passed since the last order and the current guideline amount differs from the existing one by either 20% or $100 per month.9State of Texas. Texas Family Code 156.401 – Modification of Child Support Order The three-year rule catches gradual income shifts that make an old order unfair even without a single dramatic event. Modifications aren’t automatic. A parent still has to file a petition and either reach an agreement or have a judge decide.
What Happens If a Parent Doesn’t Pay
Texas has one of the more aggressive enforcement systems in the country. Wage withholding does most of the work by intercepting money before the obligor sees it. When that isn’t enough, the state escalates.
License Suspension
If an obligor falls behind by an amount equal to three or more months of support, the Attorney General can petition to suspend the parent’s driver’s license, professional licenses, hunting and fishing licenses, and any other state-issued permits.10Office of the Attorney General. License Suspension The parent gets a chance to set up a repayment plan; failing to follow that plan triggers suspension. For parents who drive for work or hold professional certifications, this is the tool that tends to force attention fastest.
Contempt and Jail
A judge can hold a nonpaying parent in contempt of court, with a penalty of up to six months in jail for each missed payment. Each payment counts as a separate violation, so a parent who hasn’t paid in a year could face multiple contempt findings. Beyond contempt, Texas criminal law treats intentional failure to pay child support as a state jail felony once arrears reach a certain threshold, carrying 180 days to two years in a state jail facility and fines up to $10,000.
Liens and Asset Seizure
The state or the custodial parent can place a child support lien on the obligor’s real property, bank accounts, retirement plans, and other assets. Liens attach to whatever the delinquent parent owns and can block the sale or transfer of property until the debt is paid. The authority sits in Chapter 157 of the Texas Family Code, and the Attorney General’s office can pursue these remedies without the custodial parent having to hire a private attorney.
A parent who genuinely can’t afford the current order is on much safer ground filing a modification petition than skipping payments. Ignoring an order compounds fast, and the collection tools available to the state reach far beyond wages.