How Much Is Child Support for One Child in Texas: 20% Rule and Cap

In Texas, child support for one child is 20% of the paying parent’s net monthly resources, applied to income up to a statutory cap of $11,700 per month. That puts the maximum guideline amount at $2,340 per month before a court considers any extra needs the child may have. The actual figure depends on what the paying parent earns after specific statutory deductions, and a judge can order more or less when the circumstances call for it.

What Counts as Net Monthly Resources

The 20% is not taken from gross pay, and it is not taken from the number on a paycheck stub. Texas uses its own definition of “net monthly resources,” and the deductions allowed are narrow.

Income includes wages, salary, commissions, tips, overtime, self-employment earnings, rental income, retirement benefits, and unemployment payments. Courts look at the full picture of what a parent earns or receives.

From that total, only the following come out to reach net resources:

Social Security taxes (the employee’s share of FICA: 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare)
Federal income tax, calculated as if the parent files as a single person claiming one personal exemption and the standard deduction, regardless of actual filing status
State income tax, where applicable (Texas does not impose one)
Union dues
Health and dental insurance costs paid for the child as ordered by the court
Mandatory retirement contributions, but only if the parent does not pay Social Security taxes (for example, certain government employees required to contribute to a pension)

If the parent’s insurance plan covers other children too, the court divides the total premium by the number of children on the plan and counts only the share attributable to the child in the case.¹

Voluntary deductions do not reduce net resources. That means 401(k) contributions, charitable giving, and loan payments stay in the calculation. Courts are measuring earning capacity, not disposable income.

Running the 20% Calculation

Once you have net monthly resources, multiply by 20% for one child. Texas applies this percentage to net resources up to $11,700 per month. The cap is adjusted every six years for inflation by the Title IV-D agency and published in the Texas Register. The most recent adjustment took effect September 1, 2025, raising the cap from $9,200.²

At different income levels, the math looks like this:

$4,000 net monthly resources: $800 per month
$7,500 net monthly resources: $1,500 per month
$11,700 net monthly resources: $2,340 per month (the guideline maximum)

These amounts are presumed to be in the child’s best interest. A judge will order them unless someone puts evidence in front of the court showing a different number is more appropriate.

If Net Resources Are Under $1,000

For parents earning less than $1,000 in net monthly resources, Texas applies a reduced percentage. The one-child rate drops from 20% to 15%. At $800 in net monthly resources, for example, one-child support under the low-income schedule would be $120 per month rather than $160.²

If Net Resources Are Over $11,700

When the paying parent’s net monthly resources exceed the cap, the calculation splits. The court applies the 20% guideline to the first $11,700, producing a baseline of $2,340 for one child. It cannot automatically extend the percentage to income above the cap.³

To get more than $2,340, the receiving parent has to show the child has proven needs that justify additional support. The statute does not define “proven needs” with a list, but courts look at documented expenses: private school tuition, specialized medical care, competitive athletics, tutoring, and similar costs the child actually incurs. Speculation about what a child might need is not enough. The receiving parent needs receipts, invoices, or credible estimates.

The court then subtracts the $2,340 baseline from the child’s total proven needs and divides the remaining cost between the parents based on their respective financial circumstances. The paying parent can never be ordered to pay more than either the guideline amount or 100% of the child’s proven needs, whichever is greater.³

If the Paying Parent Supports Children in Another Household

The straight 20% assumes the child in the case is the only one the parent is legally required to support. When the parent has a legal support obligation for children from another relationship, Texas uses an adjusted percentage table that drops the rate for the child in the current case below 20%.⁴

Only children the parent is legally required to support qualify for this adjustment. That means children with a court order establishing support or children whose parentage has been legally established. A parent cannot cite an informal relationship to reduce an existing obligation. The specific adjusted percentages are set out in tables within the Texas Family Code, with separate low-income adjusted tables for net resources under $1,000.

When a Judge Orders More or Less Than 20%

Even at incomes below the cap, a court can order a different amount if the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate. The Family Code lists seventeen factors judges may weigh, and the ones that come up most in one-child cases include:⁵

The child’s age and needs, including any disability or chronic medical condition
Each parent’s ability to contribute, including the receiving parent’s income and assets
The amount of possession time each parent has with the child
Travel costs for visitation when parents live far apart
Child care expenses either parent incurs to maintain employment
Spousal maintenance being paid or received
Employer-provided benefits like a company car or housing
Debts assumed by either party

When a court deviates from the guideline, the judge must include specific findings in the order stating the net resources of both parents, the percentage applied, and the reasons the guideline amount is not appropriate.⁶

Unemployed or Underemployed Parents

A parent who has voluntarily quit a job, turned down work, or taken a lower-paying position without good reason does not get to set the calculation based on current earnings. The court can impute income, meaning it assigns an earning capacity based on the parent’s education, work history, skills, and the local job market. Support is then calculated on that imputed figure.⁵

Timing and explanation matter. A parent who lost a job in a layoff and is actively looking for work is in a different position than a parent who quit a high-paying job around the time of a divorce and now claims to prefer a simpler lifestyle.

Medical and Dental Support on Top of the Base Amount

The 20% figure is not the whole obligation. Every Texas child support order also addresses health insurance, dental insurance, and uninsured medical costs.⁷

For health insurance, the court follows a priority system. If either parent has access to coverage through an employer, union, or trade association at a reasonable cost, that parent will be ordered to enroll the child. When neither parent has affordable employer-based coverage, the court may order a parent to obtain coverage from another source. If no private insurance is available at a reasonable cost, the court orders the paying parent to contribute cash medical support, capped at 9% of the parent’s annual gross resources.⁸

Dental support works similarly, and “reasonable cost” is defined as a premium that does not exceed 1.5% of the paying parent’s annual gross resources.⁹

Uninsured medical expenses (copays, deductibles, and costs the plan does not cover) are typically split between the parents, often equally, with the order spelling out each parent’s share. When you are budgeting for what child support will actually cost or provide, count the base guideline amount plus insurance premiums plus a share of out-of-pocket medical costs.

1
State of Texas. Texas Family Code FAM 154.062 – Net Resources
2
State of Texas. Texas Family Code 154.125 – Application of Guidelines to Net Resources
3
State of Texas. Texas Family Code 154.126 – Application of Guidelines to Additional Net Resources
4
State of Texas. Texas Family Code 154.129 – Alternative Method of Computing Support for Children in More Than One Household
5
State of Texas. Texas Family Code 154.123 – Additional Factors for Court to Consider
6
State of Texas. Texas Family Code 154.130 – Findings in Child Support Order
7
Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Medical Support General Information
8
State of Texas. Texas Family Code 154.182 – Health Care Coverage for Child
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State of Texas. Texas Family Code FAM 154.1815 – Dental Support Order