The statute of limitations on child support in Texas does not erase the debt, but it does control how long you have to enforce it. Under Texas Family Code Section 157.005, a parent owed back support has two years after the obligation ends to ask the court for contempt, and ten years to have the total arrears confirmed as a money judgment. Miss those windows and the enforcement tool disappears, even though the underlying debt keeps existing and keeps earning interest.
When the Clocks Start
Both deadlines run from the same trigger: the later of the date the child turns 18 or the date the support obligation ends under the court order.1State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.005 – Time Limitations; Enforcement of Child Support That means the arrears from years of missed payments during the child’s minority don’t start their enforcement countdown until the order itself has run its course.
If your child recently turned 18 (or recently graduated from high school, whichever came later), the two-year contempt clock is already running. The ten-year money-judgment clock is running too, just on a longer fuse.
Two Years to Seek Contempt
A motion for contempt must be filed within two years after the child becomes an adult or the obligation terminates, whichever is later.1State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.005 – Time Limitations; Enforcement of Child Support Contempt is the only enforcement tool that can put the obligor in jail, so this is the deadline with real teeth. An enforcement order based on contempt must identify each specific instance of noncompliance the court found.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.166 – Contents of Enforcement Order
Once those two years pass, the court loses jurisdiction to use contempt for missed payments under that order. Other collection tools stay available, but the threat of jail is off the table.
Ten Years to Get a Money Judgment
A motion asking the court to confirm the total amount owed and reduce it to a cumulative money judgment must be filed within ten years of the same trigger date.1State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.005 – Time Limitations; Enforcement of Child Support Once the court confirms the arrears, the debt is locked in. The court cannot reduce or modify the confirmed amount, though it may allow certain offsets.
A judgment matters for a practical reason: it converts a stack of missed payments into a single, enforceable debt that can support liens, garnishments, and other collection actions. Interest keeps running on the judgment amount until it’s paid in full.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.265 – Accrual of Interest on Child Support
Interest Keeps Building at 6% Simple
Texas charges 6% simple interest per year on delinquent child support. Interest accrues only on the portion of the arrearage that exceeds one month’s worth of the periodic support obligation, so a parent who is $4,000 behind on a $1,000 monthly order pays interest on $3,000.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.265 – Accrual of Interest on Child Support
Interest begins accruing on the date the payment becomes delinquent and continues until the debt is either paid or reduced to a money judgment. After confirmation, the same 6% rate keeps running on the judgment.3State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.265 – Accrual of Interest on Child Support Retroactive or lump-sum awards accrue interest at the same rate from the date the order is rendered.4Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Modify Child Support
Six percent sounds modest, but the meter never stops. A $20,000 arrearage grows by roughly $1,200 every year the debt sits unpaid, with no cap on the total.
What the Deadlines Do Not Do
The two-year and ten-year windows limit specific court actions. They do not extinguish the debt. A parent who owes back child support in Texas continues to owe it after any deadline passes, and several enforcement tools continue to work regardless.
Wage withholding, for example, is built into every Texas child support order from the start and does not depend on the obligor falling behind.5State of Texas. Texas Family Code 158.001 – Income Withholding Child support liens can attach to the obligor’s nonexempt real and personal property in Texas, including property acquired after the lien is filed.6State of Texas. Texas Family Code 157.313 – Contents of Child Support Lien Notice Driver’s, professional, and recreational licenses can be suspended when the obligor is at least three months behind, has been offered a repayment plan, and has failed to follow it.7State of Texas. Texas Family Code 232.003 – Suspension of License
Federal tools also reach past state deadlines. Once arrears exceed $2,500, the state certifies the case to the federal government for passport denial or revocation.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary Federal tax refunds and other federal payments can be intercepted once the case is at least 30 days delinquent and the arrears reach $25.9Administration for Children and Families. Overview of the Administrative Offset Program
Bankruptcy Does Not Wipe It Out
A common assumption worth correcting: filing bankruptcy does not eliminate child support arrears. Under federal bankruptcy law, domestic support obligations are nondischargeable and hold first-priority status among creditors. Every dollar of arrears and accrued interest survives the bankruptcy and is still owed when the case closes.
What This Means in Practice
If you are owed back child support, the calendar is your enemy. The two-year window for contempt closes fastest, and it’s the tool that carries the possibility of jail. The ten-year window for a money judgment is longer, but locking the debt into a judgment is what makes long-term collection realistic once the child is grown. Filing well before either deadline preserves every option.
If you owe back child support, waiting the clock out is not a strategy. The debt does not expire. Interest keeps compounding at 6% a year. Wage withholding, liens, license suspensions, passport denial, and federal payment intercepts continue to operate long after the contempt and money-judgment windows have closed. An obligor whose circumstances have changed should seek a modification of the current order rather than stopping payments, because Texas courts cannot retroactively reduce arrears that have already accumulated.10State of Texas. Texas Family Code FAM 156.401 – Modification of Child Support Order