Specialty tag(s): Child Support
Sarah Aminzadeh Milinsky | August 11, 2026
When you’re adjusting to life after a separation, concerns about your children’s future can be difficult to manage. Will they have what they need? How will everyday expenses be shared? If you’re carrying those questions, it helps to know that Texas law provides a clear framework for calculating child support, bringing greater predictability at a time when so much else may feel uncertain.
In most cases, child support is determined using a statutory formula: a set percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources based on the number of children involved (§154.125). That formula is the starting point in most cases, although courts can depart from it where the circumstances justify doing so.
This page explains how the calculation works, the current figures behind it, and the situations – such as self-employment, 50/50 parenting schedules, or income above the statutory cap – that can affect the outcome. If you’d like to discuss your circumstances, our child support attorneys can help you understand where you stand.
Texas child support is a percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources, set by the number of children before the court. Courts generally follow this statutory guideline, which is a rebuttable presumption a judge can depart from where there’s a valid legal reason to do so (§154.122).
An aspect of the calculation parents often find surprising is that Texas looks only at the paying parent’s (known as the obligor’s) net resources, not both parents’ combined income. Neither the receiving parent’s income nor the income of a new spouse is considered, even if they contribute to household finances (§154.069).
Because most people aren’t paid monthly, earnings are first converted into monthly net resources:
It’s an easy detail to overlook, but an incorrect conversion can affect every figure that follows.
Net resources include most forms of income, less a limited number of deductions. They are not the same as take-home pay, and understanding that distinction can prevent costly mistakes.
Texas includes wages, overtime, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, rental income, and retirement income when calculating net resources (§154.062). The definition is intentionally broad, reflecting the resources a parent has available rather than simply what reaches their bank account after payroll deductions.
This is an important distinction, as take-home pay often reflects deductions that Texas doesn’t recognize for child support purposes. Confusing the two is one of the most common reasons parents miscalculate what they may owe or receive.
When you’re balancing the cost of raising children alongside mortgages, bills, and everyday expenses, it’s reasonable to expect those commitments to factor into child support calculations. However, Texas law allows only a limited list of deductions when calculating net resources, and it’s intentionally narrow.
The permitted deductions are:
Just as important is what isn’t included. Everyday financial commitments like rent, mortgage payments, car loans, and consumer debt are not deductible, regardless of how significant those expenses may be.
Texas guideline child support is generally set at 20% of net resources for one child, increasing to 25%, 30%, 35%, and 40% for two through five children.
For example, a parent earning $1,000 a week has a monthly gross income of about $4,333. After illustrative deductions for federal tax and FICA, net resources are roughly $3,500 a month, resulting in guideline child support of about $700 a month for one child, or approximately $875 for two.
In another scenario, a parent earning $2,000 a week has a monthly gross income of about $8,667. After similar illustrative deductions, net resources are roughly $6,600 a month, resulting in guideline support of about $1,320 for one child, or around $1,980 for three.
Actual tax withholding varies by year and individual circumstances, so a calculator is the best way to estimate support using current figures. GBA Family Law’s Texas child support calculator gives a quick estimate based on your own numbers; the Attorney General’s official calculator is a useful cross-check for lower incomes or multiple-household situations. It’s also worth noting that where six or more children are before the court, the obligation cannot be less than the amount set for five children (§154.125(b)).
| Children | Guideline Percentage |
| 1 | 20% |
| 2 | 25% |
| 3 | 30% |
| 4 | 35% |
| 5 | 40% |
For a broader look at how these obligations work, see Texas Child Support 101.
Since September 1, 2025, Texas has capped guideline child support at $11,700 in monthly net resources, resulting in a maximum guideline payment of $2,340 for one child. If you’ve heard there’s been a “new” child support law in Texas, this updated cap is almost certainly what’s being referred to.
The increase wasn’t introduced through a new bill. Instead, the Office of the Attorney General adjusted the previous $9,200 cap as part of its automatic inflation review, which takes place every six years. The next adjustment isn’t due until 2031 (§154.125(a-1)).
Under the current cap, the maximum guideline amounts are $2,340 for one child, $2,925 for two, $3,510 for three, $4,095 for four, and $4,680 for five.
If your income exceeds the cap, it’s natural to wonder whether there’s any upper limit at all. The answer is yes. A court can order child support above these guideline amounts, but only where there’s evidence of a child’s proven needs – not simply because a parent has a higher income (§154.126). Those cases often involve detailed financial evidence and careful legal analysis, which is why families with above-cap incomes frequently benefit from experienced guidance. Every case turns on its own facts, so no particular outcome can ever be guaranteed.
| Children | Maximum Guideline Support |
| 1 | $2,340 |
| 2 | $2,925 |
| 3 | $3,510 |
| 4 | $4,095 |
| 5 | $4,680 |
Parents with monthly net resources below $1,000 follow a reduced guideline, starting at 15% of net resources for one child.
The low-income schedule increases to 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% for two through five children and has been in effect since September 1, 2021 (§154.125(c)). It reflects an important principle: Texas recognizes that the standard guideline isn’t equally affordable for every family. Rather than applying the same percentage regardless of circumstance, the law reduces the obligation below the $1,000 threshold to better reflect financial reality.
If your biggest concern right now is simply making ends meet while continuing to support your child, these provisions may be especially important. For a practical explanation of how the low-income schedule works, see Texas Law Help’s guide on child support and lower incomes.
No. In Texas, medical support and dental support sit alongside child support – they aren’t included within the percentage-based payment.
The paying parent (the obligor) is generally expected to provide health insurance for the children unless the court orders otherwise (§154.181). At first glance, that can sound like paying twice, but that’s not how the calculation works. The cost of the children’s insurance premium is deducted from the obligor’s net resources before child support is calculated, so it’s accounted for once rather than counted twice (§154.062).
If you’re trying to understand how all of this affects your wider finances, our guide on whether child support counts as income also explains the tax position.
Many parents assume that equal parenting time automatically means neither parent pays child support. In Texas, it isn’t quite that straightforward.
The Family Code doesn’t set out an automatic rule for 50/50 possession schedules. Instead, courts focus on what’s in the child’s best interests. In practice, where one household has a significantly higher income than the other, the higher-earning parent will often still pay child support, even when parenting time is shared equally.
For example, if one parent’s guideline obligation is $1,800 per month and the other’s is $700, the court doesn’t simply cancel both figures because parenting time is equal. Instead, the amounts are offset, leaving the higher-earning parent responsible for the $1,100 difference, paid to the other parent.
For many parents, this can feel surprising at first. But the court’s focus is on helping ensure children experience stability and appropriate financial support across both homes.
For more on how parenting schedules fit into these decisions, see our child custody service page.
If you’re self-employed, calculating child support is rarely as simple as pointing to a salary on a pay stub. Business owners, freelancers, and contractors often have income that rises and falls, along with legitimate business expenses that don’t always tell the full story.
Texas calculates self-employment income using business earnings minus ordinary and necessary expenses, although certain deductions, such as depreciation, may be added back (§154.065). That’s because a business can appear to generate relatively little taxable income while still producing meaningful cash flow. Courts look beyond the tax return to understand the business’s actual financial position.
Where a parent is intentionally underemployed – capable of earning more but choosing not to – a court can base child support on earning capacity rather than reported income. And when income fluctuates, as it often does with commission-based or seasonal work, courts commonly average earnings over time instead of relying on a single month’s figures (§154.066).
Untangling business finances from personal income can quickly become one of the most technically challenging parts of a child support case. It’s a situation GBA’s attorneys regularly help clients navigate, ensuring the financial picture presented to the court is as accurate and complete as possible.
Supporting children in more than one household can make an already complex situation feel even harder to navigate. Texas law recognizes that reality. Rather than applying the standard child support percentage separately to each household, courts use the statutory multiple-family table, which adjusts the guideline percentage to reflect that one income is supporting more than one set of children (§154.129).
If this applies to your family, it’s an important detail to understand because it changes the calculation in a way that isn’t obvious from the standard guideline percentages alone.
Life rarely stands still after a child support order is made. Careers change, families grow, incomes shift, and children’s needs evolve. Texas law allows child support to be modified after a material and substantial change in circumstances or, after three years, if applying the guidelines would change the existing order by at least 20% or $100 (§156.401). One point that’s easy to overlook is that the higher 2025 income cap doesn’t automatically increase an existing order. A parent must file for a modification before those changes can be considered.
When support isn’t being paid, Texas has strong enforcement tools – often referred to in searches as the “deadbeat dad law.” These include wage withholding, tax refund and lottery intercepts, license suspension, liens, and contempt proceedings, all administered through the Texas Office of the Attorney General.
It’s equally important to understand that child support and visitation are treated as separate legal obligations. Even if parenting time is being wrongfully denied, support payments must continue. Under Texas law, one obligation doesn’t cancel out the other (§154.011).
Understanding the formula is only the beginning. The more difficult questions are often how it applies to your circumstances – whether that involves self-employment, income above the statutory cap, a 50/50 parenting schedule, or modifying an existing order. This is where experienced legal judgment becomes invaluable.
Goranson Bain Ausley includes Board Certified family law specialists, certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, with experience handling complex, high-income, and above-cap child support matters.
The firm also includes former family court judges, offering valuable insight into how Texas courts approach child support decisions and requests to deviate from the guidelines. As the largest family law firm in Texas, with attorneys across eight offices, experienced guidance is never far away.
Whatever your circumstances, our priority is making thoughtful decisions that protect your children’s wellbeing, both now and in the years ahead. When you’re ready, talk with a GBA Family Law attorney about your circumstances or schedule a consultation to discuss your next steps.
Our attorneys are experienced in all aspects of family law and will guide you through each step of the process, ensuring you have the information you need to make wise decisions and prepare for the future.
At Goranson Bain Ausley, we strive to deliver clarity about what comes next and confidence that you and your family’s future are more secure. Contact our team and discover how we can help you.
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