Child Support in Texas
Child support in Texas starts with a formula. The Texas Family Code applies a percentage to the paying parent's net resources based on the number of children, then adds health and dental coverage. This page shows the current guideline figures, where they come from, how support is collected, and when an order can change.
What a Texas child support order requires
Child support in Texas is a court-ordered payment from one parent, called the obligor, to the other parent, called the obligee, to help cover a child's needs. Under Texas Family Code § 154.122, an amount set by the statewide guidelines is presumed reasonable and in the child's best interest.
Section 154.001 lets a court keep support in place until one of these events:
- The later of two milestones: the 18th birthday or high school graduation. Support past 18 requires enrollment and attendance under § 154.002.
- The child marries, dies or is otherwise emancipated.
- For a disabled child, support may continue for an indefinite period.
Guideline percentages for child support in Texas
Texas Family Code § 154.125 sets support at 20 percent of the obligor's monthly net resources for one child, rising 5 percentage points for each additional child up to 40 percent for five. Those percentages stop at a ceiling on net resources, set at $11,700 a month beginning September 1, 2025.
| Children | Net resources $1,000 up to the cap | Net resources under $1,000 | Monthly amount at the $11,700 cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20% | 15% | $2,340 |
| 2 | 25% | 20% | $2,925 |
| 3 | 30% | 25% | $3,510 |
| 4 | 35% | 30% | $4,095 |
| 5 | 40% | 35% | $4,680 |
| 6 or more | Not less than the amount for five children | ||
The Attorney General adjusts the cap for inflation every six years under § 154.125(a-1). When net resources exceed the cap, § 154.126 lets a court add support based on the child's needs shown by the evidence. Parents supporting children in two households may use the table in § 154.129.
For a rough estimate, the Attorney General's Child Support Division offers a monthly child support calculator.
Net resources start with all income, minus specific deductions
Net resources, defined in Texas Family Code § 154.062, begin with nearly every kind of income a parent receives. The statute then subtracts a short list of items, such as taxes and the child's health insurance, to reach the figure the percentage applies to.
- Counted as resources
- Wages, commissions, overtime, tips and bonuses; self-employment income; interest, dividends and royalties; net rental income; and other income such as severance, retirement, Social Security other than SSI, unemployment, workers' compensation, gifts and spousal maintenance received.
- Not counted
- Return of principal or capital, accounts receivable, TANF and other federal public assistance benefits, and foster care payments.
- Deducted
- Federal income tax computed at the rate for a single person, Social Security taxes, state income tax, union dues, the court-ordered cost of the child's health and dental insurance or cash medical support, and, for a parent who does not pay Social Security tax, nondiscretionary retirement contributions.
With no evidence of a parent's income, § 154.068 presumes a federal minimum wage, 40-hour week. The Attorney General publishes tax charts each year under § 154.061(b) to help compute net income; the 2026 charts appeared in the Texas Register on December 19, 2025.
Health and dental insurance are added on top of guideline support
A Texas support order must also address medical and dental support for the child. Texas Family Code § 154.183 makes clear that those amounts are in addition to the guideline payment, count as child support, and can be collected the same way, including through wage withholding.
- Health insurance: under § 154.182, coverage through a parent's job comes first if it costs no more than 9 percent of the obligor's annual resources, the reasonable cost limit in § 154.181(e). Without coverage, the court orders cash medical support of up to 9 percent.
- Dental insurance: under § 154.1815, reasonable cost means a premium of no more than 1.5 percent of the obligor's annual resources.
- Uninsured costs: the court divides uncovered health, vision and dental expenses, deductibles and copays between the parents.
Unpaid support has several enforcement tools in Texas
Each missed or late child support payment turns into a final judgment for the unpaid amount by operation of Texas Family Code § 157.261. The parent owed support can file a motion for enforcement in the court that issued the order, and the Family Code gives that court several ways to collect.
Contempt
Under § 157.001, the court may enforce a support order by contempt. The motion must be filed by the second anniversary of the child turning 18 or the support duty ending, under § 157.005(a).
Money judgment and interest
Arrears can be confirmed in a money judgment if requested within ten years of the child becoming an adult or support ending. Delinquent support earns 6 percent simple interest under § 157.265.
Wage withholding and liens
A support order generally comes with an order withholding income from the obligor's earnings under § 158.001, and a child support lien arises by law against the obligor's property under § 157.312.
License suspension
Under § 232.003, a court or the Attorney General may suspend licenses when an obligor owes at least three months of support and has not kept to a repayment schedule.
When a Texas child support order can be modified
Texas Family Code § 156.401 gives a court two grounds for revising child support. The first is a significant shift in the situation of the child or a parent, which the statute describes as "material and substantial." The second becomes available when the order is three or more years old, counting from when it was signed or last modified, if the ordered amount and the guideline figure are now at least 20 percent or $100 apart. Any revision looks forward only.
- If the parents agreed to an amount that differs from the guidelines, only the changed-circumstances ground is available, under § 156.401(a-1).
- A new amount applies only to payments due after the other parent is served or appears in the case, under § 156.401(b).
- A rise in the receiving parent's standard of living does not justify an increase, under § 156.405.
How a request to change an existing support order is filed and decided is explained on the modifications page.
How child support connects to the rest of Texas family law
A child support order is usually part of a larger case about the same children, such as a divorce, a custody case between unmarried parents, or a paternity case. The Texas family law guide shows how these issues fit together in one suit.
- The child custody page covers conservatorship and the possession schedule.
- The divorce page covers the case where many support orders begin.
- The paternity page covers establishing a father before support is ordered.
- Support paid to a former spouse is a different subject, covered on the spousal maintenance page.
For local detail, see the Conroe family law attorney page or the Katy family law attorney page, and the courts page for where Montgomery County support cases are heard.
Child support in Texas: common questions
With one child, what figure does guideline child support in Texas produce?
The guideline for a single child is 20 percent of the obligor's monthly net resources, dropping to 15 percent when those resources are below $1,000. Under the $11,700 cap in effect since September 1, 2025, guideline support for one child is at most $2,340 a month, plus medical and dental support.
Can payments continue past my child's 18th birthday?
Yes, in two situations. Under Texas Family Code § 154.001, payments can keep going after the 18th birthday until the child finishes high school, as long as the child meets the enrollment and attendance rules in § 154.002. Support for a disabled child can continue indefinitely.
Is withholding visits a lawful response to missed support payments?
No, Texas law keeps parenting time and support payments separate. Under Texas Family Code § 153.001(b), a court may not make a parent's right to possession of a child depend on paying support. Unpaid support is handled through enforcement, such as contempt, wage withholding or a money judgment.
What has to happen before a support amount can be revised?
Section 156.401 offers two paths: a significant change in the child's or a parent's circumstances at any time, or the passing of three years combined with a gap of 20 percent or $100 between the ordered amount and the guidelines. The new amount applies only from the date the other parent is served or appears in the case.
Last reviewed: November 8, 2026. This page explains general Texas law. It is not legal advice about any particular case.
Need help with a support order of your own?
Whether you need an order set, changed or enforced, Jessica Fritz can explain how the rules for child support in Texas apply to your family's numbers.
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Jessica Fritz, family law attorney in Conroe, Texas
Every case at Fritz Law Firm, PLLC is handled by one lawyer, Jessica Fritz, working with the firm's staff. There are no associates, so your case is not handed off to someone you have never met.
Jessica Fritz gives clients straight answers about Texas family law, a frank view of where their case stands, and a clear next step.
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