Texas Child Support — Calculator, Laws & Guide (2026)

Understanding Texas child support laws helps both custodial and non-custodial parents know their rights and obligations. This comprehensive Texas child support guide covers how payments are calculated, what income counts, when support can be modified, and how orders are enforced. Whether you are going through a divorce, seeking a modification, or dealing with non-payment, this guide explains Texas’s child support system in plain language.

Verified against Texas statutes and federal OCSE guidelines as of April 2026.

Texas Child Support Overview

Texas uses the percentage of income model. Child support is calculated as a set percentage of the non-custodial parent’s income, based on the number of children. This model is simpler but considers only one parent’s income.

How Texas Calculates Child Support

The Texas child support calculation considers multiple factors:

1. Determine each parent’s gross income — wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, investment income, and other sources.
2. Calculate combined parental income — add both parents’ adjusted gross incomes together.
3. Apply the guideline schedule — Texas’s guidelines provide a base support amount based on combined income and number of children.
4. Prorate between parents — each parent’s share is proportional to their percentage of the combined income.
5. Add healthcare and childcare costs — these are added to the base amount and divided proportionally.
6. Apply adjustments — parenting time credits, other child obligations, and special circumstances may adjust the final amount.

Online calculator: Use our child support estimator below to calculate your estimated obligation.

What Counts as Income in Texas

Texas uses “net resources” (not gross income). Net resources = all income from all sources minus specific allowed deductions. Income sources include: 100% of wages, salary, commissions, overtime, tips, bonuses; net rental income (rent minus operating expenses and mortgage, excluding depreciation); severance pay; retirement benefits and pensions; trust income; annuities; capital gains; Social Security benefits (except SSI); VA disability benefits (except non-service-connected disability pension); unemployment benefits; disability and workers’ compensation benefits; interest income from notes; gifts and prizes; spousal maintenance and alimony. Allowed deductions: federal income tax (single filing, one exemption), Social Security/Medicare taxes (FICA), cost of health and dental insurance for the child, union dues, and nondiscretionary retirement contributions (if obligor does not pay Social Security). Excluded from resources: SSI, return on principal or capital, accounts receivable, TANF payments, foster care payments.

Imputed income: YES. Under Texas Family Code §154.066, if a parent’s actual income is significantly less than earning potential due to intentional unemployment or underemployment, the court may apply guidelines to the parent’s earning potential. No proof of motive is required — “intentional” modifies the employment status itself. When no reliable evidence of income exists, courts presume income equal to federal minimum wage for a 40-hour work week. Important exception: incarceration cannot be considered intentional unemployment or underemployment. Courts also consider whether a veteran is seeking or receiving VA disability benefits.

Deviation factors: Under Texas Family Code §154.123, courts may deviate from guidelines if evidence rebuts the presumption that guidelines serve the child’s best interest. Factors include: (1) age and needs of the child; (2) ability of the parents to contribute to support; (3) financial resources available for the child; (4) amount of possession time and access; (5) obligee’s net resources and earning potential; (6) childcare expenses to maintain gainful employment; (7) conservatorship or custody of another child; (8) alimony or spousal maintenance paid or received; (9) post-secondary education expenses; (10) employer-furnished benefits (auto, housing, etc.); (11) other deductions from wages; (12) health insurance provision and uninsured medical expenses; (13) special or extraordinary educational, healthcare, or other expenses; (14) cost of travel for possession and access; (15) cash flow from property, assets, business, or investments; (16) debts or debt service; (17) any other reason consistent with the best interest of the child considering circumstances of the parents. Court must make specific findings explaining why guidelines are inappropriate.

Healthcare & Childcare in Texas Child Support

Health insurance: Texas requires medical and dental support in all child support cases under §154.181-182. The court must order the obligor to provide health insurance for the child if available at “reasonable cost” — defined as not exceeding 9% of the obligor’s annual resources for one or more children. If insurance is not available at reasonable cost, the court orders cash medical support (also capped at 9% of annual resources) paid to the obligee. The cost of the child’s health and dental insurance premiums is deducted from the obligor’s gross income when calculating net resources. Each parent typically pays 50% of uninsured or unreimbursed medical expenses. Medical support is ordered separately from the base child support amount.

Childcare costs: Childcare expenses are not a separate add-on in the base formula but are listed as a deviation factor under §154.123(b)(6). Courts consider childcare expenses incurred by either party to maintain gainful employment when determining whether to deviate from guideline amounts. If the obligor pays for childcare, it may be factored into the support calculation. The base percentage-of-income formula is intended to cover general childcare needs, but courts have discretion to increase or decrease support based on actual childcare costs.

When Does Texas Child Support End?

In Texas, child support generally ends when the child reaches Child support ends when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. If the child turns 18 before graduating, support continues until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. Support continues indefinitely if the child has a mental or physical disability that existed before age 18 and prevents self-support. Early termination may occur through emancipation (marriage, military enlistment, or court order — minimum age 17 for court-ordered emancipation). The obligation does not auto-terminate; a party must file a petition to formally end support.. However, support may continue or end earlier based on:

• The child graduates from high school (if still a minor)
• The child becomes emancipated (marriage, military service, self-supporting)
• The child has special needs requiring ongoing support
• College support: NO. Texas law does not require parents to pay for college expenses or continue child support past age 18 or high school graduation. However, post-secondary education expenses are listed as a deviation factor under §154.123(b)(9), and parents may voluntarily agree to college support in a settlement or court order. If a court order requires college support, it remains enforceable until modified.

Modifying Texas Child Support

When to modify: A child support order may be modified based on a “material and substantial change in circumstances” affecting the child, parent, or other person in the order. Texas law does not strictly define this term, but provides specific grounds: (1) the current order differs by 20% or 100 (whichever is applicable) from the guideline amount based on current circumstances; OR (2) it has been 3 or more years since the order was established or last modified. Other qualifying changes include: significant income increase or decrease, additional children the obligor is legally responsible for, change in child’s medical insurance coverage, change in custody arrangement, or change in child’s needs.

How to modify: Either parent may request modification through (1) the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Child Support Division, which offers a Child Support Review Process under Family Code Chapter 233, or (2) by filing a petition to modify in the court that issued the original order. Through the OAG, the process typically takes at least 6 months. The existing court order remains in effect until a judge signs a new order — parents cannot unilaterally reduce payments. Both parties must follow the current order until officially modified.

Either parent can request a modification. Changes are typically not retroactive to before the date of filing the modification request.

Texas Child Support Enforcement

Texas has multiple tools to enforce child support orders when a parent fails to pay:

• Texas provides extensive enforcement tools through the OAG: (1) wage withholding — automatic income withholding sent to employer
• up to 50% of disposable earnings
• with priority over all other garnishments; (2) license suspension — driver’s
• professional
• hunting
• and fishing licenses through 60+ licensing agencies; (3) contempt of court — civil or criminal contempt
• possible incarceration (jury trial required if sentence may exceed 180 days); (4) federal and state tax refund intercept; (5) passport denial for arrears exceeding 2500; (6) liens on property
• bank accounts
• retirement plans
• life insurance
• personal injury claims
• insurance settlements
• and other assets; (7) credit bureau reporting; (8) insurance intercept program; (9) criminal prosecution for non-support; (10) Child Support Evaders program for most-wanted obligors.

Contact Texas Office of the Attorney General, Child Support Division at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/child-support for enforcement assistance.

Additional Texas rules: (1) Texas is one of few states using the percentage-of-obligor’s-income model rather than income shares — the custodial parent’s income is NOT factored into the base guideline calculation; (2) net resources cap of 11700 per month (effective Sept 1, 2025) — for income above the cap, the court determines additional amounts based on the child’s proven needs and best interest; (3) low-income guidelines with reduced percentages for obligors earning under 1000 per month in net resources (effective Sept 1, 2021); (4) incarceration explicitly cannot be treated as intentional unemployment under §154.066; (5) medical support is ordered as a separate component with a 9% of annual resources cap for reasonable insurance cost; (6) multiple-family adjustment under §154.128 reduces percentages when the obligor supports children in multiple households; (7) Texas has a Child Support Evaders program that publicly identifies the most-wanted obligors with outstanding warrants.

Official Sources & Resources

• Texas Office of the Attorney General, Child Support Division: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/child-support
• Federal OCSE: acf.hhs.gov/css
• Cornell LII — Child Support: law.cornell.edu
• Texas Guidelines Statute: Texas Family Code, Title 5, Subtitle B, Chapter 154 (Child Support), §§154.001 through 154.309. Key sections: §154.062 (net resources), §154.123 (deviation factors), §154.125 (guideline percentages and net resources cap), §154.128 (multiple families), §154.181-182 (medical support). Modification: Chapter 156 (§156.401). Enforcement: Chapters 157-158 and 232.

Last verified April 2026. Contact us if you notice outdated information.

Estimate Your Child Support

Use our free child support estimator to calculate estimated monthly payments. Enter both parents’ incomes, number of children, and custody arrangement to see a personalized breakdown based on your state’s formula.

Related Guides

• Texas Divorce Process Guide
• Texas Child Custody Guide
• Texas Alimony Guide
• All Child Support Guides