Sources and scope: the legal statements below were compared with the linked Texas statutes, court rules, and court or agency material. This is general legal information, not advice about a specific case.
Start with net resources and the number of children before the court
For one household, the basic arithmetic is the obligor’s monthly net resources multiplied by the percentage for the number of children in the case. The other parent’s income is relevant to some issues and possible deviations, but it is not simply combined with the obligor’s income in the base Texas formula.
The low-income schedule applies only when monthly net resources are less than $1,000. At exactly $1,000, the standard schedule applies. If the obligor supports children in another household, §§154.128 and 154.129 supply a different calculation.
| Children in this case | Net resources of $1,000 or more | Net resources below $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20% | 15% |
| 2 | 25% | 20% |
| 3 | 30% | 25% |
| 4 | 35% | 30% |
| 5 | 40% | 35% |
| 6 or more | At least the five-child amount | At least the five-child amount |
Net resources are not the same as one paycheck’s take-home pay
Section 154.062 reaches more than salary. It includes items such as wages, overtime, commissions, tips, bonuses, interest, dividends, royalties, self-employment income, net rental income, retirement benefits, severance, trust distributions, annuities, capital gains, unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, gifts, prizes, and other actual income. The same section excludes certain items, including return of principal or capital and benefits from means-tested public assistance programs.
Variable earnings should be averaged over a period that fairly reflects what the parent receives instead of using a convenient high or low pay period. For a self-employed parent, the statute starts with gross receipts and subtracts ordinary and necessary expenses required to produce that income; personal expenses run through a business do not become deductible merely because they appear on its books.
Only the deductions listed in §154.062 reduce net resources
- Social Security taxes—or nondiscretionary retirement-plan contributions when the parent does not pay Social Security tax.
- Federal income tax calculated for a single person claiming one personal exemption and the standard deduction, using the current OAG tax chart rather than the amount withheld from a particular check.
- State income tax actually paid, if any.
- Required union dues.
- Qualifying expenses for the child’s health and dental coverage or court-ordered cash medical and dental support.
The $11,700 figure limits the income subject to the percentage
The Attorney General adjusted the guideline net-resource cap from $9,200 to $11,700 effective September 1, 2025. Applying the standard schedule at that cap produces $2,340 for one child, $2,925 for two, $3,510 for three, $4,095 for four, and $4,680 for five children.
Those amounts are not universal maximum child-support orders. Under §154.126, a court dealing with net resources above $11,700 applies the percentage to the capped amount first, then may add support based on the parents’ income and the child’s proven needs. Multiplying every dollar above the cap by the same percentage skips that required analysis.
Another legal child can change the percentage
When the obligor has a legal duty to support children in more than one household, Texas offers a computation in §154.128 and alternative multiple-family tables in §154.129. Section 154.129 now contains both standard and low-income adjusted tables.
The calculation depends on how many children are before the court and how many other children the obligor has a duty to support. It is not always reproduced by subtracting an existing order from income, so a one-household calculator should not be used as the final figure in a multiple-family case.
Base support does not finish the medical and dental calculation
A Texas order must deal with medical support and dental support as well as monthly base support. For coverage to be considered available at a reasonable cost to the obligor, the health-insurance premium is generally tested against 9% of annual resources and the dental premium against 1.5%, subject to the ordering rules in Chapter 154.
When a family plan covers adults or other children, do not enter the entire premium as a deduction. The statute describes how to isolate the portion attributable to the child. The final order should also say who pays uninsured expenses, in what share, and how reimbursement requests are exchanged.
The guideline can be changed when it would be unjust or inappropriate
Texas does not publish a fixed overnight credit. Equal or expanded possession can be evidence for a deviation, but it does not automatically erase support or turn the guideline into a shared-custody formula.
- The child’s age, education, health, and other particular needs.
- Each parent’s ability to contribute and the financial resources available for the child’s support.
- The amount of possession and access, travel between households, child care, and extraordinary expenses.
- Other legal dependents, income from property, spousal maintenance, and benefits paid because of the child or a parent’s disability.
- The other circumstances listed in §154.123 that the evidence makes relevant.
Example: two children and $5,700 in net resources
1. Average the included income
Assume the obligor receives $7,200 a month from wages and other recurring resources included by §154.062.
2. Use only permitted deductions
Assume properly calculated federal tax, Social Security tax, union dues, and qualifying child coverage total $1,500. Net resources are $5,700.
3. Choose the right schedule
$5,700 is above the low-income threshold and below the cap, so the standard schedule applies.
4. Apply the two-child percentage
$5,700 multiplied by 25% gives $1,425 in monthly base support when there is no multiple-family adjustment.
5. Finish the rest of the order
Medical and dental support, uninsured expenses, any above-cap needs, and an evidence-based deviation remain separate questions.
A reliable input needs more than the latest pay stub
- Enough pay statements to show regular earnings and the pattern of overtime, commission, tips, or bonuses.
- The latest tax return, self-employment records if applicable, and the 2026 OAG chart for the correct employment type.
- Proof of required union dues and the child-only share of health and dental premiums.
- The children in the current case and every child in another household whom the obligor has a legal duty to support.
- Existing support orders, Social Security benefits paid for the child, and records supporting an unusual need or requested deviation.
Questions readers often ask
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of income is Texas child support for one child?
The standard rate is 20% of monthly net resources for one child when all supported children are in one household. If net resources are less than $1,000, the low-income rate is 15%. Children in another household can require a multiple-family adjustment.
What is the Texas child support cap for 2026?
The guideline percentages apply to the first $11,700 in monthly net resources under the adjustment effective September 1, 2025. Section 154.126 allows additional support above that amount when evidence proves the child has additional needs.
Does 50/50 parenting time cancel child support in Texas?
No. Texas has no statewide formula that makes support zero at equal possession. A judge may consider the possession schedule as one reason to deviate, but the base calculation does not contain an automatic overnight credit.
Can a Texas child support amount be changed later?
Yes, when the modification requirements are met, such as a material and substantial change or certain three-year review circumstances. The existing amount remains enforceable until a court signs a modified order.
Sources used for this guide
Official sources
- Texas Family Code, Chapter 154 — Child Support
The chapter defines net resources and deductions, supplies both percentage schedules, and addresses deviations, medical support, and multiple households.
- Texas Register — 2025 Child Support Guideline Cap Adjustment
The Attorney General’s notice raises the maximum net resources subject to the percentage guideline to $11,700 effective September 1, 2025.
- Texas OAG — 2026 Child Support Tax Charts
These tables apply the 2026 federal tax and payroll-tax assumptions for employed and self-employed obligors.