Texas Family Law Tools
Texas Child Support Calculator
Estimate monthly child support under current Texas child support guidelines in just a few minutes. Then see how income, the number of children, medical support, and other details may affect the final amount.
This tool provides an estimate based on the information you enter. It is not legal advice or a guarantee of what a court will order. It may not fully account for disputed or self-employment income, children in more than one household, possession schedules, medical or dental support, the child’s proven needs, or other reasons a judge may order a different amount. Using this calculator does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Need a More Personalized Estimate?
An online calculator cannot account for every detail that may affect child support. Share a few details, and a Texas family law attorney can explain what your estimate may mean for your family.
Beyond the Number
What Can Change Your Texas Child Support Estimate?
Your result is a starting point based on the numbers you enter. The final amount may change after the court determines the paying parent’s net resources, applies the correct percentage, and considers the children and expenses involved.
Texas applies its child support percentage to monthly net resources, not simply take-home pay or gross income. Resources may include wages, salary, overtime, bonuses, commissions, tips, self-employment income, rental income, retirement benefits, interest, dividends, and other income listed in Texas Family Code § 154.062.
Texas law allows specific deductions when calculating net resources. These may include Social Security taxes, federal income tax calculated under the state’s required assumptions, state income tax when applicable, union dues, certain child health or dental coverage costs, and required retirement contributions for a person who does not pay Social Security taxes.
When all children live in one household, Texas generally applies these percentages to the paying parent’s monthly net resources:
- 1 child: 20%—$2,340 at the guideline cap
- 2 children: 25%—$2,925 at the guideline cap
- 3 children: 30%—$3,510 at the guideline cap
- 4 children: 35%—$4,095 at the guideline cap
- 5 children: 40%—$4,680 at the guideline cap
- 6 or more: At least the amount for five children
These are presumptive guideline amounts. Low-income rules, children in other households, and court-approved deviations may change the calculation.
If the paying parent has a legal duty to support children who are not part of this case, Texas uses a multiple-family adjustment. The correct percentage depends on how many children are before the court and how many other children the parent must support. Failing to include those children can make an estimate inaccurate.
A Texas order generally addresses health coverage, dental coverage, cash medical support, and uninsured healthcare expenses in addition to monthly child support. The cost of court-ordered coverage for the child may be included as an allowed deduction when calculating the paying parent’s net resources. Your total payment may therefore differ from the calculator’s base support estimate.
Texas does not use a statewide overnight-counting formula to calculate child support. A 50/50 possession schedule therefore does not automatically eliminate support. The court may still consider the possession schedule, each parent’s resources, and other facts when deciding whether the guideline amount is appropriate. Use our parenting time calculator to map the schedule separately.
Business income, irregular bonuses, commissions, overtime, and seasonal earnings can be harder to calculate than a regular paycheck. Bank records, tax returns, profit-and-loss statements, business expenses, and income history may all matter. A calculator cannot decide whether a claimed business expense is reasonable or how variable income should be averaged.
The standard guideline percentages currently apply to the first $11,700 of the paying parent’s monthly net resources. That cap is not always the maximum child support a court can order. When net resources exceed $11,700, a court may order additional support based on the child’s proven needs.
Texas courts generally begin with the guideline calculation, but a judge may order more or less when the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate. Relevant factors can include the child’s age and needs, childcare, education and healthcare expenses, travel costs, the possession schedule, each parent’s resources, support for other children, and other circumstances listed in Texas Family Code § 154.123.
What Does This Mean for Your Situation?
The calculator can give you a useful number for budgeting or preparing questions. Your estimate deserves a closer review if income is disputed, the paying parent owns a business, either parent has an unusual work schedule, there are children in another household, or monthly net resources exceed $11,700.
A Texas family law attorney can check the information behind your estimate, explain what may change the number, and help you understand what happens next.
Common Questions
Texas Child Support Calculator FAQs
Attorney-reviewed answers to common questions about calculating child support in Texas.
Texas generally calculates child support by determining the paying parent’s monthly net resources and applying a guideline percentage based on the number of children. The standard percentages are 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four, and 40% for five. Low-income rules, children in another household, the $11,700 cap, and court-approved deviations can change the calculation. Learn more about Texas child support guidelines and limits.
When all children covered by the order are in one household and monthly net resources are at least $1,000 but no more than $11,700, Texas generally applies 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four, and 40% for five. For six or more children, the amount may not be less than the amount for five children. When monthly net resources are below $1,000, the presumptive low-income percentages are 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% for one through five children.
Texas considers more than wages. Resources may include salary, overtime, tips, bonuses, commissions, self-employment earnings, interest, dividends, royalties, net rental income, retirement benefits, unemployment benefits, certain disability benefits, and other income. The court then subtracts only the deductions allowed by law to determine monthly net resources.
The amount generally depends on the paying parent’s monthly net resources, the number of children covered by the order, and whether low-income or multiple-family rules apply. The court may also order a different amount based on the child’s needs and other circumstances. Use the calculator for a guideline estimate, not a guaranteed payment.
No. Equal or nearly equal possession does not automatically make child support zero in Texas. The state does not use a standard overnight formula. A judge may consider the possession schedule and each parent’s financial circumstances, but one parent may still be ordered to pay support.
Texas does not have one absolute maximum for every family. The standard guideline percentages currently apply to up to $11,700 in monthly net resources. At that cap, the standard amount for one child is $2,340 per month. When the paying parent’s net resources exceed the cap, a court may order additional support based on the child’s proven needs.
Yes, but a change in income or circumstances does not automatically change an existing order. A court may modify support after a material and substantial change in circumstances. Another option may apply when at least three years have passed, and the new guideline amount differs from the existing order by at least 20% or $100 per month. Special rules apply when parents previously agreed to a non-guideline amount, so read more about modifying child support before relying on the three-year test.
The calculator can provide a useful guideline estimate when the information entered is accurate. It cannot predict how a judge will resolve disputed income or apply every adjustment. Results may be less precise when a parent is self-employed, earns income from several sources, supports children in another household, has net resources above $11,700, or asks the court to depart from the guidelines.
Tools & Resources
Explore More Texas Family Law Calculators
Child support is one part of the financial picture. Use our other Texas family law calculators to estimate attorney fees, organize assets and debts, review possible spousal maintenance, and map a parenting schedule.
Need Help Understanding Your Results?
Whether you are preparing for divorce, discussing a child support order, or considering a modification, a Texas family law attorney can help you understand what the calculator includes, what it leaves out, and what to prepare next. Learn more about family law attorney fees and costs.
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