If you’re facing divorce in Texas and have one child, you’re likely wondering exactly how much you’ll pay in child support. The answer might surprise you: Texas law typically requires the non-custodial parent to pay 20% of their net monthly resources for one child with no other child support obligations when the Standard Possession Schedule is followed. Many parents in Austin struggle to understand how this calculation works and whether their specific situation might warrant different arrangements.
In dollar terms, the guideline for one child is twenty percent of the paying parent’s monthly net resources, up to the $11,700 cap, a maximum guideline amount of $2,340 a month under orders signed on or after September 1, 2025. An Austin child support lawyer can apply these numbers to your own income.
Pro Tip: Start documenting your income and expenses now, including pay stubs, tax returns, and monthly bills. Having accurate financial records ready will help your attorney calculate support obligations more precisely.
How Net Resources Are Calculated
Understanding how Texas calculates child support can help you prepare for what lies ahead in your divorce proceedings. The process follows a specific formula that ensures consistency across cases, so the amount you pay doesn’t depend on which judge hears your case.
The starting point is gross income, which can reach beyond a regular paycheck to earnings from self-employment and other steady sources. Here’s how the calculation typically unfolds:
- First, Texas determines an obligor’s net monthly resources by deducting allowed items (social security taxes, federal income tax computed for a single filer, any state income tax, union dues, child health/dental insurance premiums, and certain retirement contributions) from gross income.
- Next, the net resources left after those deductions, up to the cap, are multiplied by the guideline percentage.
Pro Tip: If your income varies significantly month to month (common for self-employed parents or commission-based workers), keep a 12-month average for the last three years ready. Courts often use annual averages for inconsistent income situations.
When the Paying Parent Supports Other Children
Texas guidelines follow what’s called a “percentage of obligor’s income model” for calculating child support, which means the non-custodial parent (the obligor) pays a percentage of their net resources based on the number of children before the Court and the number of other children. The percentage is reduced when the paying parent supports children in another household.
So the 20% figure is the starting share only when the paying parent has no other child to support. If that parent also has a duty to support a child who lives elsewhere, the share used for the child in this case goes down, and it generally drops further as the number of other children grows.
The adjustment leaves room for the parent’s other support duties while keeping each child’s support tied to the same income.
Medical and Dental Support on Top of the Base Amount
Every Texas child support order also allocates the child’s health and dental coverage. The court orders one parent to carry insurance and the other to reimburse a share of the premium, or orders cash medical support when no reasonable coverage is available (Texas Family Code §154.182). Uninsured expenses (copays, deductibles, orthodontia) are usually split between the parents in the order itself. Omitting these terms is a common mistake in agreed orders and a frequent reason parents are back in court within two years.
Does the 20% child support rate in Texas include healthcare and childcare costs?
No, the 20% basic child support obligation typically doesn’t include healthcare premiums, unreimbursed medical expenses, or childcare costs. These are usually calculated separately and divided between parents based on their incomes. Your Texas divorce attorney can help you understand how these additional expenses will be allocated in your specific case.
When Courts Order More or Less Than the Guideline
A judge is not locked into the formula. Support can be set higher or lower when the facts of a family show the guideline amount would not fit. There are also many factors for deviating up or down from guideline support set out in the Texas Family Code section 154.123, such as: age and needs of the child, amount of possession time with each parent, and cost of travel to exercise possession time.
Can I pay less than 20% if I have my child 50% of the time?
Possibly. Texas child support guidelines consider the amount of time each parent spends with the child. If you have your child for extended periods beyond standard possession, the court may adjust the support amount. However, 50/50 custody doesn’t automatically eliminate support obligations, especially if there’s a significant income difference between parents.
An offset, in which the parent who earns more pays the gap between the two guideline figures, shows up often in agreed orders and in some judges’ rulings, but it has to be negotiated or ordered; it never happens on its own.
How Much Room the Guidelines Leave
While the 20% guideline provides a starting point, every family’s situation is unique. Texas law recognizes this by allowing courts to consider all income and resources when making final determinations. The state’s approach aims to create consistency while still allowing flexibility for special circumstances.
Pro Tip: Consider proposing a detailed parenting plan that addresses not just basic support but also how you’ll handle future expenses like college, extracurriculars, and medical costs. Courts often approve well-thought-out agreements that go beyond minimum requirements.
What happens if my income exceeds the statutory cap for child support calculations?
Texas applies its percentage guidelines to the obligor’s monthly net resources up to the published cap (net resources of $11,700 per month effective September 1, 2025, subject to future adjustment). If net resources exceed that published amount, a court may order additional child support based on the child’s proven needs under Tex. Fam. Code §154.126.
Using a Calculator for a Rough Estimate
For a quick estimate, the Texas Office of the Attorney General offers a free online child support calculator. You enter income figures, and it works through the deductions and the guideline percentage to produce a monthly number.
Treat the result as a ballpark figure, not a prediction of your order. It is most reliable when income comes from one steady paycheck. Commissions, bonuses, a family business or several income streams make net resources harder to pin down, and a calculator can’t weigh the reasons a judge might go above or below the guideline.
See our post on the Texas child support cap for how the higher cap works.
Getting Help Applying the Guidelines
The formula looks simple, but most disagreements come from the inputs: what counts as income, which deductions apply, and whether a deviation fits. A family law attorney can check the net resources figure, spot income that was left out, and make sure medical and dental terms are written into the order.
At Lackey Law Firm, child support questions are handled alongside our Austin child custody lawyers, since the parenting schedule and support often affect each other.
If the other parent stops paying, our post on child support enforcement in Texas explains the options.
If your circumstances change after the order is signed, see how to modify child support in Texas.
Talk With Lackey Law Firm
If you have questions about your divorce, custody or support case, our family law attorneys can review your situation and explain your options.
