Austin Child Support Lawyer
Legally reviewed by Alicia Lackey, J.D. — Texas attorney since 2007 · Last updated March 13, 2025
Texas child support is a formula, with exceptions that matter. At Lackey Law Firm, our Austin child support lawyers take on original orders, above-guideline cases, modifications and enforcement before Travis County judges, and they often work side by side with our Austin child custody lawyers on the same family’s case.
Guideline support is a percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources (20 percent for one child, 25 percent for two, 30 for three, 35 for four and 40 for five or more, Texas Family Code §154.125) applied to net resources up to a cap of $11,700 a month, the figure in effect since September 1, 2025. Above that cap, a court can order more only on proof of the child’s actual needs, which is where cases involving Austin business owners, physicians and executives are decided.
Parents can also turn to the firm’s wider family law services when support is only one part of the case.
Talk with an Austin child support lawyer about your order.
How Child Support Is Calculated in Texas
The calculation starts with the paying parent’s net resources: all income (wages, bonuses, commissions, self-employment and business income, dividends, rental income and retirement benefits) less federal income tax for a single person claiming one exemption, Social Security and Medicare taxes, union dues and the cost of the child’s health insurance (Texas Family Code §154.062). The guideline percentage is then applied to the first $11,700 of monthly net resources.
That cap rose to $11,700 from $9,200 on September 1, 2025, so the maximum guideline support for one child is now $2,340 a month, up from $1,840. Orders signed before that date keep the old figure until they are modified. Parents may agree to an amount above or below the guidelines, but a judge must find the agreement is in the child’s best interest before signing it.
Income from stepparents or new partners won’t be included in this calculation, which protects both parents from unfair financial burdens.
When the parents were never married, support is set in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship after paternity is established (by acknowledgment or DNA testing) and the same guidelines apply.
Texas child support continues until the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever comes later, and can continue indefinitely for an adult child with a disability that began before 18.
Meet Your Child Support Attorney
Parents who need a child support lawyer at Lackey Law Firm work with Alicia Lackey, the firm’s managing partner, and the family law team who support her. She earned her law degree at St. Mary’s University School of Law and her undergraduate degree at The University of Texas in Austin. In addition to practicing Criminal Law and Family Law, Alicia is also a Certified Mediator.
That mediation background is useful in support cases. Many parents settle the amount through negotiation or mediation instead of a contested hearing.
Working with an Austin child support attorney at our firm means someone explains each number in the calculation. We keep you informed as the case moves forward. We also prepare the pay records and other papers the court will review. Our goal is service that is honest, prompt and personalized, from the first meeting to the signed order.
Schedule a confidential consultation with Lackey Law Firm.
Changing a Child Support Order in Travis County
A Texas court can modify child support in two situations: the circumstances of the child or a parent have materially and substantially changed since the last order, or three years have passed and the guideline amount would differ from the current order by 20 percent or $100 a month. A new job, a lost job, a large raise, a new child or a change in the possession schedule are the typical triggers.
For most Austin parents, the order being changed was signed by a Travis County district court. The petition is filed in the Travis County court that signed the last order, and until a judge signs a new order the old amount stays due; informal agreements between parents do not change what the court will enforce. The Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division also offers an administrative review, which is slower but free. Our modifications page explains what evidence courts find persuasive.
Austin Office Location
Lackey Law Firm, Austin Office
12600 Hill Country Blvd, Suite R-275
Austin, TX 78738
Austin Family Law Office
- Lackey Law Firm, P.C. 12600 Hill Country Blvd. Suite R-275 Austin, TX 78738
- 512-501-1618
Work With a Child Support Lawyer Who Knows Travis County
Child support shapes your budget and your children’s stability for years, so the details of the order matter.
Maybe you are asking for support, or maybe you have been asked to pay it. Either way, our child support law firm can walk you through the guideline amount, the evidence the court will weigh and how the order can change later. Bring your most recent pay records and any existing order to your first meeting with a child support lawyer, so the numbers can be checked right away.
To schedule a consultation, complete the online contact form.
Austin Child Support Questions
Do you pay child support with 50/50 custody in Texas?
Often, yes. Texas guidelines do not automatically offset support for equal possession time. Judges and parents in agreed orders frequently use an offset (the higher earner pays the difference between the two guideline amounts), but it is a negotiated or discretionary outcome, not an automatic one.
Can the mother cancel child support?
No. Child support belongs to the child, not the parent, so a receiving parent cannot waive it on her own. Parents can agree to modify or end support, but only a signed court order makes the change effective, and a court must find it is in the child’s best interest.
What does child support cover?
Guideline support is intended to cover the child’s ordinary living expenses: housing, food, clothing, school costs and activities. Health and dental coverage and uninsured medical expenses are ordered separately, and above-guideline support can be ordered for proven needs beyond the ordinary.
How do I report non-payment of child support in Texas?
You can open a case with the Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division or file a motion for enforcement in the Travis County court that signed the order. A private enforcement motion is usually the faster route and can include a request for attorney’s fees and a judgment on the arrears.
