Educating You About Child Support Requirements
In Texas, child support is determined by the statutory guidelines contained in the family law code. However, there are circumstances when the family judge can order the parent without primary residential custody to pay a higher or lower amount than the guidelines.
I’m Gregory Hitt, a family law attorney in Austin, Texas. I help people in Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties understand their rights and obligations when it comes to child support.
Statutory Guidelines
Under the Texas statutory guidelines, the amount of child support paid by the parent without primary residential custody is as follows:
- 20 percent of net resources for one child
- 25 percent of net resources for two children
- 30 percent of net resources for three children
- 40 percent of net resources for four children or more
“Net resources” is your income after Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid withholding, federal income withholding and medical insurance premiums for your children have been deducted. Guideline child support is calculated on net resources of up to $8,550.00 per month, which means that guideline child support can reach as high as $1,710 for one child and $2,137.50 for two children.
Texas courts can deviate from the guideline support amounts based on the needs of the child. Needs of a child depend on the individual circumstances, and can include things like special medical care for a disabled child, special schooling and other items.
Child support can be modified if there is a significant change in the financial circumstances of the payer. If a parent fails to pay child support as ordered, he or she can be subject to a child support enforcement action.
Contact My Law Firm To Learn More
For a personal consultation with lawyer Gregory Hitt about child support, contact by calling [nap_phone id=”LOCAL-CT-NUMBER-2″]. My office is located at S. Capital of Texas Highway (South Loop 360) just north of Westbank Dr. in the Westlake area.
