Texas Child Support Calculator

At $6,000 per month in obligor's monthly net resources, Texas's guidelines produce roughly $1,200/month for 1 child, $1,500/month for 2 children, $1,800/month for 3 children, $2,100/month for 4 children. These figures come from running Texas's own guideline formula, but they hold several things constant -- assumes no tax withholding or other deductions entered, so net resources equal the income figure shown, and no other children owed support. Your actual number depends on both parents' incomes, your parenting-time schedule, and add-on costs like childcare and health insurance, so run the calculator for your own case.

Texas uses the Percentage of Obligor's Net Resources model. Texas applies a flat percentage of the paying parent's net monthly resources, set by the number of children: 20% for one child up to 40% for five or more. Net resources above the statutory cap are not counted toward the percentage.

Texas's guideline runs on net resources (paying parent only). That distinction matters: entering gross income into a formula built on net income (or the reverse) produces a materially wrong figure. Most states count income from essentially any regular source -- wages, self-employment, bonuses, commissions, rental and investment income, and many benefits -- not just salary.

Not necessarily. Texas calculates support as a percentage of the paying parent's own income, so parenting time is not a direct input to the base formula the way it is in income-shares states -- custody arrangements are generally handled as a reason to deviate from the guideline rather than as a variable inside it.

This calculator has been checked line by line against the statute it implements. It implements the guideline in effect as of 2025-09-01, and a human last checked it against the primary source on 2026-08-12. Sources: Tex. Fam. Code ch. 154 (§§ 154.062, 154.125, 154.129); Texas Register, Aug. 15, 2025 — OAG notice raising the net resources cap to $11,700. It is still an estimate, not a court order -- a judge can order a different amount, and this is not legal advice.

The Texas guideline this calculator implements took legal effect on 2025-09-01. States revise their guidelines periodically -- federal rules require each state to review its guidelines at least once every four years -- so a figure from an older calculator or article may reflect a superseded rule.

Federal income tax is entered by the user rather than derived from the OAG tax charts (which assume a single filer claiming one exemption and the standard deduction). § 154.128 (the alternative child-support-credit computation) is not offered; only the § 154.129 percentage table is used for multiple families. If any of these apply to your case, treat the estimate as a starting point and confirm the figure with an attorney, a mediator, or Texas's official worksheet.

Yes. The figure produced by Texas's Percentage of Obligor's Net Resources guideline is presumptive, not mandatory: a court can order a different amount when applying the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate for the specific case, and generally must state its reason on the record. Common grounds include extraordinary medical or educational expenses, a child's special needs, or costs the formula does not capture. Texas's guideline is set out in Tex. Fam. Code ch. 154 (§§ 154.062, 154.125, 154.129).

You have to file for a modification -- a change in your circumstances does not change what you owe on its own. Texas, like most states, requires a substantial change in circumstances: a significant involuntary income change, a change in the parenting schedule, or a material change in the child's needs. Until a court or the state child support agency issues a new order, the existing amount stays fully enforceable and arrears keep accruing, and a modification is generally not applied retroactively before the date you filed -- so filing promptly matters.