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Texas Child Support Calculator
Estimate your monthly Texas child support payment using the official Texas Family Code § 154.125 guideline percentages and the net resources cap effective September 1, 2025.
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How to Use the Texas Child Support Calculator
Texas bases child support on the paying parent's income only, so this calculator asks for one income. Enter it, press Calculate Estimate and read the breakdown below the result.
- Enter the paying parent's (the obligor's) gross monthly income, before taxes.
- Choose the number of children covered by the order.
- Add monthly union dues and the monthly cost of the child's health or dental insurance, if the paying parent pays them. Both reduce net resources.
Your numbers are sent with the form, not placed in the page address, and this site does not store them. The result is a planning estimate. Confirm it with the court or the Texas Office of the Attorney General.
New Texas Child Support Laws and Changes for 2026
Looking for new child support laws in Texas for 2026? Texas did not rewrite its guideline percentages. Under Family Code § 154.125 the guideline still sets support as a percentage of the paying parent's net resources: 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four and 40% for five or more. What changed is the cap on net resources: it rose to $11,700 a month, effective September 1, 2025, so the guideline maximum is now $2,340 for one child, $2,925 for two and $3,510 for three. The calculator above uses the current cap.
A new cap applies to orders and modifications going forward; it does not automatically change an existing order. Check the statute and the Texas Attorney General's Child Support Division for the current figures.
How Texas Calculates Child Support: Percentage of Net Resources
Texas does not combine both parents' incomes. Under Texas Family Code Chapter 154, the court starts from the paying parent's monthly net resources and applies a percentage that depends on the number of children. The calculator follows the same order:
- Gross to net resources. Start with gross monthly income, subtract the taxes and other deductions allowed by Section 154.062 (explained below) to reach net resources.
- Pick the percentage for the number of children from the guideline schedule in Section 154.125. A different, lower schedule applies when net resources are under $1,000 a month.
- Apply the net resources cap. The guideline percentages are applied only to net resources up to the cap, currently $11,700 a month (effective September 1, 2025).
- Result. Percentage × capped net resources is the presumptive monthly child support.
Because the cap is reviewed and published in the Texas Register only periodically (the statute says it is adjusted every six years as necessary to reflect inflation), we update it here whenever a new figure takes effect.
Texas Child Support Guideline Percentages and Maximum Amounts
These are the percentages in Section 154.125 and what they produce at the current $11,700 cap. Six or more children get not less than the five-child percentage.
| Number of children | Percentage (net resources $1,000 or more) | Maximum at the $11,700 cap | Percentage (net resources under $1,000) |
|---|
| 1 | 20% | $2,340 | 15% |
| 2 | 25% | $2,925 | 20% |
| 3 | 30% | $3,510 | 25% |
| 4 | 35% | $4,095 | 30% |
| 5 or more | 40% | $4,680 | 35% |
This is the Texas child support chart in plain form. The guideline figure is a presumption: a court can order a different amount if the evidence justifies it.
What Counts as Net Resources in Texas
Net resources are defined in Section 154.062. In short:
Included
- 100% of wages and salary, including commissions, overtime, tips and bonuses
- Self-employment income
- Interest, dividends and royalties
- Net rental income
- Other income actually received, such as severance, retirement benefits, pensions, trust income, annuities, capital gains, unemployment, disability and workers' compensation benefits, certain Social Security and VA benefits, gifts and prizes, spousal maintenance and alimony
Not included
- Return of principal or capital, accounts receivable
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and other federal public assistance
- Foster care payments
Deducted
- Social Security taxes
- Federal income tax, computed as for a single person claiming one personal exemption and the standard deduction
- State income tax (Texas has no personal income tax)
- Union dues
- The cost of health insurance, dental insurance or cash medical support for the child
- Non-discretionary retirement contributions, only if the paying parent does not pay Social Security taxes
This calculator estimates federal income tax and FICA from gross income using simplified 2025 brackets and the standard deduction. It is close to that method, but not exact for every situation.
Texas Child Support Examples
Example 1: Net resources of $4,000, 1 child
20% × $4,000 = $800 a month.
Example 2: Net resources of $6,500, 3 children
30% × $6,500 = $1,950 a month.
Example 3: High income above the cap, 2 children
The obligor has net resources of $14,000 a month. The percentage applies only up to the cap: 25% × $11,700 = $2,925 a month. Above the cap, the court may order more only if it is justified by the children's proven needs (see below).
Example 4: Net resources under $1,000, 2 children
With net resources of $900, the lower schedule applies: 20% × $900 = $180 a month.
These examples start from net resources. To start from gross income, use the calculator above: it estimates the taxes and deductions for you.
High Income: Texas Child Support Above the Cap
If the paying parent's net resources are above the cap, Section 154.126 says the court presumptively applies the guidelines only to the part up to the cap. It may order additional support above that amount, but not by simply applying the percentage. Instead it looks at the parents' incomes and the child's proven needs: the guideline amount is subtracted from the proven needs and the remainder is allocated between the parents. The paying parent cannot be ordered to pay more than the greater of the guideline amount or 100% of the child's proven needs.
That is why the calculator caps the estimate at the guideline maximum and tells you when your income is above the cap.
Texas Child Support With 50/50 or Shared Possession
Searching for a 50/50 child support calculator for Texas? Texas does not have a separate 50/50 formula or a parenting-time credit like some states. The guideline percentage is calculated from the paying parent's net resources, and the amount of possession time is one of the factors a court may weigh if a party asks it to deviate from the guidelines (Section 154.123, which also lists the child's needs, each parent's ability to contribute, child care expenses, health insurance and uninsured medical costs, travel for possession, and other factors).
So this calculator shows the guideline amount. It does not reduce it for equal time, and an actual order for equal possession can differ.
Children in More Than One Household
When the paying parent also supports other children, Section 154.128 adjusts the calculation. In outline, the court works out what support would be if all the children lived in one household, divides it by the total number of children, multiplies by the number of children not in this case to get a credit, subtracts that credit from net resources, and then applies the percentage for the children in this case. This calculator does not apply that adjustment, so the estimate is higher than the court's result if the paying parent supports other children.
What This Texas Estimate Does Not Include
- Support for other children the paying parent has a legal duty to support (Section 154.128).
- Deviations from the guidelines, including for possession time, extraordinary expenses or the other parent's income.
- Net resources above the cap beyond the guideline maximum.
- Child care and uninsured medical costs a court may allocate separately.
- Retroactive support, arrears and interest.
- Exact tax figures: the tax calculation is a simplified estimate.
How Long Does Child Support Last in Texas?
Section 154.002 lets a court order support beyond the child's 18th birthday only in specific situations: the child is enrolled in an accredited secondary school program leading to a diploma (or in certain joint high school and junior college or full-time private secondary programs) and meets the attendance requirements. The order may continue through the end of the month the child graduates. Support for a child with a disability is handled under a separate section of the Family Code. This calculator does not determine how long an order lasts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Child Support
Is this the Texas Attorney General child support calculator?
No. ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the Texas Office of the Attorney General. It follows the same guideline percentages in Texas Family Code Section 154.125. The OAG Child Support Division has its own calculator and information on its website, and only a court can order an amount.
How is child support calculated in Texas?
Texas multiplies the paying parent's monthly net resources by a percentage based on the number of children: 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four and 40% for five or more. The percentage applies to net resources up to the cap.
What is the Texas child support cap for 2026?
The cap on monthly net resources is $11,700, effective September 1, 2025. At that cap the guideline maximum is $2,340 for one child, $2,925 for two, $3,510 for three, $4,095 for four and $4,680 for five or more.
What counts as net resources in Texas?
Wages, self-employment income, interest, dividends, net rental income and many other types of income, minus Social Security taxes, federal income tax, state income tax, union dues, and the cost of the child's health or dental insurance. Section 154.062 lists the details.
Does Texas use both parents' incomes?
No. The guideline percentage is applied to the paying parent's net resources only. The other parent's income can matter if a court is asked to deviate from the guidelines.
How does 50/50 custody affect child support in Texas?
There is no automatic reduction for equal time. The guideline is based on the paying parent's net resources, and possession time is one factor a court may consider if it is asked to deviate from the guidelines.
What if the paying parent earns more than the cap?
The guidelines apply to net resources up to the cap. The court may order additional support above that only after considering the child's proven needs and the parents' incomes.
What if I have children from more than one relationship?
Section 154.128 adjusts the calculation for children in more than one household by crediting the other children before applying the percentage. This calculator does not apply that adjustment yet.
How long do I have to pay child support in Texas?
A court can order support beyond age 18 only in limited circumstances, mainly if the child is still in high school and meets attendance requirements, and the order may continue to the end of the month of graduation. Check Section 154.002 or ask the court.
Does the Texas calculator include arrears, medical support or modification?
No. It estimates a new guideline amount only. Past-due support, medical support orders and modification depend on your case.
Are there new child support laws in Texas in 2026?
Texas did not change its guideline percentages (20% to 40% of net resources). The net resources cap rose to $11,700 a month effective September 1, 2025, which is the figure the 2026 calculation uses. Check the Texas Family Code and the Attorney General's office for updates.
Texas Child Support Terms
- Obligor / obligee
- The parent who pays support and the parent who receives it.
- Net resources
- The paying parent's income minus the deductions allowed by Section 154.062.
- Guidelines
- The percentage schedule in Section 154.125. The resulting amount is presumed to be in the child's best interest.
- Cap
- The maximum monthly net resources to which the percentages apply: $11,700 since September 1, 2025.
- Deviation
- A court-ordered amount different from the guideline figure.
- Title IV-D agency / OAG
- The Child Support Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, which administers the state child support program.
Official Texas Child Support Resources
Published: September 27, 2026
Last reviewed: October 17, 2026
Researched and reviewed by Eric John, founder and editor, using official state statutes and guidance. How we build and check our calculators · Corrections
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