Texas Child Support

A Quick Guide to Texas Child Support How to file for Texas Child Support A parent may file for child support in the event of divorce or separation. The party will have to provide information in the petition in order to notify the court if they are seeking Texas child support or not so the court can institute a temporary order and make a ruling on the final amount of child support and duration of payments before the divorce decree. For all guidelines on child support, look under Chapter 154 of the Texas Family Code for child support procedures. How long must the Obligor Pay Texas Child Support? In the state of Texas, the supporting parent must pay child support until the child turns 18, and in some cases, the parent may be able to stop making payments after the child graduates from high school. Other possible situations include the death of the child, the marriage of the child, or receives a significant amount of disability support. Additionally, an obligor can make modifications to the child support if they have experienced unexpected economic hardship and need to make adjustments to the total amount of support. The court will hear evidence and determine whether to make a change or not. If a supporting parent is not making payments, the supported parent may contact the Child Support Division under the Attorney General of Texas in order to learn about the evader program. The evader program will post photographs of the evading parent in the area they parent may be residing in, as well as take investigative measure to locate and arrest the parent if payments are significantly behind. You can reach the evader program in TX at (866) 382-3377 or write to the Texas Child Support Evaders under the Office of the Attorneys General, Child Support Enforcement Division (038) at PO Box 12017 in Austin, TX 78711. For more other information and frequently asked questions about Texas Child Support, click on the FAQs section under the official government website of the Attorney General of Texas at the link. Texas Child Support Calculation Texas child support is determined a number of ways. The court will always keep in mind the best interests of the child and the previous living standards of the child before the divorce. If the court does not make a decision on the monthly net resources of the obligor, Texas child support will be determined upon any number of conditions. You should ask a lawyer about these conditions, and things that may affect child support such as property distribution, custodial rights, spousal support, and more. If a judge decides to determine Texas child support through monthly net resources, a percentage of the monthly income will be deducted according to the number of children and after the deduction of social security, federal income, state income, and other taxes from the monthly expenses. Generally, Texas child support is determined on the following percentages: • 1 child- 20% of the obligor’s monthly net resources • 2 children- 25% • 3 children- 30% • 4 children- 35% • 5 children- 40% or more