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Texas Child Support Calculator
Estimate Texas guideline child support and see how the calculation works.
Texas Family Code & Texas OAG · View sources
Texas guideline support is a percentage of the paying parent’s net resources — not gross pay — up to a ceiling the Texas Attorney General publishes. This tool produces an estimate, not a court order.
Estimated Guideline Support
Enter your financial details in the form above to see an estimate.
How We Calculated It
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Estimate Details
Enter your financial details in the form above to see an estimate.
This is an estimate, not a court order. It is not legal advice, it is not an official or court-ready worksheet, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. The amount a court actually orders or approves may differ.
Sources: Texas Family Code Chapter 154; Texas Attorney General as Title IV-D agency. Legal framework reviewed August 27, 2026. Guideline ceiling verified August 27, 2026. Guideline percentages verified August 27, 2026. Tax figures (2026) checked September 1, 2026. Multiple-family tables verified September 1, 2026. Numerical test matrix: passing as of this page load. Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC — bryanfagan.com
What This Estimate Does Not Decide
- Whether these are the right income figures. Disputed income, self-employment, commissions and non-wage compensation can make determining the correct resource figure substantially more fact-dependent.
- Whether the guideline amount will stand. Under §154.122 it is a rebuttable presumption, and §154.123 lists factors on which a court may vary from it in either direction.
- Medical and dental support. Under §154.183 these are ordered in addition to guideline support and are themselves child-support obligations.
- The multiple-family adjustment. Where a parent owes a duty of support to other children, §§154.128 and 154.129 change the computation.
- Resources above the ceiling. Under §154.126 a court may order more, based on the income of the parties and the proven needs of the child.
- What an older order required in a prior period. This calculator estimates support using current guideline inputs. It is not an arrears calculator and does not reconstruct the amount due under a historical order.
- Modification or enforcement. Changing an existing order and collecting unpaid support are separate proceedings with their own standards.
The amount a court actually orders or approves may differ from this estimate.
What to do with this number
Whether establishing an initial order, pursuing a modification, or navigating complex income structures (such as self-employment or variable bonuses), working with an attorney familiar with your local judges ensures your financial inputs and legal rights are effectively advocated.
How Much Child Support Might You Pay in Texas?
Texas guideline child support usually begins with the paying parent’s monthly net resources, the number of children before the court, and the applicable guideline schedule. Use the calculator below to estimate the guideline amount and see each step of the calculation.
This is an estimate, not a court order.
Current Texas Child Support Guidelines
CHILDREN BEFORE THE COURT | ORDINARY §154.125(B) net resources $1,000 and above | LOW-INCOME §154.125(C) net resources under $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
1 child | 20% | 15% |
2 children | 25% | 20% |
3 children | 30% | 25% |
4 children | 35% | 30% |
5 children | 40% | 35% |
6 or more | not less than the five-child amount | not less than the five-child amount |
- Guideline resource ceiling: $11,700 in monthly net resources, effective September 1, 2025, replacing the previous $9,200.
- Low-income threshold: net resources below $1,000, in effect since September 1, 2021.
- Why the ceiling changes: §154.125(a) ties it to the amount the Title IV-D agency most recently published in the Texas Register, and (a-1) adjusts it every six years for inflation. It is not a figure written into the statute.
Ceiling authority: Tex. Fam. Code §154.125(a); adjusted every six years under §154.125(a-1). Percentage authority: §154.125(b) ordinary schedule; §154.125(c) low-income schedule. Ceiling and percentages verified August 27, 2026.
How the Calculator Works
Three steps, and only the second one is a formula. First, net resources: gross income under §154.062(b), less the deductions §154.062(d) allows. Second, the guideline percentage for the number of children in the case, applied to net resources up to the statutory ceiling. Third, whether that result stands — under §154.122 the guideline amount is rebuttably presumed to be in the child’s best interest, which means a party can challenge it.
This tool does the arithmetic in steps one and two. It cannot do step three, because step three is an argument.
What Counts as Net Resources?
Often included — §154.062(b)
- Wages and salary
- Commissions and bonuses
- Overtime and tips
- Self-employment income
- Interest and dividends
- Rental income
Potential deductions — §154.062(d)
- Social Security and Medicare
- Federal income tax, statutory assumption
- State income tax, if any
- Union dues
- Children’s health insurance
- Children’s dental insurance
More than a paycheck, and less than everything. §154.062(b) reaches wages, self-employment income, commissions, overtime, tips, bonuses, interest, dividends, rental income and other resources. §154.062(d) then subtracts specified items — Social Security taxes, federal income tax withholding for a single person claiming one exemption and the standard deduction, union dues, and the children’s health and dental insurance or cash medical support.
This is where the calculation can get more fact-dependent. A W-2 employee with one job has a net-resources figure that is essentially arithmetic. A business owner, commission earner, or someone paid partly in distributions doesn’t — and the disagreement is usually about the input, not the percentage.
Why Is There a Ceiling, and Why Does the Number Keep Changing?
Because the legislature delegated the number to the Title IV-D agency. §154.125(a) applies the guideline percentages to net resources up to the maximum amount most recently published by the Title IV-D agency in the Texas Register, and (a-1) provides for periodic adjustment for inflation.
What Happens When Net Resources Exceed the Ceiling?
Above the guideline ceiling in monthly net resources?
The standard guideline percentage applies only through the current ceiling. Any additional support depends on evidence of the child’s proven needs — which makes a high-income case an evidentiary case rather than an arithmetic one.
The percentages stop at the ceiling; the court’s authority does not. Section 154.126 presumptively applies the guideline percentages to the portion of net resources up to the ceiling, and permits additional support depending on the income of the parties and the proven needs of the child. Two things in that section are worth attention: the additional amount turns on proven needs, meaning evidence rather than assertion; and the section caps exposure — an obligor may not be ordered to pay more than the greater of the presumptive amount or 100 percent of the child’s proven needs. High-income support cases are therefore evidentiary cases about what the child actually needs.
Does 50/50 Possession Mean No Child Support?
No.
Equal possession does not automatically eliminate a Texas child-support obligation. Possession and support are different questions in different chapters. Conservatorship, possession and access sit in Chapter 153; support runs off net resources under Chapter 154. An even schedule does not by itself cancel a support obligation, and §154.011 is titled Support Not Conditioned on Possession or Access — so withholding one because of the other is not a remedy.
Are Medical and Dental Support Included in the Estimate?
No.
Medical and dental support are additional obligations. §154.183 provides that medical or dental support is in addition to guideline child support, is itself a child-support obligation, and may be enforced the same way. §154.064 makes the same point in reverse: the guidelines assume the court will order it on top of the calculated amount.
When Should You Talk to an Attorney Instead of a Calculator?
When the dispute is about an input rather than the arithmetic. A calculator settles the multiplication. It can’t resolve what a self-employed parent’s income actually is, whether a bonus is recurring, whether the guideline result is unjust under §154.123, what a child’s proven needs are above the ceiling, or how the multiple-family provisions apply to a particular household.
Texas Child Support Examples
Each example below is generated by the calculator above, using the same configuration and the same functions. None of it is typed in by hand, so an example cannot disagree with the tool.
Ordinary guideline
$4,200 in monthly net resources, 2 children before the court → 25% of $4,200 under §154.125(b) → $1,050 per month.
Net resources comfortably between the low-income threshold and the ceiling.
Low-income schedule
$950 in monthly net resources, 1 child before the court → 15% of $950 under §154.125(c) → $143 per month.
Net resources below the $1,000 threshold in §154.125(c), so the reduced percentages apply.
Resources above the ceiling
$20,000 in monthly net resources, 3 children before the court → 30% of $11,700 under §154.125(b) → $3,510 per month.
The percentage applies to the ceiling only. §154.126 may add support based on the child’s proven needs.
Net resources entered directly
$3,600 in monthly net resources, 1 child before the court → 20% of $3,600 under §154.125(b) → $720 per month.
If you already have a net-resources figure from an order or a decree, the tax conversion is skipped and the schedule is applied to the figure you supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Under the ordinary guideline schedule in §154.125(b), one child is 20% of the obligor’s monthly net resources, applied up to the statutory ceiling. Where net resources fall below the low-income threshold in §154.125(c), the figure is 15% instead. The calculator above applies whichever schedule fits your numbers.
Net resources. §154.062(b) identifies what counts as resources — wages, self-employment income, commissions, overtime, tips, bonuses, interest, dividends, rental income and more — and §154.062(d) then subtracts specified deductions. Net resources is a statutory concept, not a figure from a pay stub.
The guideline percentages apply to monthly net resources up to a ceiling the Texas Attorney General publishes in the Texas Register as the Title IV-D agency. §154.125(a-1) has it adjusted every six years for inflation, so it changes without any amendment to the Family Code. The current figure is $11,700, effective September 1, 2025.
No. Possession and support are separate questions in separate chapters — conservatorship, possession and access sit in Chapter 153, and support runs off net resources under Chapter 154. §154.011 is titled Support Not Conditioned on Possession or Access.
Where an obligor has a legal duty to support children who are not before the court — which can include children residing with the obligor — §154.129 applies a different guideline calculation. This calculator applies the correct table automatically: the ordinary multiple-family schedule under §154.129(a), or the low-income multiple-family schedule under §154.129(b) when net resources fall below the §154.125(c) threshold.
No, and those obligations aren’t optional. §154.183 provides that medical or dental support is in addition to guideline child support, is itself a child-support obligation, and may be enforced by any means available for enforcing child support.
Through the same framework, but the hard part moves. The court still determines resources and net resources under Chapter 154, and §154.065 addresses self-employment income specifically — it is net of ordinary and necessary business expenses, and a court may add back certain tax-driven deductions or non-cash perks that don’t actually reduce what the parent spends. This calculator computes Social Security, Medicare and federal tax correctly whether income is entirely from self-employment or split between a W-2 job and a business, but it can’t determine what the right self-employment figure is in the first place — that’s the fact-dependent part.
Why Can Child Support Calculators Give Different Answers?
Because tools make different assumptions, and most do not tell you which ones.
Where Calculators Diverge
- Tax treatment — actual withholding, or the statutory assumption
- Whether the low-income schedule in §154.125(c) is detected
- Whether §§154.128–154.129 apply when other children exist
- How insurance costs are allocated
- Whether the guideline ceiling in use is current
Our Approach
- Name the assumptions used
- Show the calculation step by step
- State which schedule applied, and why
- Flag what the tool can’t resolve
- Cite the primary source beside each figure
- Date the legal review and the inputs separately
The guideline ceiling is the clearest example: it’s published by the Texas Attorney General and changes without any amendment to the Family Code, so a page can cite the statute accurately and still show a superseded number. Where two estimates differ, the useful question is which assumptions each tool used — and whether either one tells you.
How This Calculator Is Maintained
Statutory provisions were checked against current Texas legislative materials and the most recent amendment history for each cited section. The guideline ceiling is the amount published by the Texas Attorney General as the Title IV-D agency — not a figure written into the statute. Every number on this page renders from one dated configuration rather than being typed into the copy, so the tool and the text can’t drift apart.
Primary Sources
official full-chapter text (PDF)
the Title IV-D agency that publishes the ceiling and its own estimating tool
the cycle under which the guidelines are re-examined
Legal Review
Bryan Fagan
Founder & Managing Attorney
State Bar of Texas No. 24080889
Legal framework reviewed:
August 27, 2026
Guideline ceiling verified:
August 27, 2026
Guideline percentages verified
August 27, 2026
Tax figures (2026):
checked September 1, 2026
The calculator’s legal inputs are reviewed against Texas Family Code Chapter 154 and current Texas Attorney General materials.
Your Estimate Is a Starting Point. Your Strategy Depends on the Facts.
A number tells you where the guideline starts. Whether it holds depends on the income figures, the deductions, and whether a departure is worth arguing — and those are questions about your case, not about arithmetic.
This page provides general information about Texas child support and a tool for estimating guideline support. It is not legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. No attorney can promise a particular outcome in a family-law case; what we commit to is representation, preparation, and clear communication about where your case stands.
Texas Child
Support Calculator
Estimate child support payments under
Texas guidelines in minutes.
UPDATED FOR 2026
Sept. 1 2025 Law Change
$11,700 Net Monthly
Resources Cap
SERVING TEXAS
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Sept. 1 2025 Law Change
$11,700 Net Monthly
Resources Cap
This calculator is updated for Texas child support guidelines effective September 1, 2025. Net monthly resources are capped at $11,700.
Texas Child Support Calculator
Updated for 2026 Texas GuidelinesThis estimate is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Your Estimated Child Support
How We Calculated It
Important to Know
Your actual child support obligation may differ due to:
- Health insurance and medical support
- Additional children in either household
- Special circumstances or needs
- Court-ordered deviations from guidelines
- Shared possession (possession time)
- Other factors allowed by law
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What Should You Do Next?
Explore your options and take the next step.
Need a Modification?
Income changed? Learn how to modify child support.
Need a Enforcement?
Not receiving support? Learn your enforcement options.
Paying Too Much?
You may be eligible for a modification. Find out how.
Custody Issues Too?
Child support and custody often work together.
Need a Modification?
Income changed? Learn how to modify child support.
Need a Enforcement?
Not receiving support? Learn your enforcement options.
Paying Too Much?
You may be eligible for a modification. Find out how.
Custody Issues Too?
Child support and custody often work together.
Child Support Resource Center
Helpful guides and information for Texas families.
Child Support Modification
Child Support Enforcement
Child Support Arrears
Child Support and Custody
Child Support for High-Income Parents
Texas Child Support Guidelines
Child Support Modification
Child Support Enforcement
Child Support Arrears
Child Support and Custody
Child Support for High-Income Parents
Texas Child Support Guidelines
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Child Support Calculator – Estimate Your Child Support Payments Instantly
Navigating child support obligations can be challenging, whether you’re the paying or receiving parent. Our Child Support Calculator provides an accurate estimate based on Texas family law, helping you plan your finances accordingly. Use our free tool to get a clear understanding of your potential child support payments.
How Our Child Support Calculator Works
Our Child Support Calculator simplifies the process of estimating child support payments by considering the following factors:
- Monthly Income – The noncustodial parent's income is the primary factor in determining child support obligations.
- Number of Children – Texas law adjusts child support percentages based on the number of children involved.
- Existing Child Support Orders – If the paying parent has other child support obligations, the amount may be adjusted.
- Additional Expenses – Special circumstances, such as educational or medical expenses, can influence child support amounts.
Who Can Use the Child Support Calculator?
Divorcing Parents – Understand your potential child support obligations before negotiations.
Family Law Attorneys – Utilize this tool to provide clients with preliminary estimates.
Mediators & Financial Planners – Help parents make informed financial decisions regarding child support.
Understanding Child Support in Texas
In Texas, child support is determined by state guidelines, which consider factors such as income, number of children, and additional expenses. The basic child support calculation is as follows:
- 1 Child – 20% of the paying parent’s net income.
- 2 Children – 25% of the paying parent’s net income.
- 3 Children – 30% of the paying parent’s net income.
- 4 Children – 35% of the paying parent’s net income.
- 5+ Children – 40% or more of the paying parent’s net income.
These percentages may be adjusted based on the parent’s financial circumstances, additional obligations, and specific needs of the child.
Why Use Our Child Support Calculator?
- Instant & Free – Get a quick estimate in minutes at no cost.
- Accurate & Texas-Specific – Designed to reflect Texas child support laws.
- Helps with Planning – Understand potential financial obligations before legal proceedings.
- Useful for Negotiations – A great starting point for discussing child support arrangements with attorneys or mediators.
Child Support Enforcement & Modifications
Child support orders are legally binding, and failure to pay can result in wage garnishment, license suspension, or legal action. If your financial situation changes, you may request a child support modification through the court. An experienced family law attorney can help you navigate enforcement issues or modification requests.
At The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, we specialize in family law and can assist with:
- Establishing fair child support agreements.
- Modifying child support orders based on changes in circumstances.
- Enforcing child support obligations to ensure compliance.
Calculate Your Child Support Obligation Today!
Take the guesswork out of child support. Use our Child Support Calculator now to get a fast and accurate estimate.
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