Child support · Texas · Exact to the statute
Texas child support calculator
Texas is one of the few states with a formula simple enough to compute by hand — a flat percentage of the paying parent's monthly net resources, capped by statute. This calculator applies Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125 exactly, including the September 2025 cap increase and the low-income schedule, and shows every step.
Calculate guideline support
Enter monthly net resources — not gross pay. Section 2 below explains the difference.
Method & source
Show the work Step-by-step calculation
What "net resources" actually means
Texas does not calculate support from gross pay, and not from take-home pay either. Net resources is its own defined term: nearly all money the paying parent receives — wages, overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment income, rental income, interest — minus a short, fixed list of deductions: federal income tax at the single rate, Social Security and Medicare, union dues, and the child's health and dental insurance premiums the parent pays.
Because the deduction list is standardized, two parents with the same gross pay usually have the same net resources — the Attorney General publishes annual tax charts so courts do not have to compute individual returns. Note what is not deducted: rent, car payments, credit cards, or support for a new spouse.
Tex. Fam. Code §§ 154.061–154.070; OAG 2026 tax charts.
The percentages
With net resources established, the statute applies a flat percentage by number of children before the court:
| Children | Standard (§ 154.125(b)) | Under $1,000 (§ 154.125(c)) | Max at $11,700 cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20% | 15% | $2,340 |
| 2 | 25% | 20% | $2,925 |
| 3 | 30% | 25% | $3,510 |
| 4 | 35% | 30% | $4,095 |
| 5+ | 40% | 35% | $4,680 |
The low-income column applies to suits filed on or after September 1, 2021, when the paying parent's monthly net resources are under $1,000 — so a parent netting $900 with two children owes $180, not $225. This calculator switches schedules automatically and says so in the work panel.
Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125(b), (c).
The $11,700 cap — and what happens above it
Guideline percentages apply only to the first $11,700 of monthly net resources. That figure took effect September 1, 2025, when the Title IV-D agency's inflation adjustment raised it from $9,200 — the first increase in six years; the next review is 2031. A parent netting $20,000 a month owes guideline support on $11,700 of it. Above the cap, more support is possible, but only on evidence of the child's actual, proven needs — tuition, therapy, documented expenses — under § 154.126.
Tex. Fam. Code §§ 154.125(a)–(a-1), 154.126; 50 TexReg 5351 (Aug. 15, 2025).
What this calculator does not yet do
If the paying parent also has a legal duty to support children in other households, § 154.129's multiple-family tables reduce the percentages (one child before the court plus one elsewhere is 17.50%, not 20%). We have not yet implemented that table, and the calculator tells you so rather than guessing. Medical and dental support are ordered separately on top of guideline support (§§ 154.064, 154.1815) and are not included in this figure.
Tex. Fam. Code §§ 154.128–154.129, 154.064, 154.1815.
Sources
Formula and percentages: Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov). Cap adjustment: Texas Register, 50 TexReg 5351. Net resources: §§ 154.061–154.070. For a figure that reflects gross-to-net conversion, the State's own tool: Attorney General's Monthly Child Support Calculator. Legal data last verified July 2026 — found an error? Tell us, with a citation.
Common questions
How is child support calculated in Texas?
A flat percentage of the paying parent's monthly net resources: 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four, 40% for five or more — applied to at most $11,700 of monthly net resources. It is not based on both parents' combined income.
Is overtime included?
Yes. Net resources includes nearly all income — overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment, and rental income among it — before the standardized deductions are taken.
What if the paying parent earns under $1,000 a month?
A reduced schedule applies for suits filed on or after September 1, 2021: 15/20/25/30/35% for one through five children. This calculator applies it automatically when your input is under $1,000.
Does 50/50 custody change the number?
The guideline formula itself does not adjust for parenting time — Texas is unusual that way. Courts can and do deviate from guidelines in equal-possession arrangements under § 154.123, but that is judicial discretion, not a formula.
Why does my number differ from the OAG calculator?
Usually because the OAG tool starts from gross pay and converts it to net resources with its tax charts, while this one asks for net resources directly. Given the same net resources, both apply the same § 154.125 percentages.
Sources
- Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125 — application of guideline percentages to net resources at or below the cap.
- Tex. Fam. Code §§ 154.061–154.070 — computation of net resources and the statutory deductions.
- Texas Register, 50 TexReg 5351 (Aug. 15, 2025) — adjustment of the net-resources cap to $11,700, effective Sept. 1, 2025.
- Office of the Attorney General of Texas — Monthly Child Support Calculator and annual tax charts.
Legal data verified — July 2026 · educational, not legal advice