Texas child support calculator
Enter the paying parent's gross income and the number of children. See the guideline amount under the Texas Family Code, step by step.
- 20% for one child, 25% for two, up to 40% for five or more, of the paying parent's net resources.
- Net resources computed the way the Attorney General's 2026 tax charts compute them.
- Capped at $11,700 of net resources a month since September 1, 2025.
How Texas calculates child support
Texas uses a "percentage of income" guideline. The court takes the paying parent's (the obligor's) monthly net resources and applies a percentage set by the number of children (Tex. Fam. Code §154.125). The other parent's income doesn't change the guideline percentage.
Net resources are gross income minus Social Security and Medicare tax, federal income tax figured as if the parent were single with the standard deduction, union dues, and the cost of the children's health and dental insurance the paying parent covers (§154.062). The Office of the Attorney General publishes tax charts each year for this step (§154.061).
| Children in the case | Percentage of net resources |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20% (15% if net resources are under $1,000) |
| 2 | 25% (20%) |
| 3 | 30% (25%) |
| 4 | 35% (30%) |
| 5 | 40% (35%) |
| 6 or more | Not less than the amount for 5 children |
Example: $5,000 a month in wages, one child
These are the calculator's starting numbers. The tax amounts are the ones on the Attorney General's 2026 tax chart for employed persons, row $5,000.
| Gross wages | $5,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Social Security tax (6.2%) | −$310.00 |
| Medicare tax (1.45%) | −$72.50 |
| Federal income tax (single, standard deduction) | −$418.33 |
| Net resources | $4,199.17 |
| Guideline child support: 20% × $4,199.17 | $839.83 |
With two children the percentage is 25% ($1,049.79), and with three it is 30% ($1,259.75). Health and dental insurance and other children the parent supports change the result; open the optional section of the calculator to add them.
Other children, insurance and the cap
If the paying parent also has a legal duty to support children from another relationship, the court can use the "multiple family" table in §154.129, which lowers the percentage. For example, two children in the case and one other child gives 22.50% instead of 25%.
Medical and dental support come on top of guideline support (§154.183). If the other parent carries the children's health insurance, the paying parent pays the actual cost as added support, up to 9% of their gross income; for dental insurance, up to 1.5% (§154.182(b-1), §154.1825(d)). If no insurance is available, the court orders cash medical support, up to 9%.
| The cap | The percentages apply to net resources up to $11,700 a month, effective September 1, 2025 (published in 50 Tex. Reg. 5351). Above that, the court may add support based on the children's proven needs (§154.126). |
|---|---|
| Low income | With net resources under $1,000 a month, lower percentages apply (§154.125(c)). |
| No proof of income | The court presumes full-time work at the federal minimum wage (§154.068): $1,256.67 a month on the 2026 chart. |
| Varying from the guidelines | The court may order a different amount if the guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate, considering factors such as the children's needs, time with each parent and child care costs (§154.123), and must say why in the order (§154.130). |
Questions people ask
How is child support calculated in Texas?
Texas courts start with the paying parent's monthly net resources: gross income minus Social Security and Medicare tax, federal income tax as a single filer with the standard deduction, union dues and the children's health and dental insurance that parent pays. They apply 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four and 40% for five or more, to net resources up to $11,700 a month.
How much is child support for one child in Texas?
The guideline is 20% of the paying parent's net resources, or 15% if net resources are under $1,000 a month. For example, a parent earning $5,000 a month in wages has net resources of $4,199.17 on the Attorney General's 2026 tax chart, so guideline support is $839.83 a month, plus medical and dental support.
What is the maximum child support in Texas?
The guideline percentages apply only to net resources up to $11,700 a month, effective September 1, 2025. So the guideline amount for one child tops out at $2,340 a month (20% of $11,700), before medical and dental support. A court can order more than that if the children's proven needs call for it.
Does the other parent's income matter in Texas?
Not for the guideline percentage, which uses only the paying parent's net resources. The court may consider the other parent's resources, among other factors, when deciding whether the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate (§154.123).
Does 50/50 custody change child support in Texas?
The Texas guideline doesn't have a formula for shared time. The amount of time with each parent is one of the factors a court may consider in deciding whether to vary from the guideline (§154.123(b)(4)).
Why does the calculator use single filing status?
Because Texas law says so: net resources subtract federal income tax "based on the tax rate for a single person claiming one personal exemption and the standard deduction" (§154.062(d)(2)), whatever the parent's actual filing status. Personal exemptions ended in 2025, so the Attorney General's 2026 charts use the $16,100 standard deduction alone.
Updated November 8, 2026. Sources: Tex. Fam. Code ch. 154 (§§154.061, 154.062, 154.068, 154.123, 154.125, 154.126, 154.129, 154.130, 154.181-154.183, 154.1815, 154.1825); Office of the Attorney General of Texas, 2026 Tax Charts; 50 Tex. Reg. 5351 (August 15, 2025), the $11,700 cap. An estimate, not legal advice: the court or the Attorney General's Child Support Division sets the actual amount. Not affiliated with the Office of the Attorney General or any Texas court.