How Texas calculates child support
Texas uses a percentage model. The guideline looks at one number, the paying parent's monthly net resources, and takes a fixed share of it for the number of children in the case. The other parent's income is not part of the formula, and neither is the time each parent spends with the children.
Start with gross income from all sources
Resources include wages, overtime, commissions, tips and bonuses, self-employment profit, interest, dividends and royalties, net rental income, and most other money received, such as pensions, unemployment and disability benefits, and alimony or spousal maintenance received (Tex. Fam. Code §154.062). Public assistance and the return of principal are excluded.
Subtract taxes and a few required costs
From gross income the court deducts Social Security and Medicare taxes, federal income tax computed for a single person with the standard deduction, any state income tax, union dues, and the cost of the child's health insurance, dental insurance or cash medical support that the paying parent is ordered to provide, including what the paying parent reimburses the other parent for coverage. A parent who does not pay Social Security taxes may also deduct contributions to a retirement plan required as a condition of the job (§154.062(d)-(f)). The state's child support agency publishes a tax chart each year with the tax figures; the calculator above uses the same 2026 method and matches every row of that chart.
The chart is meant for wages and self-employment income in common situations. It says it should not be used for owners of businesses that take the pass-through deduction, and pensions, benefits or rental income can be taxed differently. In those cases the calculator lets you enter net resources that are already worked out; it then uses that figure as final and subtracts nothing more.
Apply the percentage
| Children | Net resources $1,000 or more | Under $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20% | 15% |
| 2 | 25% | 20% |
| 3 | 30% | 25% |
| 4 | 35% | 30% |
| 5 | 40% | 35% |
| 6 or more | At least the amount for 5 children | |
The percentages apply only to the first $11,700 of monthly net resources. That cap took effect on September 1, 2025 (it was $9,200 before) and is adjusted for inflation every six years. Above it, a court may order more based on the child's proven needs, but never more than those needs require (§154.126).
Children in more than one household
When the paying parent also supports other children, Texas first computes support as if all the children lived together, gives a credit for the children not in this case, subtracts that credit from the paying parent's net resources, and applies the percentage for the children in the case to what is left (§154.128). When net resources are above the $11,700 cap, the cap limits the first step and the last one, but the credit comes off the full net resources. The calculator uses this method. The law also lets courts use an alternative percentage table (§154.129). If the credit takes net resources from $1,000 or more to under $1,000, the statute does not say whether the lower percentages for net resources under $1,000 then apply, so the calculator shows the amount both ways.
Health insurance and medical support
Medical support is ordered on top of the percentage. If the paying parent covers the children, the premium is deducted before the percentage is applied. If the other parent provides the coverage, the paying parent reimburses the actual cost as additional support, up to a "reasonable cost": 9% of the paying parent's annual gross resources for health insurance and, separately, 1.5% for dental insurance (§§154.181(e), 154.1815(a), 154.182(b-1), 154.1825(d)). That reimbursement is ordered medical support, so it is also deducted from net resources before the percentage is applied. If no private health insurance is available for the children at a reasonable cost, the court instead orders cash medical support, up to 9% of the paying parent's gross resources, paid on top of child support and also deducted from net resources first (§§154.062(d)(5), 154.182(b)(3)). The calculator has a field for it and warns when no coverage of any kind is entered, because the total then leaves medical support out. When a plan also covers other minor dependents, only the children's part counts: the total cost of the plan is divided by the number of minor dependents it covers, including the children in the case (§§154.062(e), 154.182(b-1), 154.1825(d)). The calculator asks for the total cost and that number and does the division. Each limit covers all the children the paying parent must insure under support orders, including children in other cases. Copays, deductibles and uninsured costs are split between the parents.
Benefits a child receives because of the paying parent
If the child receives periodic benefits because of the paying parent's disability, or because the paying parent receives Social Security old age benefits, the court subtracts those benefits from the guideline amount (§§154.132, 154.133). The calculator subtracts them from the percentage amount, never below zero, and does not apply any excess to medical or dental support.
When a court can depart from the guideline
The percentages are presumed correct, but a court can order a different amount when applying them would be unjust or inappropriate. Among the factors the law lists are the time each parent spends with the child, child care costs, the child's age and needs, and alimony paid or received (§154.123).