Texas vs Virginia child support: which state is higher? (2026)
It depends mostly on two things: the income of the parent the children live with, and custody time. Texas looks only at the paying parent's net income, so for two children and a paying parent earning $6,000 a month it is $1,239.21 whatever the other parent earns. Virginia uses both incomes and is $1,094.40 when the other parent earns $4,000, and $258.86 with 182 days a year of shared time. When the parent the children live with has no income, or at very high incomes, Virginia can be higher.
Is child support higher in Texas or Virginia?
It depends on the family. For two children, with the parent they live with earning $4,000 a month and no shared custody, at a range of incomes for the other parent:
| Other parent's income a month | Texas | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $445.29 | $496.33 |
| $4,000 | $848.92 | $821.00 |
| $6,000 | $1,239.21 | $1,094.40 |
| $9,000 | $1,766.83 | $1,510.62 |
| $12,000 | $2,285.21 | $1,838.25 |
| $20,000 | $2,925.00 | $2,699.17 |
| $40,000 | $2,925.00 | $4,402.73 |
In this family Virginia is higher at the lowest income shown, Texas is higher through the middle of the range, and Virginia is higher again at the top, where Texas stops at its cap. The two other big differences are the income of the parent the children live with and custody time.
How do Texas and Virginia calculate child support?
| Texas | Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Texas Family Code § 154.125 | Code of Virginia § 20-108.2 |
| Model | Percentage of the paying parent’s income | Income shares schedule |
| Income base | Paying parent’s net resources, after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare | Both parents’ gross income |
| Two children | 25% | From the schedule, split by income share |
| Cap | $11,700 a month of net resources | None |
| Custody time | A factor for deviating (§ 154.123) | Formula above 90 days a year |
| Child care | A factor for deviating (§ 154.123) | Added and split by income |
Texas: two children
In Texas: 2 children; the other parent earns $6,000 a month before tax.
Take off taxes§§ 154.061 and 154.062, net resources
$6,000 gross − $372.00 Social Security − $87.00 Medicare − $584.17 federal income tax = $4,956.83 of net resources a month.
$4,956.83Apply the guideline for 2 children§ 154.125, guideline percentages and cap
$4,956.83 × 25% = $1,239.21.
$1,239.21 a month
Virginia: the same family, sole custody
In Virginia: 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $4,000 a month and the other parent $6,000, before tax; 0 days a year with the other parent.
Add the two incomesCode of Virginia § 20-108.2
$4,000 + $6,000 = $10,000 a month. The other parent's share is $6,000 ÷ $10,000 = 60%.
60%Look up the schedule§ 20-108.2 B, schedule of support
The schedule's amount for $10,000 of combined income and 2 children.
$1,824.00Work out the sole-custody figure§ 20-108.2 G, sole and shared custody
$1,824.00 × 60% = $1,094.40.
$1,094.40Check for shared custody§ 20-108.2 G, sole and shared custody
0 days with the other parent is not more than 90, so the sole-custody figure applies.
$1,094.40 a month
How does the other parent’s income change the comparison?
Texas does not use the income of the parent the children live with, so the Texas amount stays the same. Virginia splits one total by income share, so the higher that parent’s income, the lower the other parent’s share. The same paying parent at $6,000 a month:
| Parent the children live with earns | Texas | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $1,239.21 | $1,489.00 |
| $4,000 | $1,239.21 | $1,094.40 |
| $6,000 | $1,239.21 | $1,029.50 |
| $10,000 | $1,239.21 | $919.13 |
How does shared custody change the comparison?
This is the largest difference. Virginia’s guideline switches to a shared custody formula when each parent has the children for more than 90 days a year (§ 20-108.2 G 3). Texas has no shared custody formula: the time of possession and access is one of the factors a Texas court may weigh when deciding whether applying the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate (§ 154.123). The Texas figure below is the guideline before any such decision.
| Days a year with the other parent | Formula | Support a month | Paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 days | Sole custody | $1,094.40 | the other parent |
| 90 days | Sole custody | $1,094.40 | the other parent |
| 91 days | Shared custody | $895.51 | the other parent |
| 120 days | Shared custody | $692.62 | the other parent |
| 146 days | Shared custody | $510.72 | the other parent |
| 182 days | Shared custody | $258.86 | the other parent |
At 182 days, the Texas guideline is still $1,239.21. See shared custody in Virginia and how custody time changes support.
How does child care change the comparison?
Virginia adds work related child care to the basic obligation and splits it by income (§ 20-108.2 F). The Texas guideline does not add child care; child care expenses incurred to maintain employment are a factor for deviating (§ 154.123). With $1,000 a month of child care paid by the parent the children live with:
| State | Guideline model | Support a month | Paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Percentage of net resources | $1,239.21 | the other parent |
| Virginia | Income shares | $1,694.40 | the other parent |
How long does support last, and how is it changed?
| Texas | Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Usual end | 18 or high school graduation, whichever is later (§ 154.001) | 18 |
| High school student | Past 18 while enrolled and meeting attendance requirements (§ 154.002) | To 19 or graduation, whichever is first, if full time, not self supporting and living at home (§ 20-124.2 C) |
| Disabled child | May continue indefinitely (§ 154.001) | A court may order support past 18 if the disability began before 18 (§ 20-124.2 C) |
| Changing the amount | A material and substantial change, or three years and a guideline difference of 20 percent or 100 dollars (§ 156.401) | A material change; in reviews by the state’s Division of Child Support Enforcement, a difference of at least 10 percent and at least 25 dollars a month is deemed one (§ 63.2-1921 C) |
What this comparison does not cover
It compares guideline amounts only. It does not cover which state can set or change an order when the parents live in different states; see moving to another state and parents in different states. Texas medical support and children in more than one household, and the Virginia rules listed in the Virginia guide, are not modeled. The figures are estimates, not legal advice.
Run your own numbers
This guide's example: in Virginia, 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $4,000 a month and the other parent $6,000, before tax; 0 days a year with the other parent. The guideline amount is $1,094.40 a month. Change any number in the calculator and every step of the formula updates.
Open this family in the Virginia calculatorQuestions
Is child support higher in Texas or Virginia?
For many families with two working parents, Texas. For two children, a paying parent earning $6,000 and the other parent earning $4,000, it is $1,239.21 in Texas and $1,094.40 in Virginia. When the other parent has no income, Virginia is higher: $1,489.00.
Does 50/50 custody lower child support in Texas like it does in Virginia?
Not by formula. Virginia's guideline uses the days with each parent above 90 a year. In Texas, time of possession and access is a factor a court may consider when deciding whether to depart from the guideline (Texas Family Code § 154.123).
Does Texas or Virginia use gross income?
Virginia uses both parents' gross income. Texas uses the paying parent's net resources, after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.
When does child support end in Texas and in Virginia?
In Texas, at 18 or high school graduation, whichever is later, or indefinitely for a disabled child (§ 154.001). In Virginia, at 18, or for a full time high school student living at home, at 19 or graduation, whichever is first (Code of Virginia § 20-124.2 C).
Which state is higher for high earners?
Texas applies its percentage only up to $11,700 a month of net resources, and a court may add more for proven needs. Virginia has no cap, so at very high incomes Virginia's guideline is usually higher.
Sources
- Texas Family Code chapter 154, Child support (§§ 154.001, 154.002, 154.062, 154.123, 154.125, 154.126)
- Texas Family Code § 156.401, Grounds for modification of child support
- Code of Virginia § 20-108.2, Guideline for determination of child or spousal support
- Code of Virginia § 20-124.2, Court-ordered custody and visitation arrangements (subsection C)
- Code of Virginia § 63.2-1921, Authority to initiate reviews of certain orders
- Figures on this page are computed by the Coparent Math engine with Texas and Virginia's rules in force on 2 Nov 2026 unless a table says otherwise, from:
- Texas Family Code chapter 154, checked 2 Nov 2026
- Texas OAG revised 2025 tax charts (standard deduction and brackets used), checked 31 Oct 2026
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments), checked 31 Oct 2026
- Social Security Administration: contribution and benefit base, and OASDI and HI tax rates, checked 31 Oct 2026
- Texas OAG 2026 tax charts (net resources cap effective 1 September 2025, in the chart's footnotes), checked 31 Oct 2026
- Code of Virginia § 20-108.2, checked 2 Nov 2026
- 2025 Acts of Assembly, Chapter 702 (SB 805), chaptered text, checked 2 Nov 2026
- Child Support Guidelines Review Panel, Review of Virginia's Child Support Guidelines (RD397, December 2013): Key Changes (1) and Appendix C, checked 2 Nov 2026
Related guides
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Comparisons
- New York vs Virginia child support: which state is higher? (2026)For most middle income families New York's guideline is higher. For two children with incomes of $4,000 and $6,000 a month it is $1,385.25 in New York and $1,094.40 in Virginia, and New York support runs to 21 rather than 18. Virginia can come out lower still with shared custody, which its formula uses and New York's does not, while at very high incomes Virginia, which has no cap, can be higher.
- Texas vs New York child support: which state is higher? (2026)For a typical middle income family New York's guideline is higher than Texas's. For two children and a paying parent earning $6,000 a month, it is $1,385.25 in New York and $1,239.21 in Texas, and the gap widens when there is child care, which New York adds and Texas does not. At low incomes the order flips: New York's low income rules can bring support far below the Texas amount.
More about Texas and Virginia
- Back child support (arrears) in Texas (2026)In Texas, every missed child support payment is a final judgment, and the unpaid amount carries simple interest of 6 percent a year until it is paid or confirmed as a money judgment, which then carries the same rate (Texas Family Code §§ 157.261 and 157.265). Arrears can be collected by income withholding, liens, license suspension, federal tax refund intercept and passport denial, and enforced by contempt with jail. A court cannot forgive or reduce confirmed arrears, and the right to collect continues after the child turns 18.
- Back child support (arrears) in Virginia: interest, enforcement and jail (2026)In Virginia, each child support payment that is not paid when due becomes a judgment by operation of law, and the arrears carry interest at the judgment rate of six percent a year unless the parent owed support waives it in writing (Code of Virginia §§ 20-60.3, 20-78.2, 6.2-302). Arrears are collected through income withholding, liens, tax refund offsets, credit reporting and license suspension, and a court can jail a parent for up to 12 months for contempt (§ 16.1-278.16). Arrears cannot be reduced retroactively, and they stay owed after the child turns 18 or 19.
- Child support and your tax refund: the offset rules (2026)Yes. Under 42 U.S.C. § 664, the Treasury withholds a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support that a state child support agency has certified, and sends the money to that state. A case qualifies when at least $150 is owed on support assigned to the state for public assistance, or at least $500 in other cases (45 CFR 303.72). The state must send a notice first that explains how to contest the amount, and a spouse on a joint return can claim their share back with IRS Form 8379.
- Child support when parents live in different statesWhen parents live in different states, the court that sets support applies its own state's law and guideline (Texas Family Code § 159.303). A state can make an order against a parent who lives elsewhere only on one of the jurisdiction bases in the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (§ 159.201); otherwise the case is heard in the other parent's state, with the two states' child support agencies working together. An order from another state is registered to be enforced, and in Texas the other party has 30 days after notice to contest it (§ 159.605).
- Does 50/50 custody mean no child support? Texas, New York and Virginia (2026)No. In Texas, New York and Virginia, equal time with each parent does not by itself end child support. Only Virginia's guideline uses the number of days: above 90 days a year with each parent, a shared custody formula lowers support, and with equal time the parent who earns more usually pays the difference. Texas and New York apply their usual formula; in Texas, parenting time is a factor a court may weigh to depart from it, and New York's statute has no shared custody formula, but with truly equal time its appellate courts make the parent with the larger income share the paying parent.
- How child support is calculatedEvery state sets a guideline formula in law, and courts apply it unless they find it unjust or inappropriate. The formula takes the parents' income (gross or net, one parent's or both), turns it into a base amount with a percentage or a schedule, adds some costs such as child care and health insurance, and in some states adjusts for parenting time and very low or high incomes. Texas, New York and Virginia each do these steps differently, so the same family gets a different figure in each.