Texas child support by income (2026)
Texas child support is 20% of the paying parent's net resources for one child, 25% for two and 30% for three, so it rises with income until net resources reach $11,700 a month. On a salary of $50,000 a year, the 2026 guideline for one child is $705.92 a month; on $100,000 it is $1,319.67.
How much is child support in Texas at different monthly incomes?
The guideline amount a month by the paying parent’s monthly gross wages, for one to five children:
Monthly gross wages of the paying parent up to 5,000 dollars, net resources from the 2026 tax charts. The first row is the federal minimum wage for a 40 hour week.
| Other parent's income a month | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children | 5 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,256.67 | $232.11 | $290.14 | $348.16 | $406.19 | $464.22 |
| $2,000 | $356.23 | $445.29 | $534.35 | $623.41 | $712.47 |
| $2,500 | $438.08 | $547.61 | $657.13 | $766.65 | $876.17 |
| $3,000 | $518.43 | $648.04 | $777.65 | $907.26 | $1,036.87 |
| $3,500 | $598.78 | $748.48 | $898.18 | $1,047.87 | $1,197.57 |
| $4,000 | $679.13 | $848.92 | $1,018.70 | $1,188.48 | $1,358.27 |
| $4,500 | $759.48 | $949.36 | $1,139.23 | $1,329.10 | $1,518.97 |
| $5,000 | $839.83 | $1,049.79 | $1,259.75 | $1,469.71 | $1,679.67 |
Monthly gross wages of the paying parent from 6,000 dollars. From the cap row down the amount stops rising.
| Other parent's income a month | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children | 5 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6,000 | $991.37 | $1,239.21 | $1,487.05 | $1,734.89 | $1,982.73 |
| $7,000 | $1,132.07 | $1,415.08 | $1,698.10 | $1,981.12 | $2,264.13 |
| $8,000 | $1,272.77 | $1,590.96 | $1,909.15 | $2,227.34 | $2,545.53 |
| $9,000 | $1,413.47 | $1,766.83 | $2,120.20 | $2,473.57 | $2,826.93 |
| $10,000 | $1,554.17 | $1,942.71 | $2,331.25 | $2,719.79 | $3,108.33 |
| $12,000 | $1,828.17 | $2,285.21 | $2,742.25 | $3,199.29 | $3,656.33 |
| $15,713.51 | $2,340.00 | $2,925.00 | $3,510.00 | $4,095.00 | $4,680.00 |
| $20,000 | $2,340.00 | $2,925.00 | $3,510.00 | $4,095.00 | $4,680.00 |
Six or more children get not less than the amount for five (Texas Family Code § 154.125(b)).
How much is child support on a yearly salary in Texas?
The same guideline, for yearly salaries divided by 12:
| Yearly salary | Monthly wages | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $2,500 | $438.08 | $547.61 | $657.13 |
| $40,000 | $3,333.33 | $572.00 | $715.00 | $858.00 |
| $50,000 | $4,166.67 | $705.92 | $882.40 | $1,058.88 |
| $60,000 | $5,000 | $839.83 | $1,049.79 | $1,259.75 |
| $75,000 | $6,250 | $1,026.54 | $1,283.18 | $1,539.81 |
| $100,000 | $8,333.33 | $1,319.67 | $1,649.58 | $1,979.50 |
| $150,000 | $12,500 | $1,896.52 | $2,370.65 | $2,844.77 |
| $200,000 | $16,666.67 | $2,340.00 | $2,925.00 | $3,510.00 |
Monthly guideline amounts under the rules in force when this page was built, with the 2026 tax charts.
How is the figure worked out for one salary?
Gross income is worked out for the year and averaged per month (§ 154.061(a)), turned into net resources, and multiplied by the guideline percentage. For $50,000 a year and one child:
One child, a yearly salary divided by 12
In Texas: 1 child; the other parent earns $4,166.67 a month before tax.
Take off taxes§§ 154.061 and 154.062, net resources
$4,166.67 gross − $258.33 Social Security − $60.42 Medicare − $318.33 federal income tax = $3,529.59 of net resources a month.
$3,529.59Apply the guideline for 1 child§ 154.125, guideline percentages and cap
$3,529.59 × 20% = $705.92.
$705.92 a month
What do these tables assume?
- All income is wages, and the only deductions are federal income tax for a single person with the standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare, as in the Attorney General’s employed persons tax chart (§ 154.061(b)).
- The children all live in one household and the paying parent has no other children to support.
- No union dues and no children’s health insurance paid by the paying parent; both are deducted when present (§ 154.062(d)).
Other income counts too, such as bonuses, rental income, interest and self-employment income (§ 154.062(b)), and self-employed parents pay more in Social Security and Medicare, so their net resources are lower for the same gross income. The self-employed and imputed income guide covers both.
Where does the amount stop rising?
At net resources of $11,700 a month, which wages reach at $15,713.51 a month on the 2026 chart. Above that the guideline applies to the capped amount, and a court may add more only for the child’s proven needs (§ 154.126). See the high income guide.
Why is there a jump at low incomes?
When net resources are under $1,000 a month, lower percentages apply (§ 154.125(c)). The minimum wage row in the first table is above that line. The low income guide shows the switch.
Open the 50,000 dollar salary example in the Texas calculatorWhat this guide does not cover
These tables show the guideline amount only; medical and dental support is ordered on top (§ 154.064), and a court can vary from the guideline (§ 154.123). They do not cover children in more than one household. The engine also leaves out these parts of the Texas guideline:
- For children in one household. Children in more than one household are computed with a credit for the other children (154.128), or with the alternative table in 154.129; not modeled.
- Dental support (up to 1.5% of the paying parent's resources, 154.1825), cash medical support when no health insurance is available (154.182(b)(3)) and uninsured medical costs (154.183(c)) are ordered on top of this, not modeled.
- Self-employment income is not modeled. The engine deducts an employee's Social Security and Medicare; for self-employment income the Attorney General's self-employed chart deducts self-employment tax instead, which gives lower net resources.
- Net resources here only count wages. Other income and some deductions (154.062) are not modeled.
The figures are estimates of the guideline amount. A court can order a different amount, and an existing order only changes when it is modified.
Run your own numbers
This guide's example: in Texas, 1 child; the other parent earns $4,166.67 a month before tax. The guideline amount is $705.92 a month. Change any number in the calculator and every step of the formula updates.
Open this family in the Texas calculatorQuestions
How much is child support on a 50,000 dollar salary in Texas?
For one child, the 2026 guideline is $705.92 a month, assuming the income is all wages and the only deductions are federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. For two children it is $882.40.
How much is child support on 100,000 dollars a year in Texas?
For one child, $1,319.67 a month under the 2026 tax charts; for two children, $1,649.58.
Is Texas child support based on gross or net pay?
Net. The guideline percentage applies to net resources: gross resources minus federal income tax for a single person with the standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare, state income tax, union dues and the children's health and dental insurance paid by that parent (§ 154.062(d)).
Why do these figures differ from my take-home pay?
Texas uses a standard tax calculation, not actual withholding: federal income tax for a single person with the standard deduction, as in the Attorney General's tax charts (§ 154.061(b)). Retirement contributions, insurance for other people and other payroll deductions are not subtracted.
Sources
- Texas Family Code §§ 154.061, 154.062 and 154.125
- 2026 Tax Charts (employed persons)
- Figures on this page are computed by the Coparent Math engine with Texas'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
Related guides
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In the same hub
- 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.
- Changing a child support order in Texas (2026)A Texas court can modify a child support order in two cases: when the circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed, or when it has been three years since the order was made or last modified and the monthly amount differs from the current guideline amount by either 20 percent or $100 (Texas Family Code § 156.401). Only a new order changes the amount; parents can apply to the Attorney General's Child Support Division for a review or file in court.
- Self-employment, imputed income and what counts in Texas (2026)In Texas, self-employment income counts after the ordinary and necessary expenses needed to produce it, and a court may exclude depreciation or other expenses it finds inappropriate (Texas Family Code § 154.065). If a parent earns significantly less than they could because of intentional unemployment or underemployment, the court may apply the guideline to earning potential (§ 154.066); with no evidence of income at all, it presumes the federal minimum wage for a 40 hour week (§ 154.068).
- Child support above the income cap in Texas (2026)Since 1 September 2025 the Texas guideline applies to the paying parent's net resources up to $11,700 a month. For one child that caps the guideline at $2,340.00 a month. A court may order more than the guideline only depending on the parents' incomes and the proven needs of the child, and never more than the greater of the guideline amount or the child's proven needs (Texas Family Code § 154.126).
- Child support for more than one child in Texas (2026)In Texas the guideline percentage rises with each child: 20% of the paying parent's net resources for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four and at least 40% for five or more (Texas Family Code § 154.125). When the paying parent also supports children in another household, the court gives a credit for those children first (§ 154.128) or uses the multiple family table (§ 154.129).
- Child support on a low income in Texas (2026)When the paying parent's net resources are under $1,000 a month, Texas uses a low-income table: 15% of net resources for one child instead of 20% (Texas Family Code § 154.125(c)). When there is no evidence of a parent's income, the court presumes the federal minimum wage for a 40 hour week (§ 154.068), which the 2026 tax charts put at $1,256.67 a month gross.
The same topic in other states
- New York child support by income: tables for 1 to 5 children (2026)New York guideline support is a fixed percentage of both parents' combined income, after Social Security and Medicare taxes, up to $193,000 a year, shared by income. Below the cap, the other parent's share works out to that percentage of their own income after those taxes: for example $784.98 a month for one child at $5,000 a month, and $1,154.38 for two.
- Virginia child support by income (2026)Virginia child support depends on both parents' gross incomes and the number of children. When the other parent earns $5,000 a month ($60,000 a year) and the parent the children live with earns $4,000, the guideline is $664.44 a month for one child and $977.78 for two, before health insurance, child care or shared custody. The tables below give the amount at other incomes.
Comparisons
- 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.
- 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.
More about Texas
- 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.
- Income shares vs percentage of income: how child support models differ (2026)A percentage of income model sets support as a fixed share of the paying parent's income, and the other parent's income does not enter the formula. An income shares model starts from both parents' combined income, finds the basic support amount the guideline sets for that income, and splits it in proportion to each parent's income. Texas uses a percentage of the paying parent's net resources, Virginia uses income shares, and New York applies a fixed percentage to both parents' combined income and splits it by income.
- Child support and taxes: what the IRS says (2026)Child support is neither taxable nor deductible under federal tax law: the IRS says child support payments are not deductible by the parent who pays them and not taxable to the parent who receives them. Who claims the child is a separate question. The IRS treats the parent the child lived with for more nights in the year as the one entitled to claim the child; that parent can release the child tax credit to the other parent with Form 8332, but head of household status, the earned income credit and the child care credit stay with the parent the child lived with.