Shared custody and child support in Texas (2026)

Does 50/50 custody change child support in Texas?

Not in the guideline arithmetic. Texas sets child support as a percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources (Texas Family Code § 154.125), and the percentage depends only on the number of children. There is no step for the number of days or nights the children spend with each parent.

For one child and wages of $6,000 a month, the guideline is $991.37 a month. That figure is the same whether the order gives the other parent the standard possession schedule or equal time:

One child, any possession schedule

In Texas: 1 child; the other parent earns $6,000 a month before tax.

1. 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.

   $4,956.83

2. Apply the guideline for 1 child§ 154.125, guideline percentages and cap

   $4,956.83 × 20% = $991.37.

   $991.37 a month

Can joint managing conservators be ordered to pay support?

Yes. Section 153.138 says the appointment of joint managing conservators “does not impair or limit the authority of the court to order a joint managing conservator to pay child support to another joint managing conservator.”

A joint managing conservatorship order still designates the conservator who has the exclusive right to decide the child’s primary residence, and either sets a geographic area for it or says there is none (§ 153.134(b)). The label “joint” describes rights and duties, not an equal split of time or money.

How does possession time affect the amount?

Through the court’s power to vary from the guideline. The guideline amount is presumed reasonable (§ 154.122), but a court can order a different amount if the evidence shows that applying the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate. Section 154.123(b) lists the factors it must consider, including:

• the amount of time of possession of and access to the child (b)(4);
• the other parent’s net resources, including earning potential if that parent is intentionally unemployed or underemployed (b)(5);
• child care expenses either parent pays to keep working (b)(6);
• the cost of travel to exercise possession and access (b)(14);
• any other reason consistent with the child’s best interest (b)(17).

When the amount ordered differs from the guideline, the order must state both parents’ monthly net resources, the percentage applied, and the specific reasons for the difference (§ 154.130).

What is the standard possession order?

It is the schedule Texas presumes to be the reasonable minimum possession for a parent named possessory conservator or joint managing conservator (§ 153.252). The schedule differs when the parents live 100 miles or less apart (§ 153.312) or further (§ 153.313), and holiday periods apply whatever the distance (§ 153.314). Since 2021, when the parent with the standard schedule lives within 50 miles, the court applies the longer beginning and ending times unless that parent declines them (§ 153.3171).

None of these schedules changes the guideline percentage. They matter for support only as possession time under § 154.123(b)(4).

Did Texas pass an equal parenting time law?

No. Some websites describe Senate Bill 849 of the 2025 session as a new equal parenting law. The Texas Legislature’s bill history shows it was referred to the Senate State Affairs committee on 13 February 2025, and that is its last action. The current text of chapter 153 contains no equal possession presumption.

Can a support order be changed because the schedule changed?

A change in the children’s circumstances or a parent’s can be a material and substantial change under § 156.401(a)(1). An order of joint conservatorship, in and of itself, is not a ground for modifying a support order (§ 156.401(c)). The modifying an order guide covers both routes.

How do other states treat shared custody?

Some states put custody time into the formula. Virginia, for example, switches to a shared custody formula above a set number of days with each parent; see shared custody in Virginia.

Open this family in the Texas calculator

What this guide does not cover

This guide does not cover how courts decide conservatorship or possession, or how often they vary from the guideline for shared schedules: chapter 154 sets no formula for that, and no official statistics on it were found. The calculator gives the guideline amount only; it does not apply any variance. It 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.