Under Texas law, all parents have a legal duty to financially support their children, regardless of whether they are present in the child’s life or not. Child support is legally mandated, periodic payments that are meant to offset the costs of a child’s general well-being, from basic necessities to expenses associated with education and health care. Usually, the non-custodial parent pays child support to the parent who has primary custody and incurs most of the child’s living expenses. However, there are situations where both parents can be ordered by a judge to pay child support. Decisions regarding who must pay whom depend on who has physical custody of the child. We refer to the parent obligated to pay child support as the “obligor” and the parent receiving payments as the “obligee.”
Along with being imperative to a developing child’s health, education, and daily needs, child support may also significantly cultivate or deter a child’s future. This urgency is why you cannot underestimate the importance of child support payments—or lack thereof. At Kirker Davis LLP, our child support lawyers possess extensive knowledge of family law and provide effective defense for those not receiving payments or involved in child support disputes.
The legal requirement for child support ends when the child turns eighteen, graduates from high school, or becomes emancipated. The amount of child support that the court mandates depends on the child’s specific needs and the obligor’s level of income. As time goes on, these two factors may vary, so you can modify a child support agreement to accommodate changes in the child’s needs or the obligor’s salary. You can calculate the amount of child support required from your net monthly income by following your state’s specific guidelines that outline such. In Texas, the guidelines are as follows:
The percentage quoted is if the obligor has no other children for whom they are paying support.
Usually, the non-custodial parent is also responsible for the child’s health insurance, unless it makes more sense for the parent with primary custody to provide a health insurance policy.
“It’s always good to remember that a Court wants to minimize the change that your children undergo as a part of the divorce process, so the status quo of how your household divided up caregiving responsibilities will be the first thing the Court looks to when deciding custody issues.”
Get in touchKirker Davis LLP handles an assortment of child support and child custody cases throughout central Texas. We can lend the wisdom of our extensive experience on family law to help you receive the support and guidance that will best accommodate your family’s needs. Our child support services include, but are not limited to:
We expect these agreements to change with fluctuating life circumstances, and our legal team facilitates changes in child support guidelines until the child is no longer financially dependent. However, if a child has additional needs due to a physical or mental disability, child support may be required indefinitely.
Disputes and inconsistencies in child support payments can have the potential to hinder a dependent child’s well-being. If you are not receiving the payments that your child needs to survive, or need to modify your agreement, don’t hesitate to contact our Austin child support lawyers of Kirker Davis LLP at (512) 598-0010 to discuss your case in more detail.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Co-founding Partner, Chris Kirker who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a family lawyer.
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