When paying child support in Texas, you are considered the “obligor,” and the recipient is considered the “obligee.” As you would expect, the “obligor” is responsible for the children and distributing the money intended for their needs.
The laws of each city change according to the needs of the citizens and their children. It is advisable to reach the best agreement for the welfare of the little ones, avoiding interfering with their growth.
How is child support calculated in Texas?
Once the demand for child support is made, the laws commonly known as “guidelines” are considered. According to the Texas guidelines, the amount the responsible party must pay each month to meet the needs of the child or children.
Child support in Texas is applied based on the obligor’s monthly income. When analyzing the person’s income, the court may apply one of two standards: the first is if the monthly income is less than $7,500, and the second is if the monthly income is more than $7,500.
If the income is less than $7,500, the court considers the number of children in the household. The calculation is different if the obligor has children in two different households.
How much is the amount of child support in Texas?
Under Texas child support law, the guideline calculations change according to income and the number of children. The distribution is as follows:
- 20% of monthly income when there is only one child.
- 25% of monthly income when there are two children.
- 30% of income for three children.
- 35% of the income when there are four children.
- 40% of the monthly income when there are six children.
The above calculations are for debtors who enjoy a monthly salary equal to or less than $7,500. They apply to the first $7,500 net monthly income when the income is higher.
However, if the obligor can prove that the child needs higher support, then the court may make appropriate inquiries and increase the monthly payment percentage to the child.
Among the needs that may arise are tuition, tutoring, additional medical costs, and extracurricular activities. On the other hand, there is a limit on the amount of child support requested.
The courts usually study the children’s needs to adjust the amounts to ensure they have what they need to support themselves. In other words, if it is shown that you require only an additional $500, that is the maximum that the court will approve.
How is the monthly income calculated?
Texas law provides that to calculate the net monthly income, the court must first calculate the gross annual income and then determine the average monthly income.
Accordingly, the courts will divide the annual income by 12 to arrive at the net monthly income to determine the amount of support. After having the gross income, they proceed to calculate the net resources.
Net resources include wages, dividends, interest, salaries, self-employment income, net rental income, unemployment, social security, pensions, workers’ compensation, and other income earned in a month or year.
The deductibles the court will make will be social security taxes, state income tax, federal income tax, union dues, and health insurance for the child. It is important to know that if the obligor is intentionally unemployed or earns less than they should, the court will impute income based on what they should be earning.
How much is the average child support payment in Texas?
As mentioned above, child support payments are calculated based on the obligor’s monthly income percentage. Therefore, the amounts change depending on the parent’s employment.
If a parent has a monthly income of $3,000, the payment will be approximately $600 per month, but if the parent earns $6,000, the payment will be roughly $1,200 per month for child support.