How Is Child Support Calculated In Texas?
How is child support calculated in Texas is a common question for parents whose relationship has ended and there is a child or children involved.
In Texas, as in many states, the non custodial parent will have a child support obligation until the child is 18 or ends high school, whichever is the later.
Generally child support in Texas is calculated on the basis of the net income of the non custodial parent. The percentage payable will depend on the number of dependent children of that parent. Net income is calculated as follows:
Any and all income including salary, investment income, rental income-it essentially covers all income with the exception of any income received from a new spouse, and benefits received for families in difficulty and of course does not include capital sums received.
From this income figure is calculated the following in order to arrive at a figure for net income:
Taxes including social security and federal and state taxes, union dues and health insurance expenses.
Calculating Child Support In Texas
In Texas if your monthly net income is less than $6,000 then your child support payments will be calculated based on the number of children you are obliged to support.
If there is 5 children then you must pay 40% of your net income, 4 children and you pay 35%, 3 dependent children and you must pay 30%, 2 children will lead to payments of 25% and for one child you must pay 20% of your net income.
This formula goes out the window if custody, physical custody that is, is split between parents or if there are unusual arrangements with multiple children. Furthermore if a court thinks that you are intentionally dragging your heels in terms of your income and are not working to your potential in order to keep you child support payments down then the court can make a child support order based on your earning potential rather than what you are actually making.
So if you went back to college with a subsequent fall in your income a judge may well decide to make a child support order based on what you would have earned if you did not make that choice.
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Filed under Child Support Calculator by Terry
