Many men and women experience feelings of nervousness and stress when preparing for child support hearings. However, this is not necessarily due to an unwillingness to provide financial support, but often because of the uncertainty surrounding child support calculations. The rules and regulations surrounding these calculations can be confusing, especially for dads who are paying support for children of different mothers.
It should be noted that not every child support arrangement consists of a father being ordered to provide support to his child’s mother. Women can be and occasionally are ordered to pay support to the fathers of their children. However, for this discussion, the more common scenario of the father paying support will be used for the sake of simplicity.
Basic Calculations
In Texas, child support payments are made to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). This is because the Attorney General has the authority, under state law, to enforce child support orders and perform a number of other related tasks. When calculating child support payments, Texas law establishes certain guidelines that outline what percentage of income can go toward support payments.
If the father has one child, 20% of his net resources can be allocated to child support payments. For two children, the amount is 25%, and the percentages continue to increase as the number of children increases, up to five. If a man has more than five children for whom he is obligated to pay child support, the calculation method changes slightly. If you would like further guidance on what your support payments might be or if you have specific questions you’d like to discuss, our team of family law professionals is always happy to help.
The OAG provides a child support calculator for dads to input their income and other necessary information to see an estimated child support amount. The amount that the calculator shows may be different from what is ordered by the court. Many things can contribute to this, as each case is unique, and the calculator is meant for informational purposes only.
Multiple Support Orders
When a father has multiple support obligations to the children of different mothers, the calculation methods are often adjusted to reach an equitable amount that meets the children’s best interests. The percentages are decreased if more than one mother is being granted child support.
For example, let’s say a man has three children, two with one woman and one child with a second woman. In this scenario, the percentages for support would be lowered from 25% to 22.5% of net income to the woman with two of his children and from 20% to16% of net income to the mother of his other child.
At The Werner Law Group, we know navigating complicated Texas child support regulations can be overwhelming. Our family law attorneys have over five decades of experience, so put our team’s knowledge and expertise to work for you. If you need help right away, you can text Leslie at 361-648-6888 for immediate answers to your questions or concerns.