As a parent, you probably help to shoulder the cost of raising your children with their other parent. Whether you have full custody or joint custody, you still will need to understand child support payments in Texas.
In many states, your child support obligations may be dependent on the amount of parenting time you have. In Texas, however, your child support payments are not calculated according to the amount of custody you have. In Texas, child support payments are calculated based on the non-custodial parent’s income and the number of children receiving support.
If you are the custodial parent, you can expect to receive child support payments calculated using the other parent’s income. If they make less than you do, their child support payment is smaller than you would pay if the situation was reversed. However, your income will not play a role in the amount of child support you receive.
Texas Child Support Amounts:
- One Child: 20% of the non-custodial parent’s income
- Two Children: 25% of the non-custodial parent’s income
- Three Children: 30% of the non-custodial parent’s income
- Four Children: 35% of the non-custodial parent’s income
- Five or more Children: 40% of the non-custodial parent’s income
Joint Custody & Child Support
In Texas, “custody” is actually considered conservatorship, meaning the parents are there to “conserve and protect” their children. While it may be called custody, conservatorship means that the child is not seen as a possession, but rather an individual over which parents have certain rights to protect. Even when conservatorship rights and duties are evenly shared, they will not affect child support.
Joint Managing Conservatorship may mean that the parents have agreed to equally sharing physical conservatorship and legal conservatorship duties, but it doesn’t guarantee an even split. For this reason, visitation and custody are seen as a separate issue from child support.
Have Questions? Ask Our Katy Family Law Attorneys – (281) 764-6087
Child custody and child support negotiations can be stressful. Our highly knowledgeable team at the Adams Law Firm is backed by more than 35 years of collective legal experience. Our Katy child custodyattorneys can help you understand the details of your case and can explain your legal options to you so you can make fully informed choices.
Schedule an appointment with our team today. Contact our offices by calling (281) 391-9237.
