When parents in New Braunfels ask what child support will be, they are usually hoping for a single number. Texas law gets close to giving one. The state uses a published formula that most Comal County judges apply in most cases, so a careful calculation done early can tell you a lot. The hard part is putting the right numbers into the formula and knowing when the formula is not the end of the discussion. This page explains how the math works, step by step, and where a family law attorney can make a difference.
Step 1: Identify the Paying Parent
Texas calls the parent who pays support the obligor and the parent who receives it the obligee. In most cases the obligor is the parent who does not have the exclusive right to designate the child’s primary residence. Even when parents are named joint managing conservators, one home is usually the child’s primary residence, and the other parent typically pays support. Our page on conservatorship explains how those roles are assigned.
Step 2: Find Monthly Net Resources
The guideline percentage applies to the obligor’s monthly net resources, not gross salary. Net resources begin with almost every type of income: wages, overtime, commissions, bonuses, self-employment earnings, rental income, retirement and many government benefits. From that total, Texas subtracts a short list of items, including:
- Social Security and Medicare taxes
- Federal income tax, calculated as the state directs
- Union dues
- The cost of health insurance and dental insurance for the child
Texas has no state income tax, so there is nothing to subtract on that line for most local workers. The Office of the Attorney General publishes a tax chart each year that many courts use to convert gross income into net resources. For a deeper look at what counts and what does not, see our guide to net resources.
Step 3: Apply the Guideline Percentage
Under Texas Family Code § 154.125, the court applies a percentage based on the number of children before the court:
| Children before the court | Guideline percentage of net resources |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20% |
| 2 | 25% |
| 3 | 30% |
| 4 | 35% |
| 5 | 40% |
| 6 or more | Not less than 40% |
These percentages apply to net resources up to $11,700 per month for orders signed on or after September 1, 2025. The Legislature’s cap is reviewed periodically, so older orders may have been calculated using a lower cap.
A hypothetical example: imagine a father in New Braunfels whose net resources work out to $5,000 a month, with two children who live mainly with their mother. The guideline amount is 25% of $5,000, or $1,250 a month, plus medical and dental support. If his net resources were $14,000 a month, the guideline would apply only to the first $11,700, giving $2,925, and any amount above that would depend on proof of the children’s needs.
Step 4: Adjust for Children in Another Household
Many parents in Comal County support children from more than one relationship. When the obligor has a legal duty to support other children who are not part of the current case, Texas Family Code § 154.129 lowers the percentage. The adjustment is set out in a table that considers both the children before the court and the number of other children the obligor supports. The reduction is modest, but it can matter over the life of an order. The obligor needs to prove those other children exist and that the duty to support them is real.
Step 5: Add Medical and Dental Support
Base child support does not cover health care. The court separately orders who will provide health insurance and dental insurance for the child, how much the other parent reimburses for premiums, and how uninsured bills will be divided. Our page on medical and dental support covers those rules in detail.
When Courts Depart From the Guidelines
The guideline amount is presumed to be reasonable and in the child’s best interest, but that presumption can be rebutted. Texas Family Code § 154.123 lists factors a judge may consider when the guideline result would be unjust or inappropriate. They include:
- The child’s age and needs
- Each parent’s ability to contribute and the financial resources available
- The amount of time the child spends with each parent
- The receiving parent’s net resources, including whether that parent earns much more than the paying parent
- Child care costs that let a parent work
- Whether either parent has custody of, or pays support for, another child
- Spousal maintenance being paid or received
- Travel costs for exercising possession, which can matter for families split between New Braunfels and a distant city
- Extraordinary educational, health care or other expenses
- Debts the parents took on
When a court departs from the guidelines, a party can ask the judge to explain the findings in the order. Agreed orders that depart from the guidelines usually include similar language.
Above the Income Cap
For high-earning parents, the guideline percentages stop at $11,700 a month in net resources. A parent seeking more must show the child’s proven needs, which can include private school, activities, therapy or the standard of living the child has been used to. A budget backed by receipts is far more persuasive than a general request.
Equal Possession Schedules
Some Comal County parents share time close to 50/50. Texas has no automatic offset for equal time. Judges handle these cases in different ways. Some order the higher earner to pay a reduced amount. Others calculate support for each parent and order the difference. The facts of your case and the evidence about each household’s costs will drive the result.
Earning Potential and Missing Income
If a parent quits a job, takes a lower-paying one to reduce support, or hides income, the court can base support on earning potential instead of current pay. This comes up often with self-employed parents, cash businesses, and contract work in the trades that is common along the I-35 corridor. Bank statements, tax returns and evidence of lifestyle can all help show real income. When there is no reliable evidence of income at all, Texas presumes that a parent can earn at least a full-time minimum wage.
Getting a Number You Can Rely On in New Braunfels
A good estimate starts with good records. Before you meet with a lawyer or try our child support calculator, gather:
- Recent pay stubs and the last two years of tax returns, with W-2s and 1099s
- Records of bonuses, commissions and overtime
- Business profit-and-loss statements, if anyone is self-employed
- The cost of the child’s health and dental insurance, broken out from family coverage
- Information about any other children either parent supports
- Child care and extracurricular costs
If support is part of a divorce, these same records will also help with property issues. Our divorce checklist can help you organize them.
Talk With a New Braunfels Family Law Attorney
The child support formula looks simple until you have to apply it to real pay stubs, a side business or a shared schedule. Our family law team helps parents in New Braunfels, Comal County and the surrounding counties work out an accurate number and make the case for or against a deviation. Call (830) 302-4071 for a free consultation by phone, video or in person. We also speak Spanish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 50/50 schedule mean no one pays child support in Texas?
Not automatically. Texas has no rule that equal time cancels support. Judges often still order the higher earner to pay something, sometimes less than the full guideline amount, after looking at both parents’ resources and the child’s expenses.
Is child support based on gross pay or take-home pay?
It is based on net resources, which is neither exactly. Texas starts with nearly all income, then subtracts specific items such as Social Security and Medicare taxes, federal income tax at the rates the state assumes, union dues and the child’s health and dental premiums. Voluntary deductions such as 401(k) contributions are not subtracted.
Does the parent receiving support have to report their income?
Yes. Both parents usually exchange income information. The guideline percentage is applied only to the paying parent’s net resources, but the receiving parent’s finances can matter when the court decides whether to depart from the guidelines.
Can child support be ordered if the paying parent has no job?
Yes. A court can base support on what a parent is able to earn, especially when the parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. When there is no evidence of income, Texas presumes the parent can earn at least a full-time minimum wage.
Is child support taxable in Texas?
Under federal tax law, child support is not taxable income to the parent who receives it and is not deductible by the parent who pays it. Questions about who claims the child as a dependent are separate and should be addressed in the order or with a tax professional.
Last reviewed November 13, 2026. General information only, not legal advice.