$11,700 in Monthly Income Caps Texas Child Support at $2,925/Month for Two Kids
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Texas's guideline formula applies a flat percentage to the paying parent's own net income — the other parent's income isn't part of the math at all, and a statutory cap means support stops rising past a certain income.
A formula that only looks at one parent’s income
We ran $5,000/month in net resources for a parent with one child through the calculator: 20% × $5,000 = $1,000/month. Unlike alimony, which weighs both spouses’ incomes against each other, Texas’s guideline applies a flat percentage to the paying parent’s OWN net income only — the other parent’s income doesn’t enter the formula at all. And there’s a ceiling: net resources are capped at $11,700/month (effective September 1, 2025), so a parent earning $20,000/month owes the exact same guideline amount as one earning $11,700/month for the same number of children.
How the math works
monthlySupport = min(netResources, $11,700) × percentFor(numberOfChildren). The percentage rises from 20% (one child) to 40% (five or more children) at standard income levels, or a lower 15%-35% scale when net resources fall below $1,000/month.
What this tool doesn’t model: deviations courts can order for a child’s extraordinary medical or educational needs, substantially unequal parenting time (which can shift the calculation significantly), health insurance cost-sharing (often ordered separately, on top of the guideline amount), or any state other than Texas — see the Cost of Divorce calculator for the broader financial picture this guideline amount feeds into.
Math runs locally. Inputs never leave your browser. Source on github.
Where this doesn’t apply
- You’re not in Texas. Most states use an “income shares” model that combines BOTH parents’ incomes and prorates the obligation — a meaningfully different formula than this one-parent guideline.
- Parenting time is substantially split (not the traditional primary/visiting arrangement). Texas courts can adjust the guideline amount significantly for possession schedules that depart from the standard arrangement.
- There are extraordinary medical, educational, or special needs. Courts can order support above the guideline percentage for documented additional needs.
- You’re estimating alimony, not child support. These are entirely separate calculations with different formulas — see the Alimony Estimator for the spousal-maintenance side.
What to actually do
- Confirm your actual state’s child support model — income shares (most states) vs a flat percentage of one parent’s income (Texas and a handful of others).
- Calculate your true net monthly resources carefully — the definition includes more than just take-home pay (bonuses, overtime, and certain benefits often count).
- Factor this guideline amount into the broader financial picture with the Cost of Divorce calculator, not as a standalone number.
- If parenting time is close to equal, or special needs exist, expect the actual court-ordered amount to differ from the pure guideline calculation.
- Consult a family law attorney in your state before relying on any guideline estimate for actual planning.