Texas Child Support Modification

Texas support fights often get called custody in the same text thread. A modification here is about the money order, guideline math, and what changed in income, insurance, or costs — not which weekend someone missed unless your guideline actually uses overnights. The Office of the Attorney General runs a lot of child-support dockets, but your court and your order still matter. Use this page when the stress is the support amount, arrearage, or enforcement through support channels, not a calendar rewrite. If the real break is the schedule, the parenting-time guide fits better. If the fight is who makes major decisions, the custody guide fits better.

Other procedure guides in this state

Related overviews for a different lane (same state). Form checklists stay on the state forms hub.

Texas: what actually belongs in a support modification

A real Texas support change, not a general fight - Texas modifications usually need a material and substantial change in circumstances. Start with what changed in income, medical support, or insurance, or what the order actually orders versus what the guideline would say now, not a list of feelings about the other parent.
Build the OAG- and court-ready financial stack - For Texas, line up recent pay stubs, the current child support order, and proof tied to net resources, medical support, and insurance the guideline uses. If your case is in the Attorney General IV-D lane, match what the OAG packet asks for; if you are in the district court that signed the order, match that court's motion checklist. Keep arrears collection notices separate from the folder for changing the guideline going forward.
Run the guideline math Texas will recognize - Use the Texas guideline process your court or the Office of the Attorney General expects for your case type. Save a printout that shows inputs (net resources, medical support, insurance) next to the old order amount so a reviewer sees a changed-circumstances story as organized math, not a guess at what you should pay.
File and serve the support motion, not a grab bag of other fights - If the break is the calendar, exchanges, or overnights, use the Texas parenting-time modification guide first. If the break is who makes school and medical calls, use the Texas custody modification guide. A support change still needs a financial story; do not use it to vent about a schedule without numbers that change guideline inputs.
OAG conference, court-ordered mediation, or status hearing with a dated Texas packet - Bring the order, OAG notices if IV-D applies, guideline printouts, and a one-page timeline of income or insurance changes. If the other parent argues possession, park that story for the parenting-time guide unless overnights truly change a guideline line you can prove.
District court hearing: tie every ask to Texas support paragraphs - If you reach a hearing, cite the order sections on child support, medical support, and net resources. The court is not there to rehear your entire SAPCR history, only whether guideline inputs changed enough to modify the money order.

When Texas parents are really fighting about money, not the calendar

Is the Texas Attorney General my judge for support?

If the break is the calendar, exchanges, or overnights, use the Texas parenting-time modification guide first. If the break is who makes school and medical calls, use the Texas custody modification guide. A support change still needs a financial story; do not use it to vent about a schedule without numbers that change guideline inputs.

Can I lower future support and still owe Texas arrears?

Arrears enforcement and a forward-looking modification are related but not the same job. Many parents need help separating collection notices from a material-and-substantial-change packet. This page organizes proof; it does not tell you which motion to file in your county.

Do I start with the OAG or the district court that signed my order?

If IV-D is already open with the Texas Attorney General, follow the OAG modification path your notices describe. If your order is chiefly in a district court SAPCR, you may need that court's motion instead. Read your order caption and the last official letter before you pick a door.

Does a possession schedule change automatically change Texas guideline support?

Only when overnights or other inputs the guideline actually uses have changed with proof. A parenting-time fight without new financial or time inputs usually belongs in the parenting-time guide first.

What if I am unemployed but scared of OAG enforcement?

Document the job loss date, unemployment or job-search records, and any medical-support costs still due. Enforcement tools can continue while you organize facts; many parents work with a professional on both tracks. This page is informational, not legal advice on enforcement strategy.

Texas OAG and court packets: net resources, medical support, and the current order

Pay stubs or employer letters showing gross and net resources for the job you have now, plus year-to-date if income shifted mid-year.
The signed child support order with the paragraph that sets the amount, medical support, and insurance duties.
Attorney General IV-D notices if your case is in that lane, kept separate from a forward-looking modification folder.
Insurance cards or premium statements tied to the child, with dates that match the change you describe.

When a Texas support change is the wrong next step

If the break is the calendar, exchanges, or overnights, use the Texas parenting-time modification guide first. If the break is who makes school and medical calls, use the Texas custody modification guide. A support change still needs a financial story; do not use it to vent about a schedule without numbers that change guideline inputs.

When you want support facts, not parenting drama, in one working file

MyCustodyCoach helps you keep pay stubs, orders, and messages sorted so a support change request matches the problem you can prove. Create an account when you are ready to work that way.

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Relevant Texas law

The statutes and appellate decisions below are the ones Texas courts actually apply here. Educational orientation only — not legal advice. Read the source before you rely on it.

Statutes

Tex. Fam. Code Sec. 154.125 - Application of Guidelines to Net Resources
When the obligor's monthly net resources are at least $1,000 and not more than the maximum amount most recently published by the Title IV-D agency in the Texas Register (adjusted for inflation every six years), the court presumptively applies 20 percent of net resources for one child, 25 percent for two, 30 percent for three, 35 percent for four, 40 percent for five, and not less than the five-child amount for six or more. If monthly net resources are less than $1,000, the court presumptively applies a lower schedule: 15 percent for one child, 20 percent for two, 25 percent for three, 30 percent for four, 35 percent for five, and not less than the five-child amount for six or more. If net resources exceed the published maximum, the percentages presumptively apply only up to that amount, and the court may order additional support depending on the parties' income and the child's proven needs (Sec. 154.126). Effective September 1, 2025, the maximum monthly net resources to which the percentage guidelines apply is $11,700 (Office of the Attorney General announcement, 50 Tex. Reg. 5351 (Aug. 15, 2025)); the prior cap was $9,200. These percentages are for an obligor whose children are all in one household; if the obligor has children in more than one household, the court uses the multiple-family adjusted guidelines in § 154.129 instead. If support exceeds the presumptive amount, the full presumptive award is subtracted from the child's proven total needs and the remaining needs are allocated between the parents, but the obligor never pays more than the greater of the presumptive amount or 100 percent of the child's proven needs (§ 154.126(b)).

Key cases

Iliff v. Iliff, 339 S.W.3d 74 (Tex. 2011)
A court may base child support on an obligor's earning potential rather than actual earnings when the obligor is intentionally unemployed or underemployed; proof of intent to avoid support is not required, though it may be considered.

Related state form checklists

Plain-English checklists for the same topic, with state-specific forms and terminology.

Child support forms (Texas OAG)

Disclaimer: MyCustodyCoach is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a licensed attorney in your state.