Child Support Attorneys in Arlington, TX
Experienced Attorney Fighting For Fair Child Support Payments
As a parent, your top concern is the well-being, health, and happiness of your child. Sometimes that means dealing with complicated child support proceedings. The courts will need to weigh both parents’ current situations in order to come up with an order that is fair to both parents, but prioritizes their child.
Hartley Law Group is here to help you with this complicated legal issue. Call 469-949-1630 for help with your child support matters.
What Is a Child Support Order and What Does It Cover?
A child support order is a legally binding court order that requires a parent to make child support payments for the benefit of a child. Issued in family court, it identifies the obligor (paying parent), the obligee (often the custodial parent), the payment schedule, and the child support amount set under the laws surrounding child support. The figure typically references the paying parent’s net resources and the number of children covered.
What it covers is the child’s needs, not the other parent’s expenses. Orders usually specify:
- Ordinary living costs such as housing, food, clothing, transportation, and school supplies.
- Health insurance for the child and how uninsured medical or dental expenses are shared.
- Child care necessary for a parent to work or attend school.
- Educational or special-needs costs that are reasonable for the family’s circumstances.
- How multiple children are covered under one child support order.
- The payee, due dates, and where court-ordered child support must be sent.
A child support order is separate from child custody and remains in effect until it expires or a new court order changes an existing child support order.
How Is Child Support Calculated Under Texas Guidelines?
Texas uses a guideline formula that applies a percentage to the paying parent’s net resources to set a court-ordered child support amount. Net resources generally mean income after certain allowed deductions, then the rate is applied, subject to a statutory cap and to the child’s proven needs.
Step 1: Identify Net Resources
Courts’ total income from wages, overtime, commissions, bonuses, tips, self-employment, and similar sources, then subtract allowed items such as federal income tax, using guideline assumptions, Social Security/Medicare or self-employment tax, union dues, and the cost of the child’s medical or dental insurance.
Step 2: Apply the Percentage
Guideline percentages commonly used are:
- 1 child: 20% of net resources
- 2 children: 25%
- 3 children: 30%
- 4 children: 35%
- 5+ children: 40% (not to exceed statutory limits)
Step 3: Consider Adjustments
- If the parent supports other children not before the court, a multiple-family adjustment reduces the percentage.
- Courts may deviate from the number when credible evidence shows different needs, unusual medical or educational expenses, or other specific circumstances.
- Health insurance and uninsured medical/dental costs are addressed in addition to basic child support payments.
The result is a child support order that reflects guideline math unless the evidence justifies a different figure in the child’s best interests.
When Can a Court Deviate From the Guideline Child Support Amount?
Guidelines are a starting point. A court may set a different child support amount when credible evidence shows the guideline figure would be unfair or out of step with a child’s real needs. Judges may consider unusual medical or educational expenses, consistent travel costs for exchanges, work-related child care, and the paying parent’s actual ability to pay. Time of possession can matter if a non-custodial parent regularly covers substantial day-to-day costs. Courts also weigh responsibility for other children, high income above the statutory cap, or intentional underemployment. Any change must be tied to the child’s best interests and explained in the child support order under Texas family law.
How Do You Enforce Court-Ordered Child Support?
Enforcement means asking the family court to compel compliance with an existing child support order and to collect unpaid amounts. A custodial parent or the State’s child support division can file a motion for enforcement. A child support attorney assembles payment records, arrears, and the original order.
Judges may sign or update an income withholding order, enter a money judgment for arrears with statutory interest, and set a payment plan. They can also issue contempt findings for willful nonpayment, which may result in fines or jail time. Additional tools include license suspension, liens on bank accounts and non-exempt property, interception of tax refunds, and passport holds.
If the other parent disputes the numbers, the court reviews receipts, wage statements, and agency account histories. Enforcement targets support, not child custody, and it does not erase medical or child care obligations included in the decree. Once entered, the court’s judgment can be collected like any other judgment.
Are You Ready to Put a Fair Child Support Order in Place?
Child support touches every part of a child’s day. Groceries. Inhalers. Field trip fees. When the numbers are wrong or a court order is ignored, the strain falls on you and your child. Hartley Law Group takes these child support issues seriously. Our child support attorney team builds clean records, explains your options, and pursues the child support amount the law allows. We handle enforcement when court-ordered child support is overdue, and we address modifications when circumstances change. If paternity must be established first, we organize the testing and filings so the case moves. You will know what to expect in Arlington, TX, family court, and how each step protects your children. Put experience on your side right now. Call 469-949-1630 to speak with a child support lawyer at Hartley Law Group. Serving Arlington and the surrounding area, we provide focused legal services that protect your child and your future. Contact us today and move from uncertainty to clarity.