Texas Raises the Child Support Cap
Guidelines are used in Texas to help courts determine what a parent’s child support obligation will be. There may be reasons for varying from the guidelines, but most family cases end up using these guidelines to establish the child-support paying parent’s (also known as the “obligor”) monthly obligation. For one child, the obligation is 20% of the obligor’s net monthly resources. For each additional child (up to 5 children), the percentage is raised by 5%.
This percentage is applied to the obligor’s net monthly resources up to a certain point. There is a point at which the percentage will not apply; that’s called the cap. Previously in Texas, the guideline percentage was applied to the obligor’s first $7,500.00 of net monthly resources per month. Beginning September 1, 2013, the cap will be raised to $8,550.00 per month. This could open the door for many modifications in child support cases. If you are involved in a case where the obligor’s net monthly resources exceed $7,500.00 you may want to talk to an attorney regarding a potential modification in your case.