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Updated for 2026 guidelines

The Texas Child Support Cap: $11,700 a Month

Texas guideline percentages apply only to the first $11,700 of a paying parent’s monthly net resources. Above that line, the state guideline stops doing the math for you.

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Texas cap facts

Guideline model
Percentage of net resourcessource
Statute
Tex. Fam. Code Sec. 154.125source
Net resources cap
$11,700 a month, effective September 1, 2025source
Above the cap
Court discretion, based on the child’s proven needs (Sec. 154.126)source
Next scheduled cap review
September 1, 2031 (6-year cycle)source
Full state calculator
Texas child support calculatorsource

Why Texas child support has a ceiling

Texas child support is a flat percentage of the paying parent’s net resources: 20 percent for 1 child, 25 percent for 2, and up through 40 percent for 5 or more. Net resources means income after Social Security tax, federal income tax, union dues, and the children’s health and dental premiums come out.

The legislature capped how much income that percentage applies to. Under Sec. 154.125(a), the guideline percentages stop at a ceiling the Office of the Attorney General publishes: $11,700 a month as of September 1, 2025. A parent with $8,000 in net resources and one with $80,000 in net resources both have the percentage applied to money below the ceiling only, so a much higher income does not produce a proportionally higher guideline number.

This is a true cap, not a bracket. Every dollar of net resources above $11,700 is simply outside the percentage formula. The math does not taper, phase out, or keep counting at a reduced rate. It stops.

The ceiling itself moves. Sec. 154.125(a-1) requires the Attorney General to adjust it for inflation every 6 years, and the cap has climbed from $6,000 in 2007 to $11,700 today.

At the cap: net resources of $11,700, 2 children

  1. Say a paying parent has exactly $11,700 a month in net resources, right at the ceiling, with 2 children in the case.
  2. Texas applies the 2-child guideline percentage, 25 percent, to net resources. 25 percent of $11,700 is $2,925.00 a month.
  3. That is the full guideline number Texas will compute for this parent, no matter how much higher net resources go from here.

The steps above follow the calculation method described on our methodology page.

Above the cap: net resources of $15,000, same 2 children

  1. Now say the same parent’s net resources rise to $15,000 a month, well above the $11,700 ceiling, still with 2 children.
  2. Sec. 154.125(a) applies the 25 percent guideline percentage only to the first $11,700, not to the full $15,000. 25 percent of $11,700 is still $2,925.00.
  3. The extra $3,300 a month in net resources changes nothing in the guideline math. The presumptive amount is $2,925.00, the identical number as the parent earning exactly $11,700.
  4. A parent or child can ask the court for more under Sec. 154.126, but that additional amount is not a percentage of the excess income. It has to be tied to specific, proven needs of the child, and the total order cannot exceed the greater of the guideline amount or 100 percent of those proven needs.

The steps above follow the calculation method described on our methodology page.

Texas cap history

  1. H.B. 448 raised the net resources cap from $6,000 to $7,500 and set up the 6-year inflation adjustment cycle.source
  2. First scheduled inflation adjustment raised the cap from $7,500 to $8,550.source
  3. Second scheduled inflation adjustment raised the cap from $8,550 to $9,200.source
  4. Third scheduled inflation adjustment raised the cap from $9,200 to $11,700.source

Texas cap FAQs

What is the Texas child support cap in 2026?

Guideline percentages apply only to the first $11,700 of a paying parent’s monthly net resources. That figure took effect September 1, 2025, after the third inflation adjustment since the cap mechanism was created in 2007. Net resources above $11,700 do not add to the guideline number.

Does the guideline amount keep rising once income passes $11,700?

No. The percentage applies only to the first $11,700, so a parent with $12,000 in net resources and a parent with $50,000 in net resources get the same guideline number for the same number of children. This is a hard ceiling, not a bracket that keeps taxing income at a lower rate above the line.

Can a Texas court order more than the guideline amount for a high earner?

Yes, under Sec. 154.126, but only based on the proven needs of the child, not as a percentage of the extra income. The party asking for more has to show specific expenses the guideline amount does not cover, and the total order cannot exceed the greater of the guideline amount or 100 percent of those proven needs.

How often does the $11,700 cap change?

Sec. 154.125(a-1) requires the Office of the Attorney General to adjust the cap for inflation every 6 years. The cap has moved from $6,000 in 2007 to $7,500, then $8,550, then $9,200, then $11,700 in 2025. The next scheduled adjustment is September 1, 2031.

Is the $11,700 cap the same as the low-income schedule?

No, they sit at opposite ends of the same statute. The low-income schedule in Sec. 154.125(c) applies reduced percentages when net resources are under $1,000 a month. The $11,700 figure is the ceiling at the high end, where the standard percentages stop applying to any additional income.

Does the cap apply to gross income or net resources?

Net resources, which is gross income after Social Security tax, federal income tax, union dues, and the children’s health and dental premiums the paying parent covers. Two parents with the same gross pay but different deductions can reach the $11,700 net resources ceiling at different gross income levels.

How to use the Texas cap number

This page exists to explain one mechanic: what happens to the guideline math once a paying parent’s net resources cross $11,700 a month. For the full calculator, with the 2026 tax charts, the low-income schedule, and the multiple-family table, use the Texas child support calculator linked below.

The cap only limits the guideline percentage math. It does not cap medical and dental support, which Texas orders on top of the guideline amount and which are not part of the $11,700 ceiling.

A court is not required to stop at the guideline amount for high earners. Sec. 154.126 lets a party ask for more, but the burden is on showing what the child actually needs, not on how much the paying parent earns.

What this estimate includes

  • The exact statutory mechanic: guideline percentages apply only up to $11,700 in net resources
  • A worked example at the cap and a second one above it, so you can see the number stop moving
  • The cap’s history since the 2007 statute created the 6-year adjustment cycle

What it leaves out

  • The full gross-to-net conversion using the 2026 OAG tax charts (use the Texas calculator)
  • Medical and dental support, ordered separately from the guideline percentage
  • Any estimate of what a court might award above the cap under Sec. 154.126; that depends on case-specific evidence of the child’s needs

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

Changelog: page first published with the $11,700 a month in net resources cap. Material changes are dated in the update log.