Dallas Divorce Lawyer Blog
You are a father who wants to be a good dad and support his child without breaking the bank and not being able to support yourself. You do need financial resources in order to do this and you will probably pay guideline support. Our firm can help you.
How Much Will I Pay in Child Support?
Some fathers fall into the trap of paying above-guideline child support. That is, they agree to pay more than they are required either in amount of child support or they pay support and in addition to that pay for extracurricular, daycare, etc. Texas Family Code 154.125 provides the chart on child support guidelines and it is as follows:
CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINES
BASED ON THE MONTHLY NET RESOURCES OF THE OBLIGOR
1 child 20% of Obligor’s Net Resources
2 children 25% of Obligor’s Net Resources
3 children 30% of Obligor’s Net Resources
4 children 35% of Obligor’s Net Resources
5 children 40% of Obligor’s Net Resources
6+ children Not less than the amount for 5 children
If you have additional children besides the one involved in the suit, that is important because the percentages go down as shown below:
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|||||||||
| Number of |
0 |
20.00 |
25.00 |
30.00 |
35.00 |
40.00 |
40.00 |
40.00 |
|||||||
| other |
1 |
17.50 |
22.50 |
27.38 |
32.20 |
37.33 |
37.71 |
38.00 |
|||||||
| children for |
2 |
16.00 |
20.63 |
25.20 |
30.33 |
35.43 |
36.00 |
36.44 |
|||||||
| whom the |
3 |
14.75 |
19.00 |
24.00 |
29.00 |
34.00 |
34.67 |
35.20 |
|||||||
| obligor |
4 |
13.60 |
18.33 |
23.14 |
28.00 |
32.89 |
33.60 |
34.18 |
|||||||
| has a |
5 |
13.33 |
17.86 |
22.50 |
27.22 |
32.00 |
32.73 |
33.33 |
|||||||
| duty of |
6 |
13.14 |
17.50 |
22.00 |
26.60 |
31.27 |
32.00 |
32.62 |
|||||||
| support |
7 |
13.00 |
17.22 |
21.60 |
26.09 |
30.67 |
31.38 |
32.00 |
|||||||
The cap for child support was recently increased on September 1, 2013 from $7500 to $8550. This is the new child support cap for application of the percentages to monthly net resources. Therefore, this is not an increase completely; it only applies to those who have a gross monthly income of approximately between $10,000 and $11,000.00.
Presumably, the application of the child support guidelines to one’s monthly net income is considered to be in the best interest of the child. However, Texas Family Code Section 154.123 states that “the court may order periodic child support payments in the amount other than that established by the guidelines if the evidence rebuts the presumption that application of the guidelines is in the best interest of the child and justifies a variance from the guidelines.” The problem is, most often this section is used to try and prove that a father should pay above-guideline child support. But, it could still be used to decrease your child support below-guideline child support if, for instance, you are the parent paying all of the travel expenses for possession of or access to the child, if you are paying the child care expenses, etc. Either way, if the court deviates from the child support guidelines, the judge must issue findings of fact and conclusions of law that supports the court’s decision.
It is important that you discuss all payments for the child that are you make monthly, that the other parent makes monthly, and you need to be able to prove that at least your payments are made. For example, carbon copies of checks, bank statements, etc. Too often we have clients who have made cash payments to the other parent and the other parent will not acknowledge those cash payments and there is no way to prove that in court.
How Long Will I Pay Child Support?
Texas Family Code Section 154.001 provides the requirements of how long one must pay child support. Generally, most fathers pay child support until the child emancipates which means they turn 18 or graduate high school, whichever occurs later. Therefore, if your child is 18 but still enrolled in high school, then you can be ordered to continue paying support until graduation month. However, if you have a child who is disabled, you could potentially pay support for as long as that disability persists.
What about Retroactive Child Support?
It is not uncommon that we see cases where the parent seeking support is also asking for retroactive child support. This means that you are not only going to pay child support but you are also going to have an additional lump sum amount that you will be paying on. Retroactive child support is awarded when you have a case where the child is a little bit older and paternity has never been established. It can also apply if you have final orders, marry or remarry the mother of the child, and then subsequently separate. The same guidelines apply as when calculating regular support so they would take 20% of your monthly net and calculate that back as far as 4 years. Sometimes, considering factors within the Texas Family Code, the court can order you to pay back to birth. With an older child, you can understand how problematic and expensive that can become.
What is Cash Medical Support?
If private health insurance is not available to either parent for the child, then the obligor parent shall be required to pay cash medical support. Reason being, the child will be enrolled on a government assistance medical program such as Medicaid. Therefore, the Texas Attorney General’s office then develops an interest in your case because it then becomes an issue of money owed to the government for the assistance the child is receiving. Texas Family Code Section 154.182 provides guidance as to amount and states that in addition to the guideline child support, this amount “is not to exceed” 9% of your annual resources. The orders will state that you are paying this amount “as additional child support” but that amount will be withheld by the Attorney General’s office when you pay your monthly child support.
The orders will also state that you can cease paying cash medical support if you do a series of options, including if you obtain private health insurance for the child. A word of caution: if you do obtain private health insurance after final orders have been rendered ordering your cash medical support, it is highly suggested that you do not cease paying the cash medical. Rather, you need to notify the Attorney General’s office of the private health insurance and request a review meeting.
If private health insurance is available to the parent not ordered to pay child support, most likely you will be ordered to pay child support in addition to cash medical support which will be the amount of the health insurance premium on the child.
It is important that if you have private health insurance available through your employment that you provide said insurance for the child. Many fathers are concerned that their employer will wait until open enrollment to allow coverage for your child. However, if you obtain a court order and that order is sent to your employer, your employer must enroll the child by the date that you were ordered to provide the health insurance. Therefore, you could avoid payment of any cash medical payment altogether. Also, another added bonus, in calculating your monthly child support obligation, payment of a health insurance premium is taken into consideration.
What Should You Do?
I have helped many clients with this issue and I can help you as well. Whether you are dealing with a case in which your child support is being established for the first time (with a young or older child) or a modification in which your child support is being increased, we are here to guide you throughout the process. Guest & Gray has the family law experience that you need. We have offices in Forney, Rockwall, and Kaufman. Call us today to schedule your appointment.