Child Support Lawyer in Houston, TX
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For more than twenty years, Horak Law has represented Texas parents in contested family court, and child support is one of the matters we handle most for families in Houston and Harris County. A support order decides how your children’s housing, food, and everyday care get paid for, often for well over a decade, so the amount on that order shapes your family’s budget long after the case ends.
When the figure you were given feels wrong or the payments you count on stop arriving, the strain falls on you and your children. An order set too high can outrun a steady paycheck. Set too low, it can leave a receiving parent short at the end of every month. A job change, a new child, or a parent who simply stops paying can leave the current order out of sync with real life.
We represent parents across Houston and Harris County who need a child support order established, recalculated, or enforced under the rules that apply now. Our family law team works out of The Woodlands and knows how these cases move through the Harris County courts. We build your child support order around what your children need and what Texas law allows.
Why Houston Families Choose Horak Law for Child Support
A contested child support case rewards preparation. Our family law team brings trial-ready representation to Houston and Harris County parents at every stage of a support order, from establishing a first order to defending one in a hearing.
Trial Experience in Harris County Family Courts
Matt Horak has tried more than 100 contested cases over more than 23 years of courtroom work in Texas. For your case, that means a disputed support order is argued by an attorney who is at ease in front of a family judge and knows how a Harris County hearing actually unfolds.
Client Testimonials
“I could spend hours talking about how incredible Matt Horak and his team are. From my very first phone call with Matt, I knew I was in the best hands. He was on top of everything—and I mean everything—right down to filing notices with the court just to inform them of his brief vacation. We were up against an attorney who seemed inexperienced and unresponsive, leaving us hanging for months. Despite that, Matt never let up. He fought hard—submitting motions to compel, motions for sanctions, and doing whatever was needed to move things forward. He even checked in on me emotionally, telling me how well I handled mediation when I was overwhelmed. I will forever be grateful. My kids won today—and that’s because of Matt. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” — Brooke
“Mr. Horak and his team are truly exceptional and I’m very grateful for their expertise! I was embarking on a very tough divorce journey, and Matt and all the others at Horak law made the experience as smooth as possible with a positive outcome. His team is very responsive to messages and they were always willing to set up a meeting to discuss in more detail if I had questions or didn’t understand something. I would absolutely recommend Matt Horak and his team for a family law matter.” — Emily
Meet Our Child Support Lawyers in Houston, TX
How Child Support Is Calculated in Texas
Most parents come to child support with one question: whether the number they were given is actually right. Texas answers it with a formula, and once you see how the formula works, you can check it against your own situation.
The math starts with the paying parent’s net resources. Under Texas Family Code Section 154.062, net resources covers nearly all income, including wages, self-employment earnings, bonuses, commissions, and many benefits, minus items such as income taxes, union dues, and the cost of the child’s health and dental insurance. We handle Texas child support calculations from both sides, for parents who pay and parents who receive.
Once net resources are set, the state applies guideline percentages based on how many children you support:
- One child: 20% of net resources
- Two children: 25% of net resources
- Three children: 30% of net resources
- Four children: 35% of net resources
- Five children: 40% of net resources
- Six or more children: Not less than the amount for five children
Those percentages apply to the first $11,700 of monthly net resources, a cap that took effect on September 1, 2025, under Section 154.125. If your net resources run above that line, a court can still order more when it finds the child has proven needs the guideline figure does not cover. The guideline is a starting point, not a final decision, and either parent can ask the court to set it aside if the facts support that.
How Child Support Orders Are Established in Harris County
A child support order comes out of a court case. In Texas, that case is a suit affecting the parent-child relationship (SAPCR). For most Houston families, the order takes shape within a divorce or a paternity case, filed in the county where the child lives, which for your family means Harris County.
Early on, a court can put temporary orders in place so support is paid while the larger case is still open. The final order comes later, after custody, parenting time, and income are settled. That difference is worth knowing because a temporary number is not always the number you end up with.
Many Houston parents first meet child support through the Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division, which can open a case and pursue support at no cost to the parent. That office represents the state’s interest in seeing the child supported, and it does not act as your personal lawyer. A private attorney works only for you, on your custody position, your income picture, and the terms that affect your household. Whether you need your own lawyer for child support depends on your situation, and the honest answer is different for every parent.
Modifying a Child Support Order in Houston
An order that fit your family a few years ago may not fit it now. A job loss, a raise, a new child, or a real shift in child custody and parenting time can leave the current amount out of line with what a household can manage. Texas law gives you a way to change the order, but only a court can make that change.
Under Texas Family Code Section 156.401, you can ask for a modification when the circumstances of the child or a parent have materially and substantially changed. There is also a second path. If three years have passed since the order was set or last changed, and the guideline amount would differ from the current order by either 20% or $100, a court can revisit it on that basis alone.
Common grounds for a modification include:
- A lasting change in either parent’s income
- A new child that one parent now supports
- A significant shift in the parenting schedule, including a move toward equal custody time
- A change in the child’s medical or care needs
One thing remains true while you wait. You are expected to keep paying the current order in full until a judge signs a new one. The existing order stays binding until that day. We can review whether your situation meets the standard and file the petition that brings it before a Harris County court. If you are weighing a change, requesting a child support modification in Texas starts with that court filing.
Enforcing Child Support in Houston When a Parent Stops Paying
When payments stop, you are often left covering the full cost of raising your children while the support you are owed goes unpaid, and it can feel like nothing is being done. Texas gives courts and the parents owed support real tools to collect.
Past-due support, known as arrears, does not fade with time. It stays collectible, and interest can build on the balance. To recover it, a court can take several actions:
- Wage withholding that pulls support straight from a paycheck
- Liens against bank accounts, property, or other assets
- Suspension of a driver’s license or a professional license
- Denial or revocation of a United States passport
- A contempt of court finding, which can carry fines and, in serious cases, jail time
Which measure fits depends on the facts of your case and how far behind the other parent has fallen. We can bring an enforcement action in a Harris County court and press for the remedy that matches your situation. Filing sooner gives a court more room to act on what you are owed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Support in Houston
How Long Does It Take to Get a Child Support Order in Harris County?
It depends on the case. An uncontested matter with cooperative parents can produce a Harris County order in a few months. A contested case can take six months to a year or more. Temporary orders can put support in place much sooner. Heavy Attorney General caseloads and crowded court dockets tend to add time, so filing early helps.
Does Child Support Cover Health Insurance in Texas?
Not by itself. In Texas, medical and dental support are ordered separately from the base child support amount. A support order usually requires one parent to carry health and dental insurance for the child or to help cover those costs, in addition to the monthly guideline payment. The two obligations run side by side.
Can Parents Agree to Their Own Child Support Amount in Texas?
Yes, within limits. Parents can agree on an amount, and Texas courts often honor a reasonable agreement. A judge still checks the figure against the child’s best interest and the state guidelines before signing it into an order. An agreement that shortchanges the child is unlikely to be approved.
Does Child Support Change When Parents Share 50/50 Custody?
Not automatically. Equal parenting time does not erase child support in Texas. When one parent earns more than the other, a court can still order that parent to pay because the guidelines weigh each parent’s income and not only the number of overnights. A 50/50 schedule can lower the amount, but it rarely brings it to zero.
Get Help With Your Houston Child Support Case
A child support order shapes your family’s money for years, and getting it right is worth the effort. Whether you need a first order established, a current one recalculated, or an unpaid one collected, a confidential case review is the place to start. We look at your order, your income, and your goals, then lay out the options that fit your family. Horak Law represents parents across Houston, Harris County, and our home base in The Woodlands.
Call Horak Law at 713-225-8000 or reach us through our online contact form to get started.
Written By Matt Horak
Matt Horak is a Board Certified and experienced attorney with over 20 years of courtroom experience in South Texas, including more than 100 contested trials. A former Harris County prosecutor and 2025 Super Lawyer®, he represents clients in high-stakes family law disputes with a strategy grounded in compassion and preparation.
