How to lower child support in Texas

The Texas test, in plain words

Threshold: 3 years since order rendered/last modified AND guideline amount differs by either 20 percent or $100 (either prong alone qualifies) (Tex. Fam. Code §156.401(a)(1)-(2))

Percentages: 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four, 40% for five or more — of net resources up to the $11,700 monthly cap (Tex. Fam. Code §154.125, cap effective 2025-09-01). Supporting children in other households lowers the percentage under the §154.129 multiple-family table; the checker applies it. Worked check: $4,000 of net resources with two children = $1,000 a month.

Agency route: Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) — Child Support Review Process (CSRP). Court route: Court of continuing jurisdiction — Private suit to modify

One trap to know: Agreed non-guideline orders can be modified only on material & substantial change; the 3-year track is unavailable (Tex. Fam. Code §156.401(a-1))

Exactness: EXACT for standard guideline cases at or below the $11,700 net-resources cap.

Run the Texas checker

Your stateTexasCaliforniaFloridaNew YorkIllinoisOhioAnother state

What you pay now ($ / month)

Children in this case123456

Months since the order was made or last changed

Texas

Your monthly net resources ($)Net resources as Texas defines them (Tex. Fam. Code §154.062). The $11,700 monthly cap is applied for you.

Children you support in other households01234567Uses the §154.129 multiple-family adjusted percentages.

California — ESTIMATE only, permanently

Your monthly net disposable income ($)

Other parent's monthly net disposable income ($)

Your timeshare (%)

California's formula (Fam. Code §4055) turns on actual tax liability and approximate timeshare, so no California figure on this site is ever labeled exact.

Florida

Combined monthly net income, both parents ($)

Your monthly net income ($)

Your overnights per yearAt 73 or more overnights, the §61.30(11)(b) adjustment is mandatory and is applied.

New York

Combined parental income ($ / year)

Your gross income ($ / year)

Mandatory add-ons ($ / year: health insurance, unreimbursed medical, childcare)

Change in either parent's gross income since the order (%)

The basic obligation below the $193,000 combined cap is computed. The payable amount is always labeled ESTIMATE — add-ons and above-cap discretion sit on top.

Illinois

Your monthly gross income ($)Converted with the 2026 HFS gross-to-net table (effective 2026-03-20).

Other parent's monthly gross income ($)

Your overnights per yearAt 146 overnights each, the §505(a)(3.8) shared-care formula applies and is used.

Ohio

Combined gross income, both parents ($ / year)Run through the §3119.021 bracket formula.

Your gross income ($ / year)

Run my state's test

Track B — the evidence checklist (never scored)

• Material and substantial change in circumstances of the child or a person affected since rendition (or since mediated/collaborative settlement signing)
• Termination letter / unemployment filing / final pay stub for involuntary job loss
• Before/after pay stubs and employer letter for pay cut
• SSA determination / physician statement for disability
• Overnight log (12-month calendar) for timeshare change
• Health-insurance premium statements for premium change
• Evidence of other parent's income change and what can lawfully be obtained

Sources

• Texas Family Code modification — Tex. Fam. Code §156.401(a)-(b), (a-1) — statutes.capitol.texas.gov, pulled 2026-10-27
• Texas guideline percentages and cap — Tex. Fam. Code §§154.125-154.126, 154.062, 154.129
• Deviation factors — Tex. Fam. Code §§154.123, 154.130

Rules checked October 2026.