When a Texas family court orders child support payments, understanding the specifics is essential. This helps avoid confusion and ensures everything is handled correctly. In this blog, we’ll address common questions about child support payments in Texas. We’ll explain how they’re calculated and how they should be used for your child’s needs. Our goal is to clarify which expenses are covered. We’ll provide you with the information you need to navigate the child support process confidently.
Child Support Obligor
The parent ordered to pay child support is called the “obligor”. The obligor, also known as the “non-custodial” parent, has the least amount of time with the child. The “custodial” parent is who the child lives with and will spend the most time with. This parent is awarded child support from the obligor.
Calculations for child support payments are determined by the Texas Child Support Guidelines. It varies based on the number of children and the obligor’s income. However, beyond this, little else is factored into the child support payment.
Few parents will have an amicable family law case, and most will leave with some hard feelings. Most child support obligors will want to monitor or micromanage how their child support payments are spent on their children.
Who Can Receive Child Support?
As mentioned earlier, the “custodial” parent is the parent who will be paid the child support. This child support is to be used for the children. However, sometimes an obligor may have suspicions that their child is not receiving that support from their payments.
It is not uncommon for an obligor to ask whether their child support can be directly paid to their child instead of the custodial parent. Some will even try to get around it. They question if they can set up a college fund for their child to opt out of paying child support to the custodial parent.
The bottom line and answers to these questions are NO.
Only the custodial parent can receive child support payments, also called direct child support. Unfortunately, obligors cannot impose restrictions on these payments. All child-related funds should be pooled for easy access by the custodial parent.
Direct and Indirect Expenses
Raising a child entails two types of expenses: direct costs and indirect costs. An obligor shouldn’t assume every dollar is exclusively for their child, as they may overlook various child-rearing expenses.
Direct expenses refer to payments made specifically for your child’s benefit and enjoyment. These can include extracurricular activities, private school tuition, and luxury items. Conversely, indirect expenses are essential costs for the child’s needs. These are often paid to third parties and include rent, utilities, transportation, and food. While indirect expenses may be less obvious, they are vital for your child’s well-being. They ensure your child has a place to live, essential utilities, and transportation.
Child support payments in Texas are meant to cover the necessities of life, so it is good to know that an obligor’s child support payments will likely cover most indirect expenses. These are all necessities of life that the child will need, like food, clothing, shelter and utilities, and transportation.
Child support typically does not include uninsured medical, educational, or extracurricular expenses. Although these costs directly benefit the child, fulfilling child support obligations suffices. Payments, combined with the custodial parent’s funds, are pooled for the child’s care. While many parents strive to provide a comfortable life, custodial parents may request additional funds for private schooling or extracurricular activities. However, obligors are only legally obligated to provide what’s stipulated in the court order. It’s the custodial parent’s responsibility to manage within their means.
Child Support and College
Unfortunately, no Texas family law provision relates to a child’s college expenses. These are not included in any child support payments and must be covered aside from support in any manner agreed to by the parents or at the child’s own expense.
Relief Available to An Obligor
Understanding how little control an obligor has over the child support their child will receive can leave a parent wondering if the custodial parent truly is taking care of their child.
Unfortunately, little can be done in such instances. At most, a parent can petition the court to modify the existing custody order. However, it’s important for the obligor to understand that the focus of this new lawsuit wouldn’t solely be on money not being exclusively used for the child. Instead, proving the child lacks necessities that the obligor is paying the custodial parent to provide, like shelter, food, or clothes, will support a change in custody.
Apart from this, a parent must read and understand their order to ensure clarity regarding their financial obligations to their child. If you still have questions regarding child support, please contact our office to set up a free 30-minute consultation with a qualified expert on child support matters.
Conclusion
Understanding child support payments in Texas is essential for both parents to ensure they meet their legal obligations and provide for their children’s well-being. By familiarizing yourself with how child support is calculated and what expenses it covers, you can navigate the process with confidence. This blog offers valuable insights into the child expenses list, helping parents fulfill their responsibilities and maintain positive, supportive relationships with their children.
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Other Articles you may be interested in:
- How Taxes and Deductions Affect Child Support Payments in Texas
- College Expenses and Child Support After Divorce: Money, Money, Money
- Changes in Expenses Can Call for Changes in Child Support
- Child Custody Basics in Texas
- Child Support and College Tuition in Texas
- Texas Child Support Appeals
- In Texas are Child Support and Visitation Connected?
- Why Ignoring Child Support Obligations is a Bad Idea in Texas
- Texas Child Support – Trust and Annuities
- Special Needs Children in Texas Child Support Cases
- How to get above guideline child support.
Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Child Support Lawyers
The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding child support it’s important to speak with one of our Houston, TX Child SupportLawyers right away to protect your rights.
Our child support lawyers in Houston TX are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC handles Child support cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, the FM 1960 area, and surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.
