3 Parts to a Kid

Support

In my opinion there are three parts to a child when considering any court ordered relationship. Each of the three parts general work together in a common sense type way, but they are completely separate and can be modified by the Court in thousands of ways. 

The third part of the kid is "Support." Who pays what.

Both conservators are responsible for the financial support of the child, but he non-primary conservator will be ordered to pay child support to the other conservator to help support the child. This is essentially to help support the costs of the child for the extra time the child is not in the non-primary conservator's care. 

Child support is designated by law to be a percentage of the conservator's net resources. "Net resources" is defined in Texas Family Code 154.062. This can include not only normal wages, but bonuses, gifts, and other sources of value that are included in the total yearly value and then averaged over the 12 months to determine the amount that child support will be based on. 

The guideline amounts are percentages of the obligor's net resources, i.e. one child is 20%. There is a table established to designate the percentage based upon the number of children the obligor has. 

Child support can be ordered or agreed upon to vary from the guideline amount as well. This could be to order less than the guideline amount (usually by agreement) or award more than the guideline amount. 

In addition to child support, the Texas Legislature has specified the the child must have medical and dental coverage. If the primary conservator provides this coverage, the non-primary conservator may be ordered to pay medical support in addition to child support for the monthly premium. In the alternative, the non-primary conservator may be ordered to obtain or maintain coverage for the child. Uninsured expenses will also be delineated in percentages for which conservator is responsible for those costs. 

Call for an Appointment

(817)755-0529