Child Support
Child support can be supplied by either parent to support the care of the child, regardless of gender.
Child Support
Steps to Obtaining Child Support
Establish Legal Paternity
This most critical step of obtaining child support is establishing legal paternity. This can be done with a court ordered DNA test, or with voluntary acknowledgement of paternity.
Locate the Other Parent
If you don't know where the other parent is at, the Texas Attorney General Offices can assist you in finding them. The Attorney General is motivated to have the non-custodial pay for support of their own child, rather than support come from public funds. When you file your child support claim, the non-custodial parent will have to be formally notified or served.
If the non-custodial parent is actively avoiding being found to avoid child support, when in court, the court can retroactively seek child support for the years that this parent was avoiding their responsibilities to the child.
Gather Documentation
Gather items like the child's birth certificate, voluntary acknowledgement of paternity or DNA test results, contact information of the other parent, your own pay stubs & tax returns.
Get a Court Order
A court order can specify how my money a parent will contribute, in addition to medical and dental support. A court order can also grant access to the child or custody.
If both parents can mutually agree on payment amounts, they can present this to the court for consideration. Courts often use a general guidelines formula to create a starting point for child support payment amounts, but have the ability to adjust the amount on their discretion to cover medical costs, education, or after school activities.
Receive Payments
80% of payments are collected by wage withholding from the non-custodial parent, but numerous other options are available. Once the money is collected, it can be direct deposited to the custodial parent's bank account, or to a Texas Payment Card.
What to Do if Child Support is not Being Supplied?
If the non-custodial parent is not supplying payments to the state, wage garnishment, IRS tax refund re-directions, driver's/fishing/professional licenses can be denied, passport revocation, lien placement, or other legal action may take place to motivate them to make payments.
What if You are Trying to Support a Child Directly?
It is best to pay child support through the state system, so that your payment can be on record. Cash payments to the custodial parent may be considered gifts and not count towards any legally recognized support payments. It is possible that your cash assistance won't be recognized and you'll have to make recorded payments for these time frame at a later time.