Leander, TX Child Support Lawyers
HEMBREE BELL LAW FIRM
We protect your kids, your money, & your business.
Hembree Bell Law Firm's experienced Leander child support lawyers help Texas parents establish, modify, and enforce child support orders using state guidelines based on net resources and number of children, ensuring fair financial outcomes through negotiation, mediation, or litigation.
Key Takeaways:
Texas child support is calculated by multiplying the paying parent's net resources by a percentage based on the number of children (20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, etc.), but courts also consider factors like each parent's debts, the children's special needs, and whether either parent supports other children.
Child support modifications require proof of significant life changes like major income shifts, custody arrangement changes, or new child needs, but courts don't modify support retroactively, so parents must act quickly when circumstances change to avoid months of financial hardship.
Texas law provides enforcement mechanisms for unpaid child support, including wage garnishment, contempt proceedings, bank account levies, and license suspensions, with Leander child support lawyers able to file enforcement motions to hold non-compliant parents accountable.
Raising kids is expensive—there's no way around it. Between groceries, school supplies, medical bills, extracurricular activities, childcare, and everything else that comes with parenting, the costs add up fast. And when you're shouldering those expenses alone because your co-parent isn't contributing their fair share, the financial strain can feel crushing. You might find yourself constantly stressed about money, sacrificing your own needs, or wondering how you'll make it to the next paycheck.
Here's the truth: both parents have a legal responsibility to financially support their children, and you shouldn't have to carry that burden by yourself. Whether you need to establish child support for the first time, modify an existing order that no longer reflects reality, or enforce an agreement your co-parent is ignoring. Our Leander child support lawyers at Hembree Bell Law Firm are here to help you get the financial relief your family deserves!
We understand how emotionally draining and financially stressful these situations are. That's why we handle every case with compassion while fighting hard and smart for outcomes that actually work for your family. Contact us today for your free case evaluation and let's figure out how to ease this financial pressure together.
How Texas Calculates Child Support
Texas uses specific guidelines to determine child support amounts, and understanding the basic formula helps you know what to expect. The court looks at the paying parent's net resources, which is their gross income minus deductions like federal income tax, Social Security, and health insurance premiums. They then multiply those net resources by a percentage based on how many children need support: 20% for one child, 25% for two children, 30% for three children, and so on.
But it's not always that straightforward. Courts can also consider other factors that affect the calculation, including whether either parent supports other children, the specific needs and ages of the children involved, each parent's financial resources and debts, whether the children have special medical or educational needs, and employment benefits available to either parent.
These guidelines have a cap on net resources at a certain amount, which means high-income earners don't automatically pay proportionally higher support once they exceed that threshold. The calculation methods also vary depending on how the paying parent earns their income (hourly wages, salary, commissions, benefits, self-employment, etc.)
Our experienced Leander child support lawyers know these guidelines inside and out and can help you understand what amount makes sense for your specific situation.
When You Need to Establish Child Support
If you're going through a divorce or separation, child support will be one of the major financial issues you need to resolve. Ideally, parents can agree on a fair amount and include it in their parenting plan without court intervention. But when you can't reach an agreement, whether that’s because your co-parent refuses to acknowledge their responsibility or wants to pay far less than what's reasonable, you'll need legal help establishing a proper order.
For unmarried parents, child support typically comes into play after paternity is established. Once the legal father is determined, the custodial parent can pursue support to ensure the child's needs are met and both parents share financial responsibility appropriately.
Our Leander child support lawyers guide you through the establishment process, whether that means negotiating a fair agreement or presenting your case to the court when necessary. We make sure the resulting order reflects both the guidelines and your children's actual needs.
Modifying Child Support When Life Changes
The child support order that made sense two years ago might not work anymore. Life changes, and sometimes those changes are significant enough to warrant adjusting the support amount. Common situations that justify modifications include major income changes for either parent (like a job loss, promotion, or career change), shifts in the custody arrangement that affect how much time the child spends with each parent, changes in the number of children being supported, or new needs for the children, like medical treatments or special education services.
It’s important to note, though, that courts don't modify child support retroactively. If you're struggling right now because the current order isn't enough, or if you're paying an amount that no longer reflects your financial reality, you need to take action quickly. Waiting just means more months of financial hardship or overpayment that can't be recouped later.
Our Leander child support lawyers help you file modification petitions with the court, gather evidence supporting the need for change, and advocate for adjustments that reflect your current circumstances. We always try to resolve modifications through negotiation or mediation first, but we're ready to litigate assertively to protect your family's financial stability when your co-parent refuses to be reasonable.
How Our Skilled Leander Child Support Lawyers Help Enforce Orders When Your Co-Parent Won't Pay
There's nothing more frustrating than counting on child support that never arrives. When your co-parent falls behind on payments or stops paying altogether, you're left scrambling to cover expenses they're legally obligated to help with. That's not only unfair, but a violation of a court order.
Texas law provides several enforcement mechanisms for parents who aren't receiving the support they're owed. Our Leander child support lawyers can file enforcement motions with the court, which can lead to serious consequences for non-compliant parents, including wage garnishment (where support is automatically deducted from paychecks), contempt of court proceedings, bank account levies, suspension of driver's licenses or professional licenses, and even jail time in extreme cases.
Sometimes all it takes is your co-parent knowing you've hired legal representation to suddenly make those payments start flowing again. Other times, strong enforcement action is necessary to protect your children's financial well-being. Either way, we know how to hold non-paying parents accountable.
Why Choose Hembree Bell Law Firm
We've built our reputation on being a firm that clients genuinely enjoy working with, and that matters. Going through child support issues is stressful enough without dealing with lawyers who are hard to reach or keep you in the dark about what's happening with your case.
We keep communication open and clear, making sure you're the first to know when there are updates and that you can easily reach us when questions arise. Our Leander child support lawyers are real people who understand what you're dealing with because we're parents too. We know how important it is to secure financial stability for your children, and we fight strategically to make that happen.
Contact Hembree Bell Law Firm today for your free case evaluation. Let's work together to get you the financial support your family needs and deserves!