How Much Is Child Support, Really? The Pro Se Guide to the Numbers in California, Texas, and Florida

Savage Lex Team · 2026-07-30

How Much Is Child Support, Really? The Pro Se Guide to the Numbers in California, Texas, and Florida

You're trying to figure out what you'll owe — or what you'll receive. Maybe you Googled it and got back three calculators, a forum thread from 2019, and an attorney's website that ends with "schedule a free consultation." None of it gave you a straight answer.

Here's the truth: child support is a math problem, and the math is public. Every state has a statute that lays out the formula. The judge doesn't make it up. The lawyer doesn't get to invent a number. You can run the calculation yourself before you ever set foot in a courtroom.

This guide walks you through how California, Texas, and Florida actually calculate child support, what counts as income, what to do when you can't pay, and how to modify the order when life changes.

What Child Support Actually Is

Child support is money one parent pays the other to cover the kid's share of housing, food, clothing, healthcare, and the rest of raising a human being. The legal principle behind every state's formula is the same: the child should benefit from both parents' incomes, not just the one they live with.

Three things matter in every calculation:

Most states have a "guideline" amount that the judge is presumed to order. You can deviate from it, but only with a written explanation of why the guideline would be unjust. The guideline is the starting line, not a suggestion.

Texas: The Percentage Model (The Easy One)

Texas runs the simplest system in the country. The judge takes the paying parent's monthly net resources and applies a flat percentage based on how many kids there are.

The percentages (Texas Family Code § 154.125):

| Number of Children | % of Obligor's Net Resources |

|---|---|

| 1 child | 20% |

| 2 children | 25% |

| 3 children | 30% |

| 4 children | 35% |

| 5 children | 40% |

| 6+ children | Not less than 40% |

The cap: Guideline percentages apply to monthly net resources up to $11,700, effective September 1, 2025 (up from $9,200). Above that, the judge can order additional support based on the child's "proven needs" — but the receiving parent has to prove those needs. (Texas Family Code § 154.126)

What "net resources" means: It's not your take-home pay. Under § 154.062, the court starts with all income — wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, rental income, dividends, interest, severance, pensions, and yes, lottery winnings — then subtracts:

That's it. No 401(k) contributions, no student loans, no car payment, no credit cards. People always want those to count. They don't.

Low-income adjustment: If your monthly net resources are under $1,000, the percentages drop — 15% for one child, 20% for two, and so on. (§ 154.125(c))

Example: You net $5,000 a month and have two kids with the other parent. Guideline support: $5,000 × 25% = $1,250/month. The judge starts there.

California: The Formula (The Hard One)

California uses what's called an "income shares" model with a formula that looks like something out of an algebra class. The statute (California Family Code § 4055) writes it like this:

CS = K [HN − (H%)(TN)]

Don't panic. You don't have to do this by hand. California has certified calculators that do it for you. But here's what each piece means so you understand what you're entering:

What counts as income: California is broad. Wages, tips, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, unemployment benefits, disability, workers' comp, interest, dividends, rental income, Social Security, pensions, and any "payments or credits due or becoming due" — including lottery winnings and prizes. The court subtracts taxes, mandatory union dues, mandatory retirement contributions, health premiums, support actually being paid for other children, and the cost of raising children from another relationship.

The low-income adjustment: If the paying parent's net disposable income is below the full-time minimum wage threshold — $2,929 per month for 2026, based on California's $16.90/hour minimum wage — there's a rebuttable presumption that they get a reduction. (Family Code § 4055(b)(7))

Use the calculator: California certifies five calculators for court use, listed at courts.ca.gov. The free public one is at childsupport.ca.gov/guideline-calculator. Heads up: the DCSS public calculator was decertified in 2026 pending tax updates from the July 2025 federal budget bill — it still works for estimates, but use a recertified calculator (Family Law Software, Xspouse, Cal Support) for anything you'll file.

Example: Two parents, combined net monthly income of $8,000. The custodial parent has the kids 80% of the time. The non-custodial parent (the higher earner at $5,000/month) would owe roughly $1,050 to $1,200 depending on deductions. Run your own numbers — don't trust a forum's estimate.

Florida: Income Shares With a Time-Sharing Twist

Florida also uses income shares, but the calculation runs through a worksheet the Supreme Court approves (Form 12.902(e)) and the statute (Florida Statute § 61.30).

How it works:

Above $10,000 combined: The chart stops at $10,000. Above that, you take the chart's maximum and add a percentage of the excess income — 5% for one child, 7.5% for two, 9.5% for three, scaling up. (§ 61.30(6)(b))

The variance rule: The judge can order within ±5% of the guideline amount without explanation. Beyond 5% in either direction, the judge has to put a written finding on the record explaining why the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate. (§ 61.30(1)(a))

The time-sharing twist: If each parent has the child for at least 73 overnights a year (roughly 20% of nights), Florida switches to the gross-up method — the worksheet recalculates with both parents getting credit for the time they have the child, and the number usually drops. (§ 61.30(11)(b)) If your parenting plan is close to 50/50, this matters a lot. Make sure your overnight count is accurate.

Example: Mom nets $4,000/month, Dad nets $6,000/month. Combined: $10,000. The guideline for two kids at $10,000 combined is roughly $2,159. Mom's share: 40%. Dad's share: 60%. Dad owes Mom the difference of their shares — about $647/month before child care and health insurance add-ons. Run your actual numbers on the worksheet.

What Counts as Income (And What Doesn't)

This is where most disputes live. The receiving parent thinks the payer is hiding money. The payer thinks the receiver is inflating their own need. Both sides usually have a point.

Counts everywhere:

Doesn't count:

The imputed income problem: If the court thinks a parent is intentionally working below their capacity — quitting a $100K job to "find themselves" at a coffee shop — the judge can impute income. That means the court calculates support based on what you could be earning, not what you're actually earning. All three states allow this. Don't try to game the system by tanking your income. Judges have seen it before and they don't like it.

When You Can't Pay

This is the section most people skip and end up regretting.

Don't stop paying. A child support order is enforceable until a judge modifies it. Stop paying because you lost your job and the arrears keep building, plus interest, plus enforcement. You can't get a retroactive reduction back to when your circumstances changed — the modification only goes back to when you filed. File the moment you know you qualify.

What to do:

Incarceration is its own trap: If you're going in for more than about six months, request a modification before you go in or as soon as you arrive. The federal government requires states to review incarcerated parents' orders on request, but the order doesn't reduce automatically. Wait until you get out and you owe the full amount that built up while you were inside, with interest, with no way to backdate it.

How to Modify an Existing Order

Modification follows the same playbook in all three states:

Texas-specific tip: If it's been at least three years since the last order and the current guideline amount would differ from your order by 20% or $100, you can modify without proving a "substantial change." That's a lower bar. Use it. (Texas Family Code § 154.123)

When the Other Parent Isn't Paying

If you're the one owed money, the state will enforce the order for you. Every state's child support agency has the same toolkit, and they're aggressive:

Open a case with your state's child support agency. It's free. They work for the system, not for you specifically, but their incentives line up — they get federal funding based on collections.

The Mistakes That Cost People

Stopping payment when income drops. The order doesn't pause itself. File to modify the day you know you qualify. Retroactive reductions aren't coming.

Hiding income. Judges have forensic accountants, tax returns, and subpoena power. Get caught and you lose credibility for the rest of the case, plus you may get imputed income at a higher number than you actually earned.

Agreeing to "off the books" arrangements. "Just send me $500 cash and we'll call it even." Six months later the receiving parent files for the full guideline amount plus arrears, and your cash payments aren't credited because they weren't documented or court-ordered.

Skipping the financial affidavit update. Your modification case lives or dies on that document. Be thorough. Be consistent. Be honest.

Forgetting the kids' health insurance and child care. In all three states these are added on top of the basic guideline amount, split proportionally. Don't be surprised when the number you calculated goes up by $300.

Confusing custody time with support. A common myth: "If I have the kids 50% of the time, I don't owe support." Wrong. The higher earner usually still pays something. Florida's gross-up reduces the number; it doesn't zero it out.

When You Actually Need a Lawyer

You don't need one to run the calculator, file the forms, or appear at a routine modification hearing. Pull in legal help if:

A one-time consultation runs $100 to $300. Your state's child support agency is free. Legal aid is free if your income qualifies. Use all three before you write a check to a family law firm.

Resources

Your Move

Child support isn't a mystery. It's a formula. The numbers are public and the calculators are free. You don't need someone in a $400/hour suit to run the math for you.

Run the calculator for your state. Document your income honestly. If your circumstances change, file to modify the same week. If the other parent isn't paying, open a case with the state agency — it's free and they're relentless. And keep paying what you can, even when it's hard, because the alternative is arrears that follow you for years.

Your kid's not a line item. But the number is. Know yours.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Child support guidelines change — the Texas cap moved from $9,200 to $11,700 in September 2025, and California's calculator certifications update yearly. If your case involves hidden income, interstate issues, or contested custody, talk to a family law attorney or your state's child support agency.