Houston Child Support Lawyer

Child Support Attorneys in Texas

In the typical child custody order, the non-primary custodial parent will typically be ordered to make child support payments to the custodial parent. Texas law recognizes long-standing child support guidelines that are intended to guide the parties, the attorneys, and the court in establishing an appropriate amount of child support.

The way child support is designed is to ensure that all minor children receive adequate financial support and care. Contrary to popular belief, child support is not a penalty for not being the parent granted full custody. A Texas child support order is intended to ensure that the child receives an appropriate amount of financial support from both parents.

Non-Payment of Child Support

Texas law imposes significant penalties on parents who fail to pay their court-ordered child support. Such penalties have been known to include, repayments of child support arrears with interest, attorney's fees, jail time, suspension of licenses, probation/community supervision, and other civil penalties.

If a parent fails to pay court-ordered child support, he or she may be in violation of the law. You have legal options to get the money your child deserves.

The court may require employers to deduct child support from the paying parent's paycheck through wage withholding.
Liens may be filed against the delinquent parent's property or other assets.
Driver's, professional, and hunting and fishing licenses may be suspended.
A lawsuit against the delinquent parent asking the court to enforce its order.
A judge may sentence the delinquent parent to jail and enter a judgment for past due child support.

According to Texas Family Code, the State of Texas allows interest to be charged on missed support payments. Interest builds up child support at the rate of 6% interest each year from the date in which the support is delinquent. A child support payment is considered delinquent if the payment has not been received after the 31st day after the payment due date.

The attorneys at Thompson Law Firm are aware of the difficulties single parents face while trying to obtain child support, they are eager to help you during this stressful time.

Support Modification

A court ordered child support obligation may be subject to periodic upward or downward adjustments. This is commonly known as a child support modification procedure. An increase or decrease in the child support obligor's income is the most common scenario justifying a child support modification. Additionally, if it has been at least three years since rendition of your child support order, you may be eligible for a child support modification if additional factors are satisfied. Finally, unique circumstances affecting a parent or child may sometimes serve as independent basis for child support modification. Such additional factors include;

Extra-curricular activities
Special needs child
Private school costs
Long-distance transportation costs associated with the exercise of visitation rights to the child.

Please refer to our FAQ section in this website for more information regarding office conferences with the Thompson Law Firm. You can also Contact us online or call 281-893-8841 and let us help you.

We assist our clients with all types of family law matters. Let us put our years of experience to work for you.