In Texas, parents have certain legal duties towards their children, one of which is to provide them with financial support until they turn 18 years old. Parents can, however, be required to help pay for college tuition in some cases, so if you are going through a divorce and have questions or concerns about providing for your child’s future, it is important to contact an experienced complex child custody attorney who can help ensure that your child’s interests are protected.

Parenting Plans and College Tuition

Generally, non-custodial parents are only required to pay child support for a child until he or she turns 18 years old or graduates from high school, whichever is later, although if a child is older than 18 years old, he or she must be attending high school on a full-time basis to continue receiving support. In some cases, courts will take future college education expenses into account when drafting an initial child support order. However, the law does not prevent parents from negotiating and agreeing to additional child support obligations, which could include responsibility for paying for college tuition, during divorce proceedings.

In Texas, the Office of the Texas Attorney General is charged with enforcing the collection of child support. However, Texas courts also have broad discretion to enforce child support awards, so if your ex-spouse is behind on child support, it is crucial to speak with an experienced complex child custody attorney who can explain the process of filing a motion with the court.

Filing a Motion

To begin the process of enforcing a child support order, the requesting parent, also known as the movant, must file a Motion to Enforce with the court that issued the initial child support order. The motion should contain certain information, including:

In Texas, parenthood comes with certain legal responsibilities, such as providing for a child’s financial needs. While most child support awards are determined during divorce proceedings, courts can also order payment when a child’s parents are unmarried. If you live in Texas and have questions or concerns about child support, it is important to contact an experienced child support lawyer who will aggressively represent your child’s interests.

Calculating Child Support

Each child support arrangement is based on what the court deems is in each child’s best interest. To simplify the process, however, Texas lawmakers provided a formula to help courts determine the appropriate amount for a child support award. The calculation requires parents to provide proof of their annual gross income, which includes:

Dealing with child support in the midst of a divorce can go one of two ways: The process can either go smoothly or it gets messy. There is rarely any in-between when it comes to agreeing on arrangements and rights between two parties. While some divorcing spouses make it through the transition seamlessly and with mutual understanding – albeit a few minor bumps in the road – other couples are not quite as fortunate.

Child Support Assistance in the State of Texas

Similar to many states, the Office of the Attorney General in Texas is able to assist divorcing spouses with everything from locating an absentee parent and establishing paternity to establishing, enforcing, and modifying child support orders. The state also helps with medical support orders and collecting and distributing child support money.

Twenty years ago, the Dallas Cowboys won their most recent Super Bowl against their archrivals from Pittsburgh. Cornerback Larry Brown intercepted two second-half passes from Neil O'Donnell, which the Cowboys turned into two touchdowns, and Red "First Dahwwnn" Cashion was the referee. Now, the game and its participants are largely relegated to NFL Films retrospectives and documentaries.

Twenty years ago, or 1995 to be exact, also saw significant changes to the Texas Family Code. But instead of perusing through cable TV channels ad nauseam, one need only walk into a Texas family court to experience these changes firsthand. Because, at a time when some other states are updating their child support laws, lawmakers in the Lone Star State show no inkling to do so, recent technical changes notwithstanding.

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