Williamson County, TX · Free Consultation
Leander, TX Child Support Lawyer
What Our Clients Say
Written and reviewed by Shane M. Boasberg, founder of SMB Law, PC · Licensed in Texas since 2003 · Updated September 2026
Texas child support has a ceiling, and the ceiling moved in September 2025. Above it the formula stops and the case turns into an evidence problem. A Leander child support lawyer is worth having on either side of that line, for different reasons. Shane M. Boasberg has been licensed in Texas since 2003 and has handled high-earner support cases throughout Central Texas.
As Leander’s professional and dual-income households have grown, so have cases where one parent’s income exceeds the point at which the standard percentages stop applying automatically.
Where a Leander child support case is handled
Leander sits mostly in Williamson County, with part in Travis, so a support case generally goes to the Williamson County District Clerk in Georgetown. We confirm venue for your specific address before filing.
The guideline percentages, and where they stop
Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125 sets support as a percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources: 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four, and 40% for five or more. Those percentages have not changed in years.
What changed is the ceiling they apply to. Effective September 1, 2025, the cap rose from $9,200 to $11,700 in monthly net resources. Texas adjusts that figure for inflation every six years. In practical terms, maximum guideline support for one child went from $1,840 to $2,340 a month, and for two children to $2,925.
If your order was entered before September 2025 and the paying parent’s net resources exceed the old ceiling, the order was calculated against a lower cap. That fact alone does not entitle anyone to a modification, but it is worth a look.
What counts as net resources
Net resources is not take-home pay. Tex. Fam. Code § 154.062 counts essentially all income — wages, self-employment income, commissions, bonuses, overtime, rental income, dividends, severance, and more — minus a short statutory list of deductions: Social Security taxes, federal income tax computed for a single person claiming one exemption, union dues, and the cost of the child’s health and dental coverage.
Retirement contributions, your own health premium, the mortgage, and consumer debt are not deductions. In a household with equity compensation this distinction gets expensive quickly, because vested stock that feels like an investment reads as income.
Above the cap: from arithmetic to evidence
Once net resources exceed $11,700, the percentages stop running automatically. Under Tex. Fam. Code § 154.126, a court applies the guidelines to the first $11,700 and may then order additional support based on the proven needs of the child, with the parent requesting more bearing the burden of proving those needs.
That single word, needs, does most of the work. It is not the same as what the family could afford, and it is not a share of the payer’s income. A court that orders above-guideline support must make findings, and § 154.130 requires specific findings whenever the order varies from the guidelines.
So a high-income Leander case becomes a documentation exercise: what the children’s expenses actually are, what standard of living the marriage established, tuition, activities, therapy, medical costs, travel. Built well, that record supports a fair order. Built poorly, it produces either an artificially capped number or a demand a judge will not credit.
Run your own numbers first
Our calculator applies the current Texas guideline percentages and the $11,700 cap to your net resources so you know where you actually stand.
Try the Texas Child Support CalculatorWorking with us from Leander
Our office is roughly 22 miles southeast in downtown Austin. We handle most Leander child support matters by phone, video, and e-signature.
At SMB Law, PC you work with Shane M. Boasberg directly. He has been licensed in Texas since 2003 and has spent those years in Central Texas family courts. You get his read on your case in plain English, including the parts you may not want to hear.
Why clients choose SMB Law, PC
- Direct attorney access — you talk to Shane, not a call center or a rotating case manager.
- The math checked, not assumed — net resources, insurance credits, and equity compensation verified against the records.
- Straight answers — if the amount you are disputing is smaller than the cost of disputing it, we will say so.
- Fees in writing — the rate and the retainer, explained before you sign.
What working with us looks like
- Confidential consultation to understand your goals and the law that applies.
- Strategy and records tailored to your situation.
- Negotiation or court — we settle when we can and litigate when we must.
- Resolution implemented correctly so you can move on.
Family matters in Leander rarely stay in one lane — we also help clients with a child custody dispute, modifying an existing order, and spousal maintenance, and you can learn more from our child support lawyers in Austin.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a maximum child support amount in Texas?
Yes, on the guideline side. The percentages apply only to the first $11,700 of monthly net resources, a cap that took effect September 1, 2025, up from $9,200. That puts maximum guideline support at $2,340 a month for one child and $2,925 for two. Above the cap a court may order more, but only on proof of the children’s needs under Tex. Fam. Code § 154.126.
My order was entered before the cap changed. Can I get it adjusted?
Possibly, but the cap change by itself is not automatically a basis. A modification under Tex. Fam. Code § 156.401 requires either a material and substantial change in circumstances, or that three years have passed and the guideline amount now differs from the current order by twenty percent or $100. If the paying parent’s net resources exceed the old ceiling, that second test is worth running.
How does a court decide support above the cap?
By looking at what the children actually need, documented. Not what the payer earns, and not a percentage of it. The parent asking for more carries the burden, and the court must make findings under § 154.130 when it varies from the guidelines. Tuition, medical costs, activities, and the standard of living the family established are the substance of that record.
My income is mostly stock. How is that counted?
As income, once it is realized. Section 154.062 sweeps in essentially all income from all sources, and vested equity compensation is not exempt because it did not arrive as a paycheck. Timing and valuation matter enormously here, and this is the single most common place where a support figure is calculated wrong in this part of Williamson County.
Do I have to travel to Austin from Leander?
No. Our office is about twenty-two miles southeast, and we handle Leander child support matters by phone, video, and electronic signature.
Child support arguments are won with documents rather than adjectives: pay records, tax returns, grant statements, and a correct reading of what the statute counts. Whether you are establishing an order, responding to one, or looking at a figure that does not seem right, the first step is checking the math. Call SMB Law, PC at (512) 561-5003 for a free and confidential consultation.