Williamson County, TX · Free Consultation
Cedar Park, TX Modification 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
A support figure set at divorce describes the life you had that year. Four years on it often describes nobody’s life. A Cedar Park modification lawyer is there to tell you which of the two Texas paths your facts fit, and to file before the gap turns into arrears. Shane M. Boasberg has been licensed in Texas since 2003 and builds these records himself.
Many Cedar Park households ride on tech and small-business income that rises and falls, so a support figure set at divorce often no longer matches reality a few years later.
Where a Cedar Park modification is handled
Cedar Park sits mostly in Williamson County, so a support modification is generally filed with the Williamson County District Clerk in Georgetown. Because the city also touches Travis County, we confirm the correct venue for your address.
The two ways to modify child support
Tex. Fam. Code § 156.401 gives two independent routes, and they are not equally hard.
The first is proving a material and substantial change in the circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order. In practice that usually means a significant change in either parent’s income, a change in the number of children a parent is legally obligated to support, or a real change in the child’s medical or educational needs.
The second route requires proving none of that. If three years have passed since the order was rendered or last modified, and the amount under the current guidelines differs from the existing order by twenty percent or $100, that alone supports a modification. It is arithmetic rather than argument. One caveat: this three-year path generally does not apply to an agreed order that already varies from the guidelines.
Either route can raise or lower support.
The mistake that turns a modification into an enforcement case
Support does not adjust itself. The existing order controls until a judge signs a new one, and a modification is effective no earlier than the date you file.
So the parent who loses a job in March, starts paying less in April, and files in September has created six months of arrears — and under Tex. Fam. Code § 157.265 those arrears accrue six percent simple interest per year. A verbal agreement with the other parent does not fix it. Section 156.409 lets a court give credit for support actually paid directly in certain circumstances, but it is a defense you have to prove, not a plan.
File first, adjust second. It is the single most valuable piece of procedural advice on this page.
Getting the income figure right
Whichever route applies, the case comes down to recalculating net resources under Tex. Fam. Code § 154.062 and applying the guideline percentages in § 154.125: 20% for one child, 25% for two, 30% for three, 35% for four, and 40% for five or more. Those percentages apply up to a cap on net resources that rose to $11,700 a month effective September 1, 2025, up from $9,200.
For a salaried parent that math is quick. In Cedar Park it frequently is not, because so many households here run on bonuses, commissions, equity compensation, or self-employment income. Section 154.062 counts all of it. For a business owner, income is gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses, and the statute expressly excludes accelerated depreciation and similar accounting deductions from that definition. Courts look at those returns closely.
One more input moves the number: the cost of the child’s health and dental insurance is deducted in computing net resources, so a change in premiums can shift support on its own.
And if a parent is intentionally unemployed or underemployed, § 154.066 allows the court to apply the guidelines to earning potential rather than actual income. Taking a lower-paying job shortly before filing is a familiar and rarely successful strategy.
Check whether you clear the twenty percent gap
Our calculator applies the current Texas guideline percentages and the $11,700 cap to your net resources, so you can compare today’s figure against the order you are living with.
Try the Texas Child Support CalculatorGetting the income figure right
Whether support goes up or down, a Cedar Park modification turns on correctly recalculating each parent’s net resources. For a salaried parent that can be straightforward, but for the many local families with bonuses, commissions, equity, or self-employment income, the real number takes work to establish — tax returns, pay records, and profit-and-loss statements all come into play, and courts scrutinize business deductions closely. Changes in the cost of the child’s health insurance, which is factored into the calculation, can also shift the figure. We document the current income of both parents carefully, because a modified order built on a guess tends to invite the next dispute rather than settle this one. Done right, the new order reflects what each parent can actually pay and what the child genuinely needs today.
Working with us from Cedar Park
We are about 18 miles southeast in downtown Austin, a 25-to-30-minute drive on US-183. We handle most Cedar Park modification 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 recalculated from the records, including bonuses, equity, and business income.
- Straight answers — if the change you are chasing is smaller than the cost of chasing 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.
A Cedar Park family-law issue often connects to others, so we also handle a child support case, a custody case, and alimony in Texas — the SMB Law modification team explains our approach.
Frequently asked questions
I lost my job. Can I just pay less until I find another one?
No, and this is where good people get into real trouble. The existing order stays in force until a judge signs a new one, and a modification is effective no earlier than your filing date. Everything you underpay in the meantime becomes arrears carrying six percent simple interest under Tex. Fam. Code § 157.265. File first. You can explain the job loss to a court; you cannot un-accrue the arrears.
My ex got a big raise. Does my support go up automatically?
No. Nothing in a support order updates on its own. A raise can be a material and substantial change supporting a modification, or you may qualify under the three-year test in § 156.401 if the guideline figure now differs from your order by twenty percent or $100. Either way, someone has to file.
We agreed on a new amount between ourselves. Is that enough?
Not to change the order. A court enforces what is on file, not what you worked out over text message. Section 156.409 permits a credit for support actually paid directly in certain circumstances, but that is a defense you have to prove after a dispute has already started. An agreed modification is cheap and fast; there is no reason to skip it.
Can I modify possession and custody at the same time?
Yes, and it is usually more efficient to raise both in one petition. Conservatorship and possession run on a different standard under Tex. Fam. Code § 156.101, and changing which parent designates the child’s primary residence within a year of the last order requires the sworn affidavit under § 156.102. Those are higher bars than the support test.
Is a Cedar Park case filed in Williamson or Travis County?
Usually Williamson County, at the Justice Center in Georgetown. Because Cedar Park straddles the county line we confirm the correct venue up front. Our office is about eighteen miles southeast on US-183, and most of the process runs by phone, video, and electronic signature.
A support order that no longer matches anyone’s life is worth fixing, and the fix is usually less expensive than people fear, particularly when both parents can see the same math. The cost of waiting, on the other hand, compounds at six percent. Call SMB Law, PC at (512) 561-5003 for a free and confidential consultation.