Williamson County, TX · Free Consultation
Georgetown, 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
Most people think a child support order is a monthly number. The monthly number is the easy part. What sends parents back to court two years later is the medical and dental language nobody read closely. A Georgetown child support lawyer earns his fee in that paragraph. Shane M. Boasberg has been licensed in Texas since 2003 and drafts these orders himself.
As the Williamson County seat, Georgetown is where these orders are entered — and we routinely see decrees that nail the base support number but leave health coverage vague, which causes fights later.
Where a Georgetown child support case is handled
Georgetown is the Williamson County seat, so a child support case is filed and heard at the Williamson County Justice Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Street, right in town.
Start with the base number
Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125 sets guideline 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 apply up to a ceiling on net resources that rose to $11,700 a month effective September 1, 2025, up from $9,200. For one child that puts maximum guideline support at $2,340 a month.
Medical and dental support come on top
Here is what surprises people: medical and dental support are ordered in addition to guideline support, not carved out of it.
Tex. Fam. Code § 154.181 requires the order to address health insurance for the children, and § 154.1815 does the same for dental. The statute also defines what counts as reasonable in cost, and the numbers are specific. Health insurance is reasonable if the cost to the obligated parent does not exceed nine percent of annual resources. Dental coverage is reasonable at one and a half percent. Those thresholds decide who is ordered to carry the coverage, and most parents have never heard of them.
When one parent carries the insurance, the premium for the children is deducted in computing net resources, so it does affect the base number. And under § 154.183, medical support is additional child support and enforceable by any means available for enforcing support, including contempt. That last point matters: unpaid medical costs are not a lesser category of obligation.
The paragraph that causes the fights
Almost every post-decree medical dispute we see traces to vague drafting on uninsured expenses — deductibles, copays, orthodontia, therapy, the part insurance does not cover.
An order that says the parents will split uninsured medical costs equally sounds complete and is not. It does not say how fast the paying parent must be given the bill, how fast reimbursement is due, whether an explanation of benefits has to accompany the request, or what happens when one parent goes out of network without telling the other. Two years later a child needs braces, and the argument is about a document nobody agreed on.
A well-drafted Georgetown order sets a deadline for presenting the expense, a deadline for reimbursement, a required form of proof, and a rule for elective and out-of-network care. It takes an extra paragraph and it prevents an enforcement case.
Run your own numbers first
Our calculator applies the current Texas guideline percentages and the $11,700 cap to your net resources, including the health insurance credit.
Try the Texas Child Support CalculatorWhen payments stop
Georgetown is the county seat, so enforcement runs through the Justice Center here. Two facts are worth knowing before anyone falls behind.
First, unpaid child support accrues six percent simple interest per year on the arrearage under Tex. Fam. Code § 157.265. It is not forgiven, discharged in bankruptcy, or negotiated away by informal agreement between the parents.
Second, the window to collect is long. Under § 157.005(b), a court keeps jurisdiction to confirm arrearages and render judgment until ten years after the child turns eighteen or the support obligation terminates. An arrearage from a child’s grade school years is still collectible when that child is in their late twenties.
If you are the parent falling behind, the answer is a modification filed promptly, not silence. Support does not adjust itself because your circumstances changed, and every month you wait becomes arrears with interest attached.
Working with us from Georgetown
Our downtown Austin office is about 30 miles south of Georgetown, a 35-to-40-minute drive on I-35. Most Georgetown parents handle a support matter 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.
- Orders drafted to survive — medical, dental, and uninsured-cost terms written specifically enough that nobody has to litigate them later.
- 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.
Many Georgetown families we represent are also dealing with a child custody dispute, modifying an existing order, or spousal maintenance; our Austin child support practice can guide the whole matter.
Frequently asked questions
Is medical support part of the child support amount?
No. Medical support under Tex. Fam. Code § 154.181 and dental support under § 154.1815 are ordered on top of the base guideline figure. Section 154.183 treats medical support as additional child support, enforceable by the same means, including contempt. It is not a softer obligation.
Who has to carry the children’s health insurance?
Generally the parent who has access to coverage at a reasonable cost, and the statute defines reasonable with a number: no more than nine percent of annual resources for health coverage, and one and a half percent for dental. When one parent carries it, the premium for the children is deducted in computing net resources, so it reduces the base support figure.
What happens with braces and other uninsured costs?
Whatever your order says, which is why the drafting matters. Most orders split uninsured expenses, commonly fifty-fifty, but a bare statement to that effect leaves out the parts people actually argue over: how quickly the bill must be presented, how quickly it must be reimbursed, what proof is required, and what happens with elective or out-of-network care. Get those terms in the order.
What happens if the other parent stops paying?
Unpaid support accrues six percent simple interest per year under Tex. Fam. Code § 157.265, and it does not go away. Under § 157.005(b) a court keeps jurisdiction to confirm arrearages and render judgment until ten years after the child turns eighteen. Enforcement tools include withholding, license suspension, and contempt.
Where is a Georgetown child support case heard?
At the Williamson County Justice Center in Georgetown, since the city is the county seat. Our office is about thirty miles south on I-35, and most of the process runs by phone, video, and electronic signature.
A support order is a document your family will live inside for years, and the version that holds up is the one that anticipated the ordinary things: a broken arm, a change of jobs, an orthodontist. Whether you are setting one up or trying to fix one that is not working, the place to start is reading it closely. Call SMB Law, PC at (512) 561-5003 for a free and confidential consultation.