Veterans and Child Support Issues
- What part of my income can be withheld for child support?
- Is all of my income used to calculate child support?
- Can I just pay the child support directly to the other parent?
- I am disabled and my children receive dependent care benefits due to my disability - does that count toward child support?
- I do not understand my withholding order - what are all of these amounts?
- What are other resources for veterans regarding child support?
This article provides basic information about veterans and child support issues. This article was written by Texas A&M School of Law Family & Veterans Advocacy Clinic.
Download PDF version of Article (748.43 KB)It depends on how many dependents you have under the age of 18 or otherwise entitled to child support and what type of income you have. If a child is over 18 but still in high school that child is still entitled to receive child support. If you have a disabled child, child support can continue indefinitely after the child turns 18. Generally, the percentages listed in the chart below are what the court will withhold from income for child support.
With a few exceptions, child support is based on net income from all sources, not only wages.
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Common types of income used to calculate child support – this list does not include all possible types of income
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Countable as income for child support? |
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Employment income: wages, overtime, tips, bonuses, commissions, self-employment, perks of the job like automobiles, per diems, cell phones, etc. |
Yes |
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Rental Income |
Yes |
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TANF |
NO |
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SSI - Social Security Supplemental Income – Disability income not based on earnings |
NO |
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SSDI – Disability Income based on earnings |
Yes |
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Retirement benefits, pensions, trust income, annuities, military retirement (Non VA), Service connected disability compensation & TDUI |
Yes |
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Veterans Affairs Pension, Aid & Attendance |
NO |
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SNAP |
NO |
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Portions of the GI Bill that cover living expenses |
Yes |
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VA Disability Pay |
Yes |
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Workers’ Compensation Benefits |
Yes |
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Unemployment Benefits |
Yes |
Child support withholding is mandatory. All child support payments must go through the Texas Child Support Disbursement Unit. If you make payments directly to the other parent, they may not count as child support and may be considered as a gift. Expceptions to this rule may apply for certain benefits that are not subject to withholding.
The court will figure out how much child support you have a duty to pay under the child support guidelines, and then subtract the amount of benefits paid to or for the child because of your disability.
For more information on this, see the article written by Texas Legal Services Center on Disabled Veterans and Child Support Obligations.
The court may be withholding money for mandatory medical and dental support. If you do not provide insurance through your employer and the state provides the insurance you are required to reimburse up to 9% of your income for the state providing this insurance. Alternatively, if the other parent pays for the insurance you may be ordered to reimburse the other parent for the amount he or she pays for the health insurance for the children. Additionally, you may owe retroactive support, child support arrearages, or spousal maintenance.
The Texas Attorney General has an online handbook for non-custodial parents (the parent with whom the child does not live). Please review the Handbook for Non-Custodial Parents for more information.
Additionally, the HEROES program of the Texas Office of the Attorney General helps when military-related injuries have made you unable to follow a court order and they have specialized case review and management for veterans. Contact: (512) 460-6400 or email: HEROES@oag.texas.gov