How to change child support in Texas

How and when to ask for a new amount, with a review letter.

Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026.

Short answer

To modify an order means to change the amount by a new order. The court can change support if circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed since the order, or if it has been 3 years since the order was made or last changed and the amount differs by 20% or $100 from what the guidelines would give.

Agency review
Every 3 years if a parent asks (federal law)
First form
OAG request for child support review / modification (online)

The rule for changing support in Texas

The court can change support if circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed since the order, or if it has been 3 years since the order was made or last changed and the amount differs by 20% or $100 from what the guidelines would give. If the original amount was agreed and different from the guidelines, only a material and substantial change counts. Jail or prison for more than 180 days counts as a material and substantial change. A change usually applies only to payments due after the other parent is served or appears in the case.

Law: Tex. Fam. Code 156.401

Can I ask for a change? Check your situation

Texas's rule: The court can change support if circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed since the order, or if it has been 3 years since the order was made or last changed and the amount differs by 20% or $100 from what the guidelines would give. If the original amount was agreed and different from the guidelines, only a material and substantial change counts. Jail or prison for more than 180 days counts as a material and substantial change. A change usually applies only to payments due after the other parent is served or appears in the case.

Law: Tex. Fam. Code 156.401

Until a new order is made, the current amount is still owed. A change can count only from the date the other parent gets notice of your request, so ask soon.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)

How to ask in Texas: Ask the Attorney General to review your case (online modification request), or file a Petition to Modify the Parent-Child Relationship in the court that made the order. TexasLawHelp forms are for agreed or default cases.

How a change is made in Texas

Ask the Attorney General to review your case (online modification request), or file a Petition to Modify the Parent-Child Relationship in the court that made the order. TexasLawHelp forms are for agreed or default cases.

Write to the child support agency to ask for a review: Ask the agency to review (change) your order

New rules in Texas

The cap on monthly net resources covered by the percentage guidelines went from $9,200 to $11,700 effective Sept. 1, 2025. In 2023, S.B. 870 added rules on administrative adjustment of support for parents in jail or prison. The percentage tables themselves did not change.

Law: Tex. Fam. Code 231.1015-231.1017

Incarceration and changes

State guidelines may not treat time in jail or prison as choosing not to work, when support is set or changed.

Law: 45 CFR 302.56(c)(3)

In nearby states

What to do now in Texas

  1. Find your order

    The date of the order matters for the rule.

  2. Check the rule

    Texas's rule: The court can change support if circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed since the order, or if it has been 3 years since the order was made or last changed and the amount differs by 20% or $100 from what the guidelines would give.

  3. Show the change

    Pay stubs, a job loss letter or proof of new costs show what changed.

  4. Ask the agency or the court

    Contact Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Child Support Division ((800) 252-8014) · Apply online

Where to get free help in Texas

Questions about changing support in Texas

When can child support be changed in Texas?

The court can change support if circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed since the order, or if it has been 3 years since the order was made or last changed and the amount differs by 20% or $100 from what the guidelines would give. If the original amount was agreed and different from the guidelines, only a material and substantial change counts. Jail or prison for more than 180 days counts as a material and substantial change. A change usually applies only to payments due after the other parent is served or appears in the case.

Where do I file to change support in Texas?

Ask the Attorney General to review your case (online modification request), or file a Petition to Modify the Parent-Child Relationship in the court that made the order. TexasLawHelp forms are for agreed or default cases.

More for Texas

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.

Federal sources