Child Support Guidelines Review

Description

Starting in 2024, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) partnered with the University of Texas’ Ray Marshall Center to assist with a portion of the statewide review of the Texas Child Support Guidelines, which are developed and enacted by the Texas Legislature and included in Texas law. In Texas, the law requires the OAG to review the guidelines every four years to ensure application of the guidelines results in appropriate child support awards. Under the terms of the contract with the Ray Marshall Center, the Center updated economic research on the cost of raising children in Texas and evaluated whether the current guidelines produce adequate support for children. The Center also developed a parenting time formula, developed an alternative income-shares model, and examined whether child support for high-income earners should be capped.