Paychecks and Child Support Calculation

Child support is calculated in Texas on a precise formula. The formula can seem convoluted to someone who is not familiar with how it works. A single variable can change the sum that a party might owe.

The formula can fluctuate depending on how often one is paid. Often confusion arises when one is paid bimonthly versus being paid every other week. At first glance, there might not seem to be that much of a difference. There are usually about four weeks a month, thus averaging to about two paychecks a month. The about is where things get confusing. If one is paid twice a month, they’re getting paid twenty-four times a year, versus when one is being paid every other week they’re getting paid thirty-six times a year.

Thus, changing the equation.

Tools such as the Texas Calculator App can illustrate the difference.

Also, in today’s day and age, people change jobs frequently. It’s important to know while your job might change and your payment schedule might change, it’s not going to be change your child support payments.   For example, while you might now be getting paid twice a month, the child support order is still going to reflect the every other week payment.