When your custody arrangement changes, your child support usually changes too. Maybe your child is living with you now instead of the other parent. Maybe you picked up far more parenting time than your order gives you. A shift like that can raise or lower the amount of support, but the new number does not happen on its own. At McCarty-Larson, PLLC, our family law team helps parents across Ellis, Johnson, Tarrant, and Dallas counties line up their support order with the way their family actually lives today.
The Short Answer
In Texas, a change in custody can change child support because support is tied to which parent the child lives with primarily. If the primary parent changes, the paying parent and the amount can flip. But custody and support are separate orders. A custody change does not adjust support by itself. You must ask the court to modify the support order.
Why Custody and Support Are Connected
Texas law splits parenting into two ideas. One is conservatorship, which covers a parent’s rights and duties. The other is possession and access, which is the schedule that says when the child is with each parent. Together, most people call these “custody.” Child support sits on top of both.
Support is built around which parent the child lives with most of the time. That parent is the one receiving support. The other parent, the one who pays, is usually the one with the standard visitation schedule. So when the living arrangement shifts in a real way, the support order often no longer fits.
How the Support Amount Is Actually Set
Here is the part many parents get wrong. Texas does not add up overnights and split a bill down the middle. Instead, the state uses a guideline percentage of the paying parent’s monthly net resources. Net resources means income from most sources, minus a few set items like taxes and the child’s health insurance.
Under Texas Family Code Section 154.125, the guideline percentages are 20 percent of net resources for one child, 25 percent for two, 30 percent for three, 35 percent for four, and 40 percent for five or more. A cap sits on the income the percentage applies to. That cap rose to $11,700 in monthly net resources on September 1, 2025, so an older order may now produce a different number.
Because the amount is a percentage of one parent’s income, the biggest support changes come from a change in who pays, not from a small change in the weekly schedule. When the child moves in with the other parent for good, the parent who used to receive support may now be the one who owes it.
When the Primary Parent Changes
The clearest example is a full switch. Say your child lived mostly with their other parent, and you paid support under a standard schedule. Now the child lives mostly with you. The old order still tells you to pay, even though the roles have flipped. Until a court changes it, that order stands, and the money keeps flowing the wrong direction.
This is one of the most common reasons parents come to us. The living situation changed months ago, but nobody updated the paperwork. In that case, you would ask the court to name you the parent who receives support and to set a new amount based on the other parent’s income. The sooner you file, the sooner the order can catch up to real life.
When Parenting Time Increases Without a Full Switch
Not every change is a full switch. Sometimes one parent simply gains more time. Maybe you went from a standard schedule to something close to equal time. Texas does not automatically drop your payment just because you have the child more often, but a real, lasting increase in your time can support a request to lower the amount.
Courts look at the whole picture, including the new schedule, each parent’s income, and the child’s needs. A change in possession and access is one strong factor, but it works best as part of a modification request that also shows how the numbers should shift. This is different from the general filing process, which we cover in our guide on how to file for child support modification.
When You Support Children in More Than One Household
A custody change in one family can reach into another. If you take on primary care of a child, or a new child joins your home, you may now owe a legal duty of support to children in more than one household. Texas plans for this. The guideline percentage drops when the paying parent supports other children, so one parent with a child in two separate cases does not pay the full rate twice.
For example, a parent who would pay 20 percent for one child pays a reduced rate once a second child in another home enters the picture. If your household just grew or shrank, that shift can be a solid reason to ask the court for a new number.
A Custody Change Does Not Change Support on Its Own
This is the point that catches parents off guard. Even when a judge changes conservatorship, the support order does not update by itself. They are two separate orders. You have to ask the court to modify support, and you have to show the change is real and lasting.
To get there, you file a petition to modify with the court that issued your order. You explain what changed and the new amount you are asking for. You back it up with proof, like the new conservatorship order, a school enrollment showing the child’s address, or records of the new schedule. If you are also asking to change who the child lives with, our child custody modification lawyers can handle both parts of the case together, so your conservatorship and your support move in step.
What Counts as Enough of a Change
Texas courts do not change orders for small reasons. They look for a big, lasting change since the last order, or they use a separate rule for orders that are at least three years old and now off by 20 percent or $100 from the guideline amount. A change in custody usually clears that bar when the child’s primary home actually moves or when parenting time shifts in a major way.
Short-term changes are harder. If your child stays with you for a summer or during one rough patch, that may not be enough on its own. Courts prefer stability, so they want to see that the new arrangement is the real, ongoing situation, not a temporary one. Judges may also listen to a child who is twelve or older about where they want to live, though the child’s wish is only one factor and never the final word.
When It Is Worth Pursuing a Change
If your custody arrangement has truly changed, it is worth talking to a family law attorney about your support order. You do not want to keep paying under a schedule that no longer exists, or miss out on support you should be receiving. A modification can also reach back only to the date the other parent is served, so waiting can cost you money you cannot recover later. Our Texas child support modification lawyers know how local courts weigh these cases and can tell you where you stand.
How McCarty-Larson Can Help
A custody change is stressful enough without fighting over money at the same time. Bria Larson and the family law team at McCarty-Larson, PLLC guide parents across North Texas through both sides of the change. We can help you:
- Review your current order and the new custody arrangement together
- Explain how the change affects who pays and how much
- Gather the records that prove the change is real and lasting
- File your petition to modify support, conservatorship, or both
- Calculate the new amount under the current guidelines and cap
- Represent you at the hearing or negotiate an agreed order
Talk to a Texas Family Law Attorney
If your custody arrangement has changed, your child support order may be out of date and costing you money. Call McCarty-Larson, PLLC at 972-775-2100 for a free, confidential consultation. Our family law team will review your order and explain your options. You can also contact our office to get started.