Texas Child Support When a Parent is a Minor

In Texas, parents have child support obligations, even when they are minors and still going to school.  How the courts determine child support, of course, depends on a variety of factors:

• Are the child and mother living with parents or grandparents?
• Are parents or grandparents currently providing support for the child?
• What income is the minor parent able to earn while still in school?

Judges review the situation and determine child support owed by the non-custodial minor parent based on income capacity.  Once the minor graduates and works full time, then support payments are subject to court modification.

A minor parent’s rights in child support adjudication

The Office of the Attorney General of Texas clarifies many questions about child support situations involving minors.  Until minors reach majority, they are not adults and require adult representatives to be their voice in legal matters. The adult representative, called a “next friend” under Texas law, is usually the minor’s parent or legal guardian but can also be a trusted adult who is willing to serve as the minor’s representative.  The next friend’s job is to protect the minor’s rights in child support proceedings, to ensure the minor understands the legal decisions being made, and to accompany the minor during all hearings and negotiation conferences.

Even if paternal grandparents already provide financial support for the child in minor child support cases, for an unmarried mother who is a minor to obtain child support and establish rights of fatherhood for her child, she must obtain a paternity test to establish parentage.

By working with an experienced Texas child support attorney, a young mother can understand the father’s legal obligations and seek legal help.  To get your questions answered, contact a Texas family lawyer.