Enforce a Texas
child-support order.
"Texas has more enforcement tools than people
think — they just have to be aimed
at the right target."
When child support
goes unpaid.
Texas treats unpaid child support seriously because the consequences fall on children. The debt does not expire, it accrues 3% simple interest annually (reduced from 6% on January 1, 2026) under § 157.265, and Texas has built one of the most expansive enforcement toolkits in the country to collect it.
When payments stop, the bills do not. The custodial parent ends up covering rent, utilities, medical care, school supplies, and child activities on one income. Every month the debt grows, the harder it is to pay back at once — but the harder it is for the obligor parent to ignore it forever.
The enforcement
toolkit.
Chapter 157 of the Texas Family Code governs enforcement of family-court orders. The tools available, in roughly increasing order of escalation:
- Income withholding under TFC Chapter 158 — automatic deduction from paychecks, unemployment, disability, or worker’s compensation
- Money judgment under § 157.263 — converts the arrearage into a civil judgment that can be collected like any other debt
- Asset seizure — bank accounts, tax refunds, lottery winnings, personal-injury settlements, vehicles
- License suspension under § 157.317 — driver’s, professional, and recreational licenses, plus passport restrictions for federal cases
- Contempt of court under § 157.166 — punishes willful violations directly, with fines and jail time on the table
Most cases use more than one of these. The right combination depends on what the obligor parent owns, where they work, and how willful the pattern looks.
Income
withholding.
Income withholding is the workhorse of child-support enforcement in Texas. Under Chapter 158, Texas can automatically deduct child support from the obligor’s paycheck, unemployment benefits, disability payments, or worker’s compensation without a court hearing if support is more than 30 days past due.
What you need to start: current employer information for your ex (name, address, payroll contact). What it covers: ongoing support plus an additional amount toward arrears, up to limits set by the Consumer Credit Protection Act (typically 50–65% of disposable earnings depending on dependent and arrears status).
What it does not solve: self-employed obligors, gig workers paid in cash, or anyone who works under the table. Those cases need a different mix of tools.
Asset seizure
and license suspension.
Texas can seize assets that belong to the obligor parent: bank accounts, state and federal tax refunds, lottery winnings, personal-injury settlements, real and personal property. Federal tax refund intercept is one of the highest-yield tools because most adults file taxes annually and the intercept happens automatically once the case is registered.
License suspension under § 157.317 applies to driver’s licenses, professional licenses (medical, legal, real estate, etc.), recreational licenses (hunting, fishing), and — through federal mechanisms — passports. A professional license suspension can be especially motivating because losing the license usually means losing the income that would have paid the support.
Contempt of
court.
Contempt under § 157.166 is the most serious enforcement tool. When other methods fail or the pattern of nonpayment is clearly willful, a contempt motion asks the court to punish the violation itself — fines, jail (up to 180 days at a time), and an order to pay the moving party’s attorney’s fees.
What contempt requires: proof that the violation was willful AND that the obligor had the ability to pay and chose not to. Inability to pay is a complete defense — and the burden of proof on willfulness sits on the moving party.
A few procedural points decide most contempt cases before the merits do. The motion has to allege each violation with specificity: date, amount due, amount paid (if any), and the act not done. The statute of limitations under § 157.005 runs until the second anniversary after the support obligation ends or the child becomes an adult — after that window, contempt is unavailable, though a money judgment under § 157.263 can be filed for up to ten years. And because jail is a possible outcome, the obligor has a constitutional right to counsel; if they cannot afford one, the court may appoint one.
If your ex lives
in another state.
Interstate child-support cases run on the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, codified at TFC Chapter 159. UIFSA lets Texas register its support order in the obligor’s new home state and enforce there using local procedures.
The general framework: support orders follow the obligor. Income withholding can be initiated across state lines through direct interstate income withholding. Asset seizure works through the obligor’s state. Contempt can be pursued in the issuing state (Texas) if the obligor remains subject to its jurisdiction, or in the obligor’s state if not.
The order of operations matters. Filing the wrong motion in the wrong state delays everything by months and can give the other side a procedural win. We sort which court hears what before anything goes on a docket.
County-by-county
practice notes.
The statutes are the same in every Texas county; local practice varies enough to matter.
Travis County has a dedicated child-support court with experienced staff. Complex contempt cases and high-conflict enforcement often move faster here than in counties without specialized dockets.
Williamson County courts often require mediation or a meet-and-confer before scheduling a contempt hearing in non-emergency situations. Emergency hearings are available when the facts support them.
Hays County typically schedules enforcement hearings within 30 to 45 days of filing — useful when the situation is urgent but does not rise to emergency relief.
These are tendencies, not guarantees. The right strategy starts with reading the existing order and matching the tool to the facts; the venue conventions come second.
When to hire
a private attorney.
The Texas Office of the Attorney General will handle basic enforcement at no cost — wage withholding, license suspension, intercepts. For straightforward cases against a W-2-employed obligor with a stable job, OAG is often the right starting point.
Private enforcement makes sense when:
- The arrearage is significant (typically $5,000 or more)
- The obligor is self-employed, paid in cash, or actively hiding income
- Previous OAG efforts have not yielded payment
- Your case involves interstate complications or unusual assets
- You need a contempt motion moved on a tighter timeline than OAG can run
Private attorneys can deploy enforcement tools the state does not pursue and move faster than the OAG can on case-specific motions. The honest answer at the consult: sometimes OAG is enough, sometimes it is not, and the difference shows up in the specifics of your case.
Honest answers
to fair questions.
"How long does child-support enforcement take in Texas?"
Income withholding through the Office of the Attorney General can start within two to three weeks of filing. Contempt proceedings typically run one to two months from motion to hearing. Asset seizure varies depending on what is being seized and where it is.
"What if my ex quits their job to avoid paying?"
Texas courts treat voluntary unemployment as contempt-eligible behavior. A judge can impute earning capacity based on prior work history and order support based on what the obligor should be earning, not what they currently take home.
"Can I collect back support after my child turns 18?"
Yes. Child-support arrearages do not disappear when the child reaches adulthood. The debt is a judgment that accrues 3% annual interest (lowered from 6% on January 1, 2026) and can be collected for years — sometimes decades — after the support obligation ended.
"Does Texas require parents to pay college support?"
Texas does not require post-majority support unless the original order specifically provides for it. But arrearages from when the child was a minor remain collectible regardless of the child's current age.
"Will enforcement affect my ex's credit?"
Yes. Unpaid child support reports to credit bureaus and lowers the obligor parent's credit score. The state can also seize tax refunds, suspend professional licenses, and place liens against property — all of which compound the credit consequences.
"Can my ex actually go to jail for not paying?"
Yes, through a contempt proceeding under § 157.166. Jail is a real outcome in serious cases — up to six months at a time — but only when the moving party proves the violation was willful AND that the obligor had the ability to pay and chose not to. The constitutional right to counsel attaches when jail is a possible outcome.
Get the order
enforced.
An hour with Cristi — $250, first hour prepaid — to review your decree, the payment history, and what you know about your ex's current situation. We will tell you which tools fit your case, what the realistic timeline is, what it would cost, and whether the Office of the Attorney General or a private enforcement makes more sense.