Self-Employed Payors
Quick answer
For a self-employed parent, Texas bases child support on real income — gross business receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses (Family Code § 154.065) — proven through bank records and 1099s, and collected via ACH orders and liens rather than a paycheck IWO.
There's no employer to serve an IWO on, income swings, and business and personal money blur together. Self-employed cases are won on documentation.
Finding the real income
Build the picture from bank statements, business ledgers, and 1099s — and use a lifestyle analysis when the records are incomplete. What the tax return says and what the deposits show are often two different numbers. For guideline purposes, self-employment income is gross business receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses — not the same as taxable income (Tex. Fam. Code § 154.065).
Getting paid without a payroll
Enforcement leans on automated ACH payments, liens against business receivables, and court orders requiring regular financial disclosures. Clean preparation and payments routed through official channels are what keep these cases on track.
Talk to a Houston child support lawyer at Sinkin Law Firm — we collect and enforce child support across Texas.
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