Opinion ID: 1733228
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: child support guidelines based on the monthly net resources of the obligor

Text: 1 child 20% of Obligor's Net Resources 2 children 25% of Obligor's Net Resources 3 children 30% of Obligor's Net Resources 4 children 35% of Obligor's Net Resources 5 + children Not less than the amount for 4 children (c) More Than $4,000 Monthly Net Resources. In situations in which the obligor's net resources exceed $4,000 per month, the court shall presumptively apply the percentage guidelines in Subsection (b) of this section to the first $4,000 of the obligor's net resources. Without further reference to the percentage recommended by these guidelines, the court may order additional amounts of child support as proven, depending on the needs of the child at the time of the order. TEX.FAM.CODE ANN. § 14.055(a)-(c) (Vernon Supp.1993) (emphasis added). [1] The Code permits a trial court to vary from the guidelines applied to net monthly resources of up to $4,000 by considering various factors listed in §§ 14.052(b) and 14.054. Section 14.052(b) provides: (b) Factors. In determining the amount of child support, the court shall be guided by the guidelines and may consider, in varying from or following the guidelines: (1) the needs of the child; (2) the ability of the parents to contribute to the support of the child; (3) any financial resources available for the support of the child; and (4) the amount of possession of and access to a child. Id. § 14.052(b) (Vernon Supp.1993). Section 14.054 provides additional evidentiary factors that a trial court may consider: In applying the guidelines for the support of a child in this chapter, the court shall be guided by the guidelines for the support of a child in this chapter. However, the court may, in rendering its final determination of the amount of child support either within or outside the range recommended in Section 14.055 of this code if relevant factors other than the guidelines justify a variance from the guidelines. In making its final determination, the court shall consider all relevant factors, including but not limited to: (1) the amount of the obligee's net resources, including the earning potential of the obligee if the actual income of the obligee is significantly less than what the obligee could earn because the obligee is intentionally unemployed or underemployed, and including, as provided by Section 14.053(e) of this code, any increase or decrease in the income of the obligee or income that may be attributed to the property and assets of the obligee; (2) the age and needs of the child; (3) child care expenses incurred by either party in order to maintain gainful employment; (4) whether either party has the managing conservatorship or actual physical custody of another child; (5) the amount of child support actually and currently being paid or received by either party under another child support order; (6) the amount of alimony or spousal maintenance actually and currently being paid or received by a party; (7) the expenses for a son or daughter for education beyond secondary school; (8) whether the obligor or obligee has an automobile, housing, or other benefits furnished by his or her employer, another person, or a business entity; (9) the amount of other deductions from the wage or salary income and from other compensation for personal services of the parties; (10) provision for health care insurance and payment of uninsured medical expenses; (11) special or extraordinary educational, health care, or other expenses of the parties or of the child; (12) the cost of travel in order to exercise access to or possession of a child; (13) positive or negative cash flow from any real and personal property and assets, including a business and investments; (14) debts or debt service assumed by either party; and (15) any other reason or reasons consistent with the best interest of the child, taking into consideration the circumstances of the parents. Id. § 14.054 (Vernon Supp.1993). The factors listed in § 14.052(b) and § 14.054 provide bases for variance from strict application of the percentage guidelines, but only apply to the first $4,000 of net resources. [2] In its findings of fact, the trial court found that George's monthly net resources were $8,900. Therefore, § 14.055(c) governed the determination of child support. The trial court also found that the child support award of $2,500 was an equitable amount of support, based on the needs of the child at the time of the order, and the net resources of the parents  (emphasis added). Because § 14.055(c) requires additional child support awarded out of an obligor's net monthly resources that exceed $4,000 per month to be based solely on the needs of the child at the time of the order, the court of appeals concluded that the trial court's order could not stand. We agree with the court of appeals that above $4,000 of net monthly resources, additional child support may only be awarded based on the needs of the child. [3] However, the court of appeals went further. It noted that the evidence established that the needs of the child were only $1,742.17 per month. Based upon that observation, it concluded that the proper calculation of the child support required subtracting the presumptive award, $800 out of the monthly net resources up to $4,000, from the total needs proven of $1,742.17. Thus the court of appeals instructed the trial court that only an additional $942.17 could be awarded out of the monthly net resources exceeding $4,000. The record does not support this conclusion nor the instruction to the trial court. We presume, as did the court of appeals, that the trial court followed the dictates of § 14.055(c) and awarded $800 out of the first $4,000 of net resources. While we agree with the court of appeals that any award of additional child support from net resources in excess of $4,000 must be based only on the needs of the child, this does not lead us to conclude that the $800 award out of the first $4,000 of net resources is conclusively presumed to be based on the needs of the child. To the contrary, we note that the presumptive award is an amount that the trial court may award in lieu of making detailed findings as to the basis of the award. See Tex. Fam.Code Ann. § 14.052(b) (court may consider not only needs of the child, but also ability of parents to contribute to child's support, financial resources available for child's support, and amount of possession and access to child in varying from or following the percentage guidelines). Consequently, the presumptive award necessarily encompasses a number of factors that are not limited just to the needs of the child.
The court of appeals found no evidence to support a child support award of $2,500. In doing so, the court of appeals inferred that the trial court could not properly have reached the $2,500 figure by adding the presumptive percentage award ($800) to the full value of the child's needs ($1,742). However, when considering a question of no evidence a reviewing court may consider only evidence and inferences tending to support a finding and must disregard all evidence and inferences to the contrary. Lewelling v. Lewelling, 796 S.W.2d 164, 166 (Tex.1990); Roark v. Allen, 633 S.W.2d 804, 809 (Tex. 1982). This inference by the court of appeals is contrary to the trial court's findings of fact and judgment. The total award of $2,500 does not demonstrate that the amount awarded from the net monthly resources in excess of $4,000 exceeded the needs of the child. First, without a specific finding of fact as to its purpose, the $800 presumptive award is just thata presumptive award. [4] Second, the $1,742.17 of proven needs is greater than the $1,700 awarded from George's net monthly resources that exceeded $4,000. The findings of fact do not indicate that any part of the $1,700 over the first $800 of child support awarded is in excess of the proven needs of the child. Where findings of fact are subject to more than one reasonable construction, they should be given the meaning which will support the judgment. DeLlano v. Moran, 160 Tex. 490, 333 S.W.2d 359, 360 (1960). The findings of fact may be construed such that the child support awarded over and above the presumptive percentage was based solely on the needs of the child, in accordance with § 14.055(c). By construing the $1,700 awarded from net resources in excess of $4,000 to be for the needs of the child only, the trial court's judgment was within the parameters set forth in the Code. Thus, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion to award child support as a matter of law. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the court of appeals and affirm the judgment of the trial court.