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Tex. Fam. Code § 8.055

AMOUNT OF MAINTENANCE

Applied in 4 court decisions — leading case Tellez v. Tellez (2011)

Most recently applied in 2025 UT App 94 - Taylor v. Taylor (June 2025)

Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 7, Sec. 1, eff

How often courts cite this section

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citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(a) A court may not order maintenance that requires an obligor to pay monthly more than the lesser of:

(1) $5,000; or

(2) 20 percent of the spouse's average monthly gross income.

(a-1) For purposes of this chapter, gross income:

(1) includes:

(A) 100 percent of all wage and salary income and other compensation for personal services (including commissions, overtime pay, tips, and bonuses);

(B) interest, dividends, and royalty income;

(C) self-employment income;

(D) net rental income (defined as rent after deducting operating expenses and mortgage payments, but not including noncash items such as depreciation); and

(E) all other income actually being received, including severance pay, retirement benefits, pensions, trust income, annuities, capital gains, unemployment benefits, interest income from notes regardless of the source, gifts and prizes, maintenance, and alimony; and

(2) does not include:

(A) return of principal or capital;

(B) accounts receivable;

(C) benefits paid in accordance with federal public assistance programs;

(D) benefits paid in accordance with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program;

(E) payments for foster care of a child;

(F) Department of Veterans Affairs service-connected disability compensation;

(G) supplemental security income (SSI), social security benefits, and disability benefits; or

(H) workers' compensation benefits.

(b) Repealed by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 486, Sec. 9(2), eff. September 1, 2011.

(c) Repealed by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 486, Sec. 9(2), eff. September 1, 2011.

(d) Repealed by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 486, Sec. 9(2), eff. September 1, 2011.

Official source: Texas Constitution and Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Texas statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.