If you owe past-due child support in Texas, the consequences now reach much further than wage garnishment or a bank lien. As of May 2026, the federal government has begun actively revoking U.S. passports from parents with significant child support arrears — not just refusing to issue new ones. At the same time, Texas continues to be one of the most aggressive states in the country when it comes to suspending driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational permits for nonpayment.
Whether you are the parent who owes support or the parent who is owed support, these enforcement tools are changing how Texas child support cases get resolved. Here is what every Texas parent should understand.
The Federal Passport Program — and What Changed in 2026
The Passport Denial Program is not new. Congress created it as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and the threshold for enforcement was lowered to $2,500 in unpaid child support back in 2005. For most of that history, however, the program operated quietly in the background. Parents typically only discovered the consequence when they applied for a new passport or tried to renew an expired one and were turned away.
That changed on May 9, 2026. The U.S. Department of State, working with the Department of Health and Human Services, began actively revoking valid passports held by parents in arrears. The first wave targeted approximately 2,700 Americans who owe $100,000 or more, but federal officials have publicly confirmed that enforcement will expand to cover anyone who owes more than the $2,500 statutory threshold. Industry observers and family law practitioners across the country have called this the most significant enforcement escalation since the program was created.
A few practical points every Texas parent should understand:
The $2,500 figure is cumulative across all of your child support cases, not per case. If you owe $1,500 in one case and $1,200 in another, you are over the threshold.
A revoked passport cannot be used for travel even if you pay the debt the next day. You will need to apply for a new passport, and HHS must first confirm with the State Department that your arrears have been resolved. That verification typically takes two to three weeks at minimum.
If you are abroad when your passport is revoked, the State Department will generally issue a limited-validity document allowing you to return directly to the United States — but not to continue traveling internationally.
In FY 2024, the Passport Denial Program collected approximately $30 million in child support arrears nationwide, bringing total program collections since inception to nearly $621 million. With the expanded revocation policy now in effect, those numbers are expected to climb sharply.
Texas-Specific Enforcement: Far More Than Just Passports
While the passport story has dominated recent headlines, Texas residents should understand that the state's own enforcement tools have always been broader and, in many ways, more disruptive to daily life. The Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Child Support Division, is the state's Title IV-D agency and has a wide range of remedies available under the Texas Family Code.
Driver's License Suspension
Under Chapter 232 of the Texas Family Code, the OAG can move to suspend the driver's license of a parent who is at least three months behind on child support and has failed to comply with a court-ordered or agreed repayment schedule. The Texas Department of Public Safety carries out the revocation once ordered.
A few details that catch many parents off guard:
If your license is revoked for delinquent child support, you are not eligible for an occupational (essential needs) license. That is a deliberate policy choice — the state does not want to soften the pressure to pay.
You will not owe a reinstatement fee specifically for the child support revocation, but your license will remain suspended until the OAG or the court submits an order lifting the revocation.
You generally have 20 days from the notice to request a hearing or to negotiate a payment arrangement.
Professional and Occupational Licenses
The OAG works with more than 60 Texas licensing agencies to suspend or deny renewal of professional and occupational licenses for parents in arrears. The list is broad and includes attorneys, doctors, dentists, nurses, real estate agents, contractors, cosmetologists, massage therapists, financial professionals, and many more. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation alone covers dozens of regulated occupations subject to this enforcement.
For professionals whose livelihood depends on an active license, the consequences are immediate and severe. A suspended license usually means no income — which, perversely, makes the underlying arrears even harder to pay down.
Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Licenses
Texas can also pull hunting and fishing licenses and other recreational permits. While these seem minor compared to a driver's or professional license, they are part of a deliberate, layered system designed to create pressure across many areas of life.
Liens, Levies, and Reporting
In addition to license actions, the OAG can:
- File liens against real property, bank accounts, retirement plans, life insurance policies, personal injury claims, and insurance settlements
- Intercept Texas Lottery winnings
- Report past-due support to credit bureaus, where it will damage your credit score for years
- Intercept federal and state tax refunds
- Deny renewal of motor vehicle registration in some circumstances
- Pursue contempt of court, which can result in fines and jail time of up to six months
How This Picture Looks Today
Several trends are worth flagging:
Passport enforcement is becoming more aggressive, not less. The shift from passive denial to active revocation represents a fundamental change in posture at the federal level, and the State Department has signaled that the lower $2,500 threshold will eventually drive the bulk of enforcement actions.
Texas license enforcement remains routine. Unlike the passport program, license suspension in Texas has been a steady, high-volume enforcement tool for many years. The OAG processes these matches and suspensions on an ongoing basis, and most parents who are three months behind and have ignored repayment opportunities will eventually receive a notice.
The consequences compound. A parent whose driver's license is suspended often loses their job. A parent whose passport is revoked may lose a job that requires international travel — pilots, flight attendants, merchant mariners, international sales professionals, consultants. Once income drops, the arrears grow faster, and additional enforcement tools come into play. The system is designed to escalate.
For Parents Facing Suspension or Revocation
If you have received a notice — or if you know you are behind and worry about what is coming — the worst thing you can do is wait.
Texas Family Code Chapter 232 gives you procedural rights, but those rights have short deadlines. The window to request a hearing is typically 20 days from notice. Passport revocation notices come from the State Department directly, by email or to the address on your most recent passport application, and the State Department holds passport applications for only 90 days after denial.
An experienced Texas family law attorney can help you:
- Negotiate a payment arrangement with the OAG that prevents or lifts a license suspension
- Petition the court to stay a suspension while you bring your account current
- File a motion to modify your underlying support obligation if your income has genuinely changed (in many cases, an outdated support order is the real source of the arrears)
- Address multi-state arrears, since paying one state will not clear a hold reported by another
- Request emergency releases from the Passport Denial Program where the law allows
- Defend against contempt allegations or motions for enforcement
If you owe support, you have an obligation — but you also have rights, defenses, and procedural options that are easy to forfeit by acting alone or acting too late.
For Parents Who Are Owed Past-Due Child Support
If you are the parent waiting on child support that has not arrived, the news here is largely good. The enforcement landscape is moving in a direction that favors collection.
A few practical points:
The OAG is one option, but not the only option. The Child Support Division of the Texas Attorney General provides enforcement services to all families who apply, and you should consider opening or activating an OAG case if you do not already have one. However, the OAG represents the State of Texas — not you. It cannot give you legal advice, it does not handle custody or visitation issues, and it cannot prioritize your case the way private counsel can.
Private enforcement can move faster and target specific assets. Working with a family law attorney, you can file a motion for enforcement under Chapter 158, pursue contempt remedies, request judgment for specific past-due amounts plus interest (Texas applies 6% simple interest on child support arrears), and use the full range of civil collection tools — including liens on identified property, garnishment of identified accounts, and turnover orders. These targeted actions often produce results faster than waiting for the OAG to work through its queue.
The new passport enforcement adds real leverage. For obligors who travel internationally for work or personal reasons, the threat (or fact) of passport revocation is now a serious pressure point. Combined with license actions and credit reporting, the cumulative pressure on a non-paying parent has rarely been greater.
Old arrears are still collectible. Texas has lengthy statutes of limitation for child support enforcement, and a properly preserved judgment can be enforced for many years. If you have given up because the arrears go back a long way, talk to an attorney before assuming the debt is uncollectible.
Contact Coker, Robb & Cannon
Coker, Robb & Cannon, Family Lawyers, has been representing North Texas families since 1998. Our attorneys handle child support enforcement, defense against enforcement actions, support modifications, and the full range of related family law matters from our offices in Denton, Frisco, and Fort Worth. Several of our attorneys and paralegals are Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a credential held by only a small percentage of Texas family lawyers.
If you are facing license suspension, passport denial or revocation, or any other child support enforcement action, contact us to discuss your options before deadlines pass. If you are owed past-due support and want to understand the most effective path to collection — including how the new federal enforcement environment changes your leverage — we can help you build a strategy tailored to your case.
Call us or use the contact form on our website to schedule a consultation.