How Child Support Is Calculated in Tennessee

Tennessee child support is calculated under income shares guidelines. The Tennessee Department of Human Services publishes Income Shares Worksheets (Excel) for calculating support.

Parents can apply for child support services from the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) online through the One DHS Customer Portal, or get help from a local child support office. TDHS establishes and enforces support orders but cannot help with divorce, custody, or parenting time.

Child support generally ends at 18. If the child is enrolled in an accredited high school after turning 18, parents remain responsible for support until the child graduates from high school or the child's class graduates, whichever comes first, but never after the child turns 19. A court may continue support for a disabled child up to age 21, and the age limit does not apply to a severely disabled child living under a parent's care and supervision when the court finds it is in the child's best interest and the paying parent can afford it.

When either parent applies, the court must increase or decrease support if there is a significant variance between the child support guidelines amount and the current order. TDHS says either parent can request a review at any time through the local child support office; if a complete review was done within the past two years, the requesting parent must first show a change in circumstances. For income-shares orders, a significant variance requires at least a 15% difference. Reviews can be done by the court or administratively by TDHS, and both parents must complete an Affidavit of Income and Expenses. Arrears do not prevent modification of future support unless they result from intentional conduct.

Unpaid support remains owed as arrears and is collected until the balance reaches zero; it cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. Support is commonly paid by automatic deduction from the paying parent's paycheck. Actions such as tax refund intercepts, license revocation, passport denial, and child support liens happen automatically once the amount owed meets each action's requirement. Passports are denied or revoked when a parent owes or has owed $2,500 or more. Interest is not charged automatically: since July 2018, on TDHS (IV-D) cases a court may add interest of up to 6% on past-due support (up to 12% applied to earlier orders). Following a payment plan may prevent some, but not all, enforcement actions.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services publishes automated Child Support Calculator tools for the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines (income shares model; most recent changes effective October 1, 2021): an Excel Child Support and Credit Worksheets calculator (must be downloaded and saved to work), a downloadable State TN Calculator, and the State of TN Child Support Calculator app for iOS. DHS says the app is for educational and informational purposes only and that only a court order or other tribunal can set child support. Check the page regularly, because outdated calculators may give incorrect results.