Tennessee Child Support Calculator

Tennessee uses the Income Shares model. Tennessee's Income Shares guidelines (rules effective October 2021) apply a parenting-time adjustment once the alternative residential parent reaches 92 or more parenting days a year -- measured in "days," not just overnights, since a daytime visit without an overnight counts as half a day. The obligation scales up further as parenting time increases beyond that point.

Tennessee's guideline runs on gross. That distinction matters: entering gross income into a formula built on net income (or the reverse) produces a materially wrong figure. Most states count income from essentially any regular source -- wages, self-employment, bonuses, commissions, rental and investment income, and many benefits -- not just salary.

Not necessarily. In Tennessee: tennessee's Income Shares guidelines (rules effective October 2021) apply a parenting-time adjustment once the alternative residential parent reaches 92 or more parenting days a year -- measured in "days," not just overnights, since a daytime visit without an overnight counts as half a day. Because the guideline also weighs each parent's share of income, a significantly higher earner can still owe support at an even time split.

Yes. The figure produced by Tennessee's Income Shares guideline is presumptive, not mandatory: a court can order a different amount when applying the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate for the specific case, and generally must state its reason on the record. Common grounds include extraordinary medical or educational expenses, a child's special needs, or costs the formula does not capture.

You have to file for a modification -- a change in your circumstances does not change what you owe on its own. Tennessee, like most states, requires a substantial change in circumstances: a significant involuntary income change, a change in the parenting schedule, or a material change in the child's needs. Until a court or the state child support agency issues a new order, the existing amount stays fully enforceable and arrears keep accruing, and a modification is generally not applied retroactively before the date you filed -- so filing promptly matters. In Tennessee, modifications are handled through Child Support Services — Tennessee DHS.

Tennessee publishes it directly: "TN Child Support Calculator and Worksheet — Dept. of Human Services". This site's calculator is a fast estimate built on the same published guideline, not a replacement for the official form -- a court filing generally requires the state's own worksheet. The link is in the Tennessee Resources section on this page.