Tennessee child support guidelines
Tennessee uses an income-shares guideline — support is based on both parents’ incomes and parenting days. This page explains the rules and links the official DHS calculator; it doesn’t compute your amount.
How the Tennessee formula works
The Child Support Guidelines (DHS Rule 1240-02-04) work in steps:
- Combine both parents’ adjusted gross incomes;
- Find the basic obligation on the state schedule for that income and the number of children;
- Split it proportionally by each parent’s income share;
- Adjust for parenting days, and add health insurance, childcare, and recurring medical costs.
Tennessee publishes the guideline in several official formats — a web calculator, an Excel worksheet, and an iOS app — all applying the same rule.
The 92-day threshold and the self-support reserve
Two mechanics move Tennessee numbers most. The parenting-time adjustment starts at 92 days a year for the alternate residential parent — above that line the obligation drops to reflect direct spending during that parent’s time. And a Self-Support Reserve of $1,200 a month protects a low-earning parent: when their income falls in the schedule’s shaded low-income band, the SSR adjustment applies and the lesser of the two calculated figures sets the basic obligation. Income can also be imputed to a parent found to be willfully unemployed or underemployed.
How long support lasts, and changing it
Support ends at 18, or at high-school graduation if the child is still enrolled at 18. An order can be modified on a significant variance — defined as at least a 15% difference between the current order and a recalculation under current circumstances (a smaller variance can qualify in low-income cases).
Use the official calculator
The Tennessee Department of Human Services publishes the official Child Support Calculator and Worksheet (linked above). Use it for an estimate; this page only explains the model. Only a court or tribunal can set the actual order.
For a real case
The guideline amount is presumed correct but can be adjusted when it would be inappropriate. For advice on your situation, consult a Tennessee family-law attorney.
Reviewed by Aqil Abbas Khan, Founder & Editor of ToolsNexus
This page is general information, not legal advice. Child support in Tennessee is set by Tennessee’s official guidelines, and the amount in any real case is determined by the court or the state child-support agency using the official worksheet — not by this page. Guideline figures, schedules, and adjustments change over time and depend on facts specific to your situation (each parent’s income, parenting time, health-insurance and childcare costs, and other factors a court may consider). Use the official Tennessee calculator for an actual estimate, and consult a licensed family-law attorney in Tennessee for advice about your circumstances. ToolsNexus is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation.
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Frequently asked questions
- How is child support calculated in Tennessee?
- Tennessee uses an income-shares model under its Child Support Guidelines (DHS Rule 1240-02-04). It combines both parents' adjusted gross incomes, finds the basic obligation on the state schedule for the number of children, and each parent covers a proportional share adjusted for the number of days the child spends with each parent.
- When does parenting time reduce support in Tennessee?
- The parenting-time adjustment begins when the alternate residential parent (the one not with the child most of the time) has 92 or more days a year — the standard schedule assumes fewer. Above 92 days the obligation is reduced to reflect the direct spending during that parent's time, so days are worth counting precisely.
- Is there a self-support reserve in Tennessee?
- Yes. The Self-Support Reserve is $1,200 a month — the minimum income a paying parent is expected to keep for basic needs. When the obligor's income falls in the shaded (low-income) area of the schedule, an SSR adjustment applies and the lesser of the two calculated amounts sets the basic obligation.
- Until what age is support paid, and when can it change?
- Support ends at 18; if the child turns 18 while still in high school, it continues until graduation or when the class graduates, whichever is first. An order can be modified on a significant variance — defined as at least a 15% difference between the current order and a recalculation under current circumstances.
- Where do I get an official estimate?
- Use the Tennessee Child Support Calculator and Worksheet linked on this page, published by the Department of Human Services. This page explains the model but does not compute an amount, and it is not legal advice.