Tennessee Child Support
Tennessee calculates child support with the statewide Child Support Guidelines, an income-shares model administered by the Department of Human Services (T.C.A. § 36-5-101; DHS Rule 1240-02-04). It combines both parents' incomes and the number of parenting days, produces a presumptive amount the court generally must follow, and can be modified when there's a significant variance.
By Find Local Law Editorial Team · Last reviewed: May 25, 2026
Researched and drafted with AI assistance and verified against primary sources (statutes, Judicial Council forms, and official court websites). This is general information, not legal advice.
This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to a Tennessee attorney or the local child-support office about your numbers.
Tennessee sets child support with statewide Child Support Guidelines rather than leaving the amount to discretion.
The income-shares model
The legal basis is T.C.A. § 36-5-101, which directs courts to apply the Child Support Guidelines issued by the Department of Human Services (DHS) — found in DHS Rule 1240-02-04 — as a rebuttable presumption. The model is income shares, built on the idea that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income they’d have if the parents lived together.
The calculation generally:
- Combines both parents’ adjusted gross incomes,
- Derives a basic support obligation from the combined income and number of children,
- Allocates it proportionally between the parents, and
- Adjusts for parenting time (days) and add-ons like health insurance, childcare, and extraordinary expenses.
Deviations and changes
A court may deviate from the guideline amount only with a written finding that the guideline result would be unjust or inappropriate. To modify an existing order, there generally must be a significant variance between the current order and the current guideline amount (the threshold is defined in the DHS rule).
Child support and parenting time are connected — see child custody. To get matched with a local Tennessee attorney, connect with a lawyer.
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Start your free intakeFrequently asked questions
- How is child support calculated in Tennessee?
- Under the income-shares model: both parents' incomes are combined, a basic support obligation is set from the state guidelines, and each parent pays a proportionate share adjusted for parenting time and certain expenses like health insurance and childcare (T.C.A. § 36-5-101; DHS Rule 1240-02-04).
- Is the guideline amount mandatory?
- It's a rebuttable presumption. A court can deviate, but only with a written finding that applying the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate.
- When can child support be changed?
- Generally when there's a 'significant variance' between the current order and what the guidelines would now produce. The variance threshold is defined in the DHS guidelines, so confirm the current standard.
Sources
Related guides
- Adoption in Tennessee Tennessee adoption law is in Title 36, Chapter 1. Before an adoption can be finalized, the existing parental rights must be surrendered or terminated (T.C.A. § 36-1-113), and a home study/court report is generally part of the process. Common types include stepparent, relative, agency, and private adoptions.
- Establishing Paternity in Tennessee For unmarried parents in Tennessee, legal parentage is established under the parentage statutes (T.C.A. § 36-2-301 et seq.) — either by a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity or by a court petition with genetic testing. A genetic test showing 95% or greater probability creates a presumption of parentage (T.C.A. § 24-7-112). Establishing paternity is the gateway to custody, parenting time, and child support.
- Family Law Mediation in Tennessee Tennessee courts are directed to order mediation in many contested divorces (T.C.A. § 36-4-131), with exceptions including domestic violence, inability to afford it, or an already-signed agreement. Family mediators are commonly Rule 31 listed mediators under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31. Mediation lets parents and spouses craft their own resolution instead of leaving it to a judge.
- Grandparents' Visitation Rights in Tennessee Tennessee's grandparent visitation statute (T.C.A. § 36-6-306) is deliberately narrow. A grandparent can petition only in specific situations — such as a parent's death, the parents' divorce or separation, or a severed long-standing relationship — and the court must find a danger of substantial harm to the child. The limits reflect the constitutional rights of fit parents under Troxel v. Granville (2000).
- Postnuptial Agreements in Tennessee Tennessee enforces postnuptial agreements under case law — principally Bratton v. Bratton (Tenn. 2004) — rather than a dedicated statute. To be enforceable, a postnup needs adequate consideration flowing to both spouses, knowing and voluntary execution, and no fraud, coercion, or duress. The consideration requirement is what makes postnups harder to uphold than prenups.
- Prenuptial Agreements in Tennessee Tennessee enforces prenuptial (antenuptial) agreements under T.C.A. § 36-3-501 if they were entered into freely, knowledgeably, and in good faith, and without duress or undue influence. A prenup can define how property and support are handled if the marriage ends, but a court can refuse to enforce one that was signed under unfair circumstances.