{"id":376385,"date":"2019-02-11T15:21:39","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T20:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/tennessee-law\/child-support-payments-in-tennessee.html"},"modified":"2025-04-16T13:05:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T18:05:51","slug":"child-support-payments-in-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/tennessee-law\/child-support-payments-in-tennessee.html","title":{"rendered":"Child Support Payments in Tennessee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Child Support Payments in Tennessee<\/h1>\n
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\n By Kit Yona, M.A.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Joseph Fawbush, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Parents are not always able to raise children together. Regardless of the relationship between the parents, the child needs adequate financial support. Court-ordered child support is a system that ensures parents meet their child support obligations. The Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) runs the Child Support Program<\/a> in the state.<\/p>\r\n

A child support order<\/a> is useless if it doesn’t fulfill the primary function of getting child support payments from the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent. The Tennessee DHS allows various payment options, but availability differs by situation.<\/p>\r\n

If you have an issue with child support, hire a local family law attorney<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Tennessee Child Support Payments \u2014 How Child Support Works<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

It doesn’t matter whether your child was from a marriage or not. Birth parents are responsible for providing for their children until they’re 18 or the graduation day of their high school class. This means covering their necessities<\/a>. If parents aren’t raising the children together in a single household, the state requires child support payments.<\/p>\r\n

State agencies handle child support payments in each state. This is due to a federal law, Title IV-D of the Social Security Act of 1975<\/a>. The Child Support Program of the Department of Human Services manages Tennessee.<\/p>\r\n

The Tennessee child support guidelines<\/a> determine each parent’s child support obligation. Tennessee uses an income shares model<\/a>, which tries to replicate the financial support the child would have if the parents were together. This uses the adjusted gross income of both parents to determine the basic child support obligation.<\/p>\r\n

Other factors, such as who the primary custody parent is, how much parenting time the non-custodial parent has with the children, and childcare costs, all affect the final amount of child support each parent must pay. FindLaw’s Tennessee Child Support Guidelines article<\/a> breaks down all the elements of creating a child support order and describes each step.<\/p>\r\n

Tennessee Child Support Payments \u2014 Collecting Payments<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

Once Tennessee juvenile court issues the child support order (some counties allow other courts to make child support rulings), the DHS must handle everything to do with payments<\/a>. This includes collecting the funds from the non-custodial parents, getting them to the custodial parent, and enforcing payments by collecting arrears (past-due payments) when necessary.<\/p>\r\n

Parents can avoid paying child support through the DHS if they agree to terms following the guidelines. This usually involves the aid of child support lawyers<\/a>. Any private deal must still give the child the proper amount and requires court approval.<\/p>\r\n

Child support collection has the best chance of success when the law removes the option of refusing to pay from the non-custodial parent’s hands. Tennessee uses mandatory income withholding orders (IWO)<\/a> as the default collection type. Employers must<\/a> deduct the child support amount from the parent’s paycheck. The funds then get sent to the DHS.<\/p>\r\n

Some parents can make child support payments by methods other than an IWO. Tennessee offers quite a few different methods<\/a>. Parents can pay the full amount due or make a series of smaller payments that meet the requirement. Payment types include:<\/p>\r\n

Make a Payment Online<\/b> \u2014 Online payments are possible in any of the following ways:<\/p>\r\n