{"id":376417,"date":"2016-03-31T21:36:48","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/tennessee-law\/tennessee-child-support-guidelines.html"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:04:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T19:04:24","slug":"tennessee-child-support-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/tennessee-law\/tennessee-child-support-guidelines.html","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Child Support Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Tennessee Child Support Guidelines<\/h1>\n
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\n By Lyle Therese A. Hilotin-Lee, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Jordan Walker, J.D.<\/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

Tennessee’s child support guidelines ensure financial support for children when parents live separately. The state uses an "income shares model\u201d for child support worksheets, which considers both parents’ incomes, parenting time, and additional expenses like childcare, health care, and whether the child has health insurance. The state allows retroactive support payments and enforces owed child support through measures like property liens and license revocations. Parents can seek modification if circumstances change significantly, impacting support amounts by 15% or more.<\/p>\r\n

This article breaks down Tennessee\u2019s child support guidelines, which help parents navigate their rights and responsibilities.<\/p>\r\n

What Are Child Support Guidelines in Tennessee?<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

Tennessee law refers to the parent who spends less time with the child as the Alternate Residential Parent<\/a> (ARP). The ARP provides the child support payment to the parent who spends most of the time with the child, the Primary Residential Parent <\/a>(PRP). This arrangement ensures that the basic child support obligation is met regardless of the parent\u2019s living situation.<\/p>\r\n

How Tennessee Determines Child Support<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

Tennessee uses an income shares model<\/a> to calculate child support. This approach assumes that the child would receive the same amount of support from their parents\u2019 income if they had lived together. The following factors can influence the amount of child support orders:<\/p>\r\n

Income Considerations<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

The court considers both parents’ financial resources when calculating child support obligations. It is important to remember that Tennessee considers various sources of income<\/a> when computing the amount of child support, such as wages and salaries, self-employment earnings, commissions, bonuses, government benefits, and investment returns. Tennessee also considers parents\u2019 potential earning capacity or imputed income. This means an income level can be assigned to parents even if they are not currently employed.<\/p>\r\n

Parenting Time Adjustments<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

The amount of time each parent spends with the child also affects the calculations for child support<\/a>. When a child spends more time with one parent as shown by a parenting plan, that parent already pays for direct expenses. These direct expenses could potentially reduce their child support payments.<\/p>\r\n

Other Factors<\/b><\/h3>\r\n

The child support formula also takes into consideration the following:<\/p>\r\n