TENNESSEE SUPPORT GUIDELINE
Tennessee child support calculator & worksheet
Tennessee’s income-shares guidelines, administered with DHS materials, use a combined-income schedule and worksheets for different parenting arrangements.
Current module status
| State | Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Status | Active base worksheet module |
| Guideline model | income shares monthly table |
| Primary income field | Combined monthly adjusted gross income |
How Tennessee child support law works
Legal starting point. Tennessee’s child-support rules use an income-shares model and an official worksheet. The Basic Child Support Obligation is based on combined adjusted gross income and the number of children, then the worksheet applies the rules for each parent’s share and adjustments. Read Tennessee Rules 1240-02-04.
How the guideline is calculated
The calculation uses the schedule, allocates the basic obligation by income, and then considers the guideline’s parenting-time and expense provisions. Other-child credits, health coverage, uninsured medical costs, child care, high income, minimum orders, and deviations require the full worksheet.
What this site’s worksheet covers
Uses the official Tennessee DHS Income Shares Worksheet schedule tab for the Basic Child Support Obligation. The TN.gov guidelines page states Tennessee uses an Income Shares model based on combined adjusted gross income and number of children. For combined adjusted gross income above $28,250, this module applies the high-income support-increase percentages shown on the official worksheet schedule tab. Parenting-time adjustments, qualified-other-child credits, health insurance, recurring uninsured medical expenses, work-related child care, presumptive-order caps, minimum-order exceptions and deviations require the full Tennessee worksheet.
Documents that make the worksheet more useful
Tennessee income shares worksheet and parenting-time, other-child, and expense adjustments. Gather the records that support the income, parenting-time, insurance, child-care, and other adjustment entries that apply to the family. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute.
For a filing or agreement, complete the official court forms linked on this page. They use the same guideline structure explained here, and the court applies it to the facts of the case.
Before you enter your numbers
Why does Tennessee need a yearly parenting-day count?
Tennessee's parenting-time adjustment is based on the guideline's annual day count, with special handling when schedules differ among children. The standard schedule and an adjustment are separate steps. Entering a vague custody percentage can lose information needed for that calculation.
Prepare this: Build a calendar for every child, then apply the official worksheet's counting instructions. Identify child-care and insurance payments separately from the parenting-day adjustment.
Read the relevant official instructions: Tennessee Rules 1240-02-04.
These preparation notes explain one part of the state guideline. A new estimate does not change an existing order; a modification request does.
How Tennessee cases actually get to a number
Enter adjusted gross income as the guidelines define it, select the basic obligation, and allocate by share. The Tennessee calculator/worksheets distinguish primary residential parent cases from more equally shared schedules.
Tennessee’s income-shares guidelines, administered with DHS materials, use a combined-income schedule and worksheets for different parenting arrangements. That is a different path from neighboring states that use another model, so do not import a table, percentage, or overnight credit from somewhere else.
Parenting time in Tennessee
The parenting-time adjustment depends on the day count in the parenting plan. Tennessee day-counting is specific; do not import another state’s overnight definition.
Costs Tennessee usually treats separately
- Work-related child-care costs
- Health-insurance premiums
- Recurring uninsured medical expenses
- Other guideline add-ons
When Tennessee courts leave the guideline
Deviation criteria are published with the guidelines. High income, a child’s special needs, and other support orders belong in findings.
Official Tennessee forms to keep beside this guide
Tennessee income shares worksheet and parenting-time, other-child, and expense adjustments. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute. The primary authority is the published Tennessee source. Fill the official form from source documents. Use this page only to check that you chose the right Tennessee path—primary versus shared, table versus percentage, add-ons versus basic support.
Where this is typically filed
Circuit, chancery, or juvenile court depending on the petition; DHS Child Support handles IV-D. Use the current income-shares schedule.
Questions specific to Tennessee
Days or overnights in Tennessee?
Tennessee’s parenting adjustment uses the guidelines’ day-count method. Check the current definition before converting a calendar.
Gross or net?
Follow the current Tennessee adjusted-gross-income definition used by the schedule.
Is there an official calculator?
DHS publishes tools and worksheets. Prefer those for a proposed filing.
Run the calculator
Open the free support calculator, select Tennessee, complete the state worksheet, and print or export the output for review.