Tennessee Child Support Calculator (2026): State Guidelines

How Tennessee calculates child support

Tennessee uses an "income shares" model. A schedule sets the basic amount parents with a given combined income are presumed to spend on their children. Each parent is responsible for a share in proportion to their income. The parent who has the children less of the year, the "alternate residential parent", pays their share to the "primary residential parent", adjusted for parenting time and for health and child care costs (rule 1240-02-04-.03 and .04).

The steps follow the Child Support Worksheet in rule 1240-02-04-.08, which courts and the Department of Human Services must use. The calculator shows each line, so you can compare it with the official worksheet.

1. Gross income	All income from any source before taxes: wages, overtime, bonuses, self-employment profit, Social Security, unemployment and more. Child support received for other children and means-tested benefits such as SSI, Families First and SNAP don't count (.04(3)).
2. Adjusted gross income	Add any Social Security or VA benefit the children get on the parent's record. Subtract self-employment tax paid and the credits for the parent's other children (.04(4)-(5)).
3. Schedule amount	Look up the combined adjusted gross income and the number of children in the schedule in rule .09. Between two rows, round up to the next row (.04(6)(b)).
4. Income shares	Each parent's adjusted gross income divided by the combined amount. The rule says "standard rounding rules apply"; like the state's Guide and Excel worksheet, we round to a whole percent. The alternate parent's share of the schedule amount is what they owe before adjustments.
5. Parenting time	68 days a year or fewer: the share goes up. 69 to 91 days: no change. 92 days or more: a credit for the extra costs of that time (.04(7)).
6. Costs	The children's health insurance premium, recurring uninsured medical costs and work-related child care are split by income share. Each parent owes their share of what the other parent pays (.04(8)).
7. The order	The difference between the two parents' totals, rounded to the nearest whole dollar, is the presumptive order (.04(11)), within the state's limits and minimum.

The rule's own example: $8,150 combined, one child, 145 days

This case is assembled from the rule's examples in .08(2)(c) (combined adjusted gross income of $8,150, a schedule amount of $1,000, the primary parent's 40%, 145 days) and .04(7)(h) (the alternate parent's $4,890 a month, 60%). The primary parent's $3,260 is the remainder. These are the calculator's starting numbers.

Schedule amount for $8,150, one child (rule .09)	$1,000.00
Alternate parent's share: 60% × $1,000	$600.00
Variable multiplier: .0109589 × 145 days	1.5890405
Adjusted schedule amount: $1,000 × 1.5890405	$1,589.04
Extra cost of the parenting time: $1,589.04 − $1,000	$589.04
Credit: the primary parent's 40% of $589.04	$235.62
Alternate parent's support: $600 − $235.62	$364.38
Presumptive order, rounded to the nearest dollar	$364

The rule's other example uses 94 days with the same numbers: a credit of $12.06 and $587.94 a month, so an order of $588. With 65 days, the share rises by (69 − 65) ÷ 365 × $600 = $6.58, to $606.58, or $607 a month. The alternate parent's $4,890 income is far above the schedule's shaded low-income area, so the self-support reserve doesn't apply (.04(7)(h)4(v)).

Parenting time: the 68-day and 92-day lines

The guidelines presume the alternate parent has the children about 80 days a year: every other weekend, two weeks in summer and two weeks of holidays (.04(7)(a)). A "day" is more than 12 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period, and only one parent can count any one day. With several children on different schedules, the days are averaged and rounded to a whole day.

From 92 days, a "variable multiplier" of .0109589 (2 ÷ 182.5) per day raises the schedule amount to reflect the alternate parent's extra spending, and the primary parent's share of that extra becomes a credit. If the credit is larger than the alternate parent's share, the primary parent pays the difference (.04(7)(f)). One formula covers every number of days from 92 up; the rule in force has no separate band for 110 days or more.

When the alternate parent's own income falls in the schedule's shaded low-income area, they pay the lower of the shaded amount and their normal share, and don't get the parenting time credit (.03(4)(b)2). The court can depart from the parenting time adjustment if it isn't in the children's best interest.

68 days or fewer	Increase: (69 − days) ÷ 365 × the alternate parent's share, added to the share.
69 to 91 days	No adjustment: the alternate parent pays their share.
92 days or more	Credit: (.0109589 × days − 1) × schedule amount × the primary parent's income share, subtracted from the share.
Equal time	182.5 days each. The father, or "Parent 2" on the worksheet, is treated as the alternate parent; the higher earner ends up paying the difference.

Low income, high income and other children

Self-support reserve. The schedule's shaded cells protect a paying parent's income of $957 a month, 90% of the 2020 federal poverty level for one person (.03(4)(b)2). The shaded area runs up to $1,300 of the paying parent's own adjusted gross income for one child, $1,550 for two, $1,700 for three, $1,850 for four and $2,000 for five or more.

Minimum order. The rule says parents contribute "with a minimum child support order of at least one hundred ($100) per month". The court sets the order at the minimum with a written finding and may set it higher or lower. The minimum doesn't apply when the parent's only income is SSI, when the children's federal benefit brings the amount lower, or when the parenting time adjustment does (.04(12)). A parent whose only income is means-tested pays $0. Below $150 of combined income the schedule lists no amount; like the state's Excel worksheet, the calculator uses $0 there.

Above the schedule. The schedule ends at $28,250 a month of combined adjusted gross income. Above that, the rule adds 6.81% (one child), 7.22% (two), 7.77% (three), 8.05% (four) or 8.66% (five or more) of the income over $28,250 to the top-row amount (.09). The presumptive order itself is limited to $2,100, $3,200, $4,100, $4,600 or $5,000 for one to five or more children; the limit applies unless the court finds a higher amount reasonably necessary for the children (.07(2)(g)).

Other children. A parent's other children reduce that parent's income: 75% of a theoretical order for children living with the parent at least half the time, and for children living elsewhere, the support actually paid, up to that same 75% (.04(5)). Stepchildren don't count.

Not covered here. Split parenting (each parent has at least one child most of the time), a non-parent caretaker, equal time for some children combined with a primary home for others, and deviations such as private school or special expenses use extra steps on the official worksheet.

Proposed changes. The Department of Human Services filed proposed amendments to the guidelines on July 10, 2026 (hearing September 1, 2026). As of November 8, 2026 they are proposed, not in effect, and the calculator doesn't use them.

Health insurance	Only the part of the premium for these children. Insurance is reasonable if it costs no more than 5% of the paying parent's gross income (.02(24)).
Uninsured medical	Recurring costs go on the worksheet. One-off costs are split by income share as they come up (.04(8)(d)).
Child care	Work-related care, averaged over 12 months, for work, school or job training (.04(8)(c)).
Changing an order	An order can be modified when the new amount differs by at least 15% from the current one (.05(2)). On a $749 order that is $112.35.

Questions people ask

How is child support calculated in Tennessee?

Add both parents' monthly adjusted gross income and look up the combined amount and the number of children in the schedule in rule 1240-02-04-.09. Each parent owes a share in proportion to their income. The parent with fewer days pays their share, adjusted for parenting time, plus their share of the health insurance, uninsured medical and child care costs the other parent pays. The result is rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

How much is child support for one child in Tennessee?

It depends on both parents' incomes. With a combined adjusted gross income of $8,150 a month, the schedule amount for one child is $1,000. A parent who earns 60% of the combined income owes $600 before parenting time and other costs; with 145 days a year, the rule's example brings it to $364.38, an order of $364.

How many days do you need for a parenting time adjustment in Tennessee?

A credit starts at 92 days a year (or an average of 92 days across the children). From 69 to 91 days there is no adjustment, and at 68 days or fewer the paying parent's share goes up. A day is more than 12 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period. The court can decide the adjustment isn't in the children's best interest.

What if a parent has a very low income?

If the paying parent's own income falls in the shaded area of the schedule, the support is the lower of the shaded amount and their normal share, which protects a self-support reserve of $957 a month. The rule also provides for a minimum order of at least $100 a month, set by the court with a written finding (it may go higher or lower), with exceptions for a parent whose only income is SSI and when the parenting time adjustment or the children's federal benefit brings the amount lower.

Is there a maximum child support amount in Tennessee?

The presumptive order is limited to $2,100 a month for one child, $3,200 for two, $4,100 for three, $4,600 for four and $5,000 for five or more (rule 1240-02-04-.07(2)(g)). The limit applies unless the court finds a higher amount reasonably necessary for the children. The schedule itself goes up to $28,250 of combined income, with a percentage formula above that.

Do my other children lower the amount?

They can. For other children you are legally responsible for and who live with you at least half the time, your income is reduced by 75% of a theoretical order for them. For children who live elsewhere, it is reduced by the support you actually pay, documented over the last 12 months, up to that same 75%. Stepchildren and the children in this case don't count.

Tennessee child support calculator

Tennessee child support estimate