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Tennessee Child Support Calculator
Estimate Tennessee child support with the Income Shares schedule in Rule 1240-02-04, including the parenting time adjustment, self-support reserve, child care and health insurance.
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How to Use the Tennessee Child Support Calculator
Enter what you know and press Calculate Estimate. The calculator follows the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04, effective October 1, 2021) and the Income Shares worksheet.
- Enter each parent's gross monthly income as Parent A and Parent B.
- Choose the number of children (1 to 6) and the parent the children live with most of the time. Tennessee calls that parent the primary residential parent.
- Enter the days per year the children spend with the other parent, the alternate residential parent. Tennessee counts a "day" as more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period, so a day does not have to be an overnight. If you only know overnights, use that number.
- Add the monthly work-related child care and the children's health insurance premium, and say which parent pays them.
Your numbers are sent with the form, not placed in the page address, and this site does not store them. This is a planning estimate. A Tennessee court or the Department of Human Services decides the actual amount.
New Tennessee Child Support Laws and Changes for 2026
Looking for new child support laws in Tennessee for 2026? According to Tennessee Human Services, the current Child Support Guidelines became effective on October 1, 2021. The October 2021 rewrite replaced the May 2020 schedule and reset the self-support reserve to $957 a month (90% of the 2020 federal poverty level for one person), down from $1,113 in the 2020 rules. We did not find a newer published version of the guidelines when we reviewed this page, so the calculator uses the October 2021 rules and schedule.
Two 2026 Tennessee laws touch child support, according to a Tennessee family law attorney's legislative summary. Public Chapter 870, effective April 27, 2026, amends T.C.A. § 34-1-102(b) to clarify that support for a child who turns 18 in high school ends when the child's class graduates, and in no event after age 19. Public Chapter 730, effective July 1, 2026, lets a child support court temporarily suspend support in a dependency and neglect case when the child is removed from the custodial parent's physical custody, and lets juvenile courts award attorney's fees in child support cases. Neither changes the schedule or the formula. Read the Public Chapters or ask an attorney before relying on a summary.
A new guideline or statute does not automatically change an existing order. One of the parties, or the Department for IV-D cases, has to ask for a review, and a modification generally has to meet the guidelines' significant variance test.
How Tennessee Calculates Child Support
Tennessee uses the Income Shares model on gross income. The worksheet steps are:
- Find each parent's adjusted gross income (AGI): gross income, plus any Social Security benefit paid to the child on that parent's account, minus self-employment tax paid and credits for other children the parent is legally responsible for and actually supporting.
- Add the two AGIs to get the combined AGI and work out each parent's percentage of income.
- Look up the basic child support obligation (BCSO) for the combined AGI and number of children. If the income falls between two rows, Tennessee rounds up to the next row.
- Multiply the BCSO by the other parent's percentage of income to get that parent's share.
- Apply the parenting time adjustment, then the self-support reserve comparison if the paying parent's income is in the shaded area.
- Add each parent's share of the other parent's health insurance, work-related child care and recurring uninsured medical costs.
- The parent with the larger adjusted obligation pays the difference. The result, rounded to the nearest dollar, is the presumptive child support order.
The amount is a presumption. A court can deviate if it makes written findings under Rule 1240-02-04-.07.
The Tennessee Child Support Schedule
The schedule in Rule 1240-02-04-.09 lists the basic obligation for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 or more children in $50 steps of combined monthly income from $1,000 to $28,250. Combined income of $950 or less shows $100. A small sample of the October 2021 schedule:
| Combined monthly income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|
| $2,000 | $421 | $592 | $685 |
| $4,000 | $742 | $1,027 | $1,175 |
| $6,000 | $900 | $1,216 | $1,366 |
| $8,000 | $984 | $1,317 | $1,469 |
| $10,000 | $1,158 | $1,544 | $1,713 |
| $15,000 | $1,444 | $1,907 | $2,100 |
| $25,000 | $2,020 | $2,566 | $2,731 |
For combined income above $28,250 a month, Tennessee gives a formula instead of a table. For one child it is $2,231 plus 6.81% of the income above $28,250. For two children it is $2,803 plus 7.22%, for three $2,954 plus 7.77%, for four $3,294 plus 8.05% and for five or more $3,624 plus 8.66%. The calculator applies that formula and rounds to the dollar. The schedule has no column for six children, so this calculator uses the five-or-more column for six.
Parenting Time Adjustment in Tennessee
The guidelines assume the children live mostly with one parent and spend 80 days a year with the other: every other weekend, two weeks in the summer and two weeks of holidays. How many days the other parent (the ARP) actually has changes the amount:
- 69 to 91 days: no adjustment.
- 68 days or fewer: the ARP's share goes up by (69 minus days) divided by 365, times that share.
- 92 days or more: the ARP gets a credit. The BCSO is multiplied by days × 0.0109589 (which is 2 / 182.5) to estimate the extra cost of the children during the ARP's time. The extra above 100% is split by income, and the primary parent's share is credited against the ARP's share.
When the parents have equal time (182.5 days each), the guidelines treat the father, or Parent 2, as the ARP for the calculation. If the ARP has a high number of days and the primary parent earns more, the credit can be larger than the ARP's share, and the guidelines allow the primary parent to pay the ARP. This calculator handles that case: if you enter more than 182 days for the other parent, it reverses the roles for the calculation.
These adjustments are presumptive, not mandatory, and a court can decide not to apply them if it would not be in the child's best interest.
Health Insurance, Child Care and Medical Expenses in Tennessee
- Health insurance premiums (medical, vision and dental) for the child are added to the BCSO. Only the part attributable to the children in the order counts. If you cannot verify that part, the premium is divided by the number of people covered and multiplied by the number of children.
- Work-related child care needed for a parent's job, education or training is averaged to a monthly amount and added.
- Recurring uninsured medical expenses that can be put at a monthly figure are added as well. Irregular costs are not added to the monthly amount, and the order divides them by each parent's percentage of income as they happen. This calculator does not have a field for recurring uninsured medical costs.
Each parent's share of the add-ons that the other parent pays is added to that parent's obligation. If the parent receiving support pays them, they reduce what the other parent owes. If the paying parent pays them, they stay with that parent and are not collected through an income assignment.
Self-Support Reserve, Minimum Order and the Statutory Limit
- Self-support reserve (SSR): the schedule has a shaded area for low incomes, based on $957 a month. In the October 2021 schedule it ends at $1,300 for one child, $1,550 for two, $1,700 for three, $1,850 for four and $2,000 for five or more. If the paying parent's income is in the shaded area, the guidelines compare the obligation on that parent's income alone with the parent's share of the combined obligation, and use the lower of the two.
- Minimum order: at least $100 a month unless the only income is Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a child's federal benefit makes the amount lower, a parenting time adjustment brings the amount below $100, or the court deviates.
- Statutory limit: if the presumptive order is more than the percentage of $10,000 set by T.C.A. § 36-5-101(e)(1)(B), the order is limited to that amount unless the parent seeking support proves that more is reasonably necessary: $2,100 for one child, $3,200 for two, $4,100 for three, $4,600 for four and $5,000 for five or more.
Tennessee Child Support Examples
In each example the children live with Parent A, and Parent B is the other parent. Amounts are monthly and rounded to the dollar, as the guidelines require.
Example 1: Two children, standard parenting time (80 days)
A earns $4,000 and B earns $6,000, so combined income is $10,000 and B's share is 60%. The schedule gives $1,544 for two children. B's share is $926.40. With 80 days there is no adjustment: $926 a month.
Example 2: 145 days with B
Same incomes. B has 145 days, so the multiplier is 145 × 0.0109589 = 1.5890. The credit is (1.5890 − 1) × $1,544 × A's 40% share = $363.79. B owes $926.40 − $363.79 = $562.61: $563 a month.
Example 3: 60 days with B
Same incomes. B has 60 days, 9 fewer than 69, so B's share increases by 9 / 365 × $926.40 = $22.84: $949 a month.
Example 4: Child care and health insurance paid by A
Same as Example 1, with A paying $500 of child care and $100 of health insurance. B owes 60% of those $600, which is $360, on top of the basic share of $926.40: $1,286 a month.
Example 5: Low income and the self-support reserve
A earns $1,500 and B earns $1,200, with one child. B's income is in the shaded area (up to $1,300 for one child). B's share of the combined obligation of $544 is $241.78, but the schedule amount for B's income alone is $205. The lower figure applies: $205 a month.
Example 6: The primary parent pays
A earns $2,000 and B earns $8,000, with two children, and B has them 200 days a year. A is the one with fewer days (165), so A is the ARP. A's share of the $1,544 obligation is $308.80, but the credit is $998.31, so the result flips and B owes A: $690 a month.
Example 7: Minimum order
A earns $4,000 and B earns $1,000, with one child. B's income is in the shaded area, and the obligation on B's income alone is $100. The $100 minimum applies: $100 a month.
These are illustrations produced from the guidelines, not court rulings.
What Counts as Income in Tennessee
Tennessee counts gross income from any source, earned or unearned, before taxes: wages, salaries, commissions, tips, self-employment income, bonuses, overtime, severance, pensions and retirement plans, interest, dividends, trust income, annuities, net capital gains, Social Security or VA disability and retirement benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment, personal injury judgments, some gifts and inheritances, prizes, lottery winnings and alimony received from someone other than the other parent. Variable income is averaged over a reasonable period.
It excludes means-tested public assistance such as Families First (TANF), SNAP, SSI and LIHEAP, child support received for children of another relationship, the child's own income, and adoption assistance subsidies. A court can impute income to a parent who is willfully underemployed or unemployed, or when there is no reliable evidence of income.
What This Tennessee Estimate Does Not Include
- The adjustments to gross income: Social Security benefits paid to the child on a parent's account, self-employment tax and the credit for other children a parent supports. Gross income is used as you enter it.
- Recurring uninsured medical expenses, because the form has no field for them.
- Split parenting, non-parent caretakers and cases that mix equal and standard parenting.
- Deviations, imputed income, educational or special expenses, arrears and modification.
Tennessee Child Support Terms
- PRP (primary residential parent)
- The parent the children live with more than half of the time.
- ARP (alternate residential parent)
- The parent the children live with less than half of the time.
- AGI
- Adjusted gross income: gross income adjusted under Rule 1240-02-04-.02(1).
- BCSO
- The basic child support obligation from the schedule.
- ASO
- Adjusted support obligation: a parent's share of the BCSO plus a share of additional expenses.
- PCSO
- Presumptive child support order, the guideline result before deviations.
- SSR
- Self-support reserve, shown as the shaded area of the schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennessee Child Support
Is this the official Tennessee child support calculator?
No. ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the State of Tennessee. It applies the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines effective October 1, 2021. The Department of Human Services provides its own calculator and worksheet, and a court or the Department decides actual amounts.
How is child support calculated in Tennessee?
Tennessee adds both parents' adjusted gross incomes, finds the basic obligation in the schedule for that income and number of children, splits it by income, adjusts for parenting time and the self-support reserve, and adds health insurance, work-related child care and recurring uninsured medical costs. The parent with the larger adjusted obligation pays the difference.
Are there new child support laws in Tennessee in 2026?
The current guidelines became effective October 1, 2021, and we did not find a newer published version. Two 2026 laws affect child support in other ways: Public Chapter 870 clarifies when support ends for a child who turns 18 in high school, and Public Chapter 730 lets courts temporarily suspend support in some dependency and neglect cases. Neither changes the formula.
Does Tennessee use gross or net income?
Gross income. Tennessee starts from gross income from all sources and adjusts it for self-employment tax, credits for other children and Social Security benefits paid to the child. The schedule already builds in federal tax and FICA.
How many days of parenting time does it take to reduce child support in Tennessee?
A parenting time credit starts at 92 days a year with the other parent. At 68 days or fewer the other parent's share increases, and from 69 to 91 days there is no adjustment. A "day" is more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period, not necessarily an overnight.
Can the parent with the children most of the time pay child support in Tennessee?
Yes. If the other parent has a high number of days and the primary parent earns more, the credit can exceed the other parent's share, and the guidelines allow the primary parent to pay.
What is the minimum child support order in Tennessee?
$100 a month, unless the only income is SSI, a federal benefit for the child makes the amount lower, a parenting time adjustment brings it below $100, or the court deviates.
What is the maximum child support in Tennessee?
The schedule goes up to $28,250 of combined monthly income, and a formula covers higher incomes. The presumptive order is limited to $2,100 for one child, $3,200 for two, $4,100 for three, $4,600 for four and $5,000 for five or more, unless the parent seeking support proves the child's needs require more.
What is the self-support reserve in Tennessee?
A low-income protection of $957 a month, built into the schedule as a shaded area. If the paying parent's income is in that area, the guidelines compare the obligation on that parent's income alone with their share of the combined obligation and use the lower amount.
Does the Tennessee calculator need my personal details or a login?
No. This site needs no login and does not store your numbers.
Official Tennessee Child Support Resources
Published: October 13, 2026
Last reviewed: October 13, 2026
Researched and reviewed by Eric John, founder and editor, using official state statutes and guidance. How we build and check our calculators · Corrections
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