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Tennessee child support: the schedule, parenting days, and a worked example

Tennessee builds support from both parents' gross incomes and then adjusts it by counting days, not just overnights. The parent with fewer days gets a credit once they reach 92 days a year and can owe a little more at 68 or fewer. The guidelines in force are the ones that took effect October 1, 2021.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on combined adjusted gross income, Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04
Guidelines in forceEffective October 1, 2021; amendments were proposed at a September 1, 2026 rulemaking hearing
Parenting timeCredit at 92 or more days a year; possible increase at 68 or fewer; a day is more than 12 consecutive hours
Low incomeSelf-support reserve of $957 gross a month (90% of the 2020 poverty level); $100 minimum order
High incomeAbove $2,100 (1 child), $3,200 (2), $4,100 (3), $4,600 (4) or $5,000 (5+), the parent seeking more must prove need
Support endsAge 18, or later graduation from high school or of the child's class, whichever is last
ModificationAt least a 15% difference between the current order and the new presumptive order
AgencyTennessee Department of Human Services, Child Support Services

How Tennessee figures the basic obligation

Each parent starts with monthly gross income: wages, commissions, bonuses, self-employment earnings, overtime, pensions, interest, dividends and most other sources. To that, Tennessee adds any Social Security benefit paid to the child on the parent's account. It then subtracts the 7.65% self-employment tax a self-employed parent actually pays and credits for other children the parent supports. What remains is adjusted gross income (AGI). Taxes are not subtracted; the schedule already assumes them.

The two AGIs are added and the total is rounded UP to the next $50 row of the Child Support Schedule in rule 1240-02-04-.09. That cell, for the number of children in the case, is the basic child support obligation (BCSO). Each parent owes a share of it equal to their percentage of the combined income, which the worksheet calls PI.

Tennessee names the parents by role. The primary residential parent (PRP) has the children more than half the time; the alternate residential parent (ARP) has them less, and normally pays. The schedule assumes a standard arrangement of about 80 days a year with the ARP: every other weekend, two weeks in summer and two weeks of holidays. The Department of Human Services worksheet must be filed in every case, and its downloadable Excel version does the math.

Worked example: Tennessee

  1. Parent A, the alternate residential parent, earns $4,500 a month in gross income and Parent B earns $3,000. Neither is self-employed or has other children, so their AGIs equal their gross pay: $7,500 combined.
  2. The $7,500 row of the Tennessee schedule lists $1,286 for two children. (A combined income of $7,460 would also use this row, because Tennessee rounds up.)
  3. Parent A earns 60% of the combined income, so Parent A's share of the BCSO is $772 and Parent B's is $514.
  4. With a standard schedule of 69 to 91 days a year, no parenting time adjustment applies and Parent A pays $772 a month, roughly $9,264 a year, before insurance or child care is added.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Figures are rounded to the dollar and leave out the insurance, childcare, and other adjustments your case may have. Try your own numbers in CoreParent's calculator, then confirm with the state's official calculator.

Counting days: the 92-day credit and the 68-day increase

A day of parenting time is any stretch of more than 12 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period, so a long daytime visit counts the same as an overnight, and no more than one day of credit can come from any 24 hours. When the children split their time differently, the worksheet averages the ARP's days across them.

At 92 days or more, Tennessee multiplies the BCSO by a variable multiplier of 0.0109589 (that is, 2 divided by 182.5) times the ARP's days. The increase over the original BCSO stands for the food, housing and clothing the ARP now covers; the PRP's income share of that increase is credited against the ARP's payment. In our example, with 120 days a year Parent A would pay about $610 a month instead of $772.

At exactly 182.5 days each, the worksheet treats the father or Parent 2 as the ARP; if the result comes out negative, the other parent pays the positive amount. Either way the higher earner ends up paying, here about $257 a month. In the other direction, an ARP with 68 or fewer days can see the share rise by (69 minus the days) divided by 365: the rule's own example adds $3.29 to a $1,200 share at 68 days. Both presumptions can be rebutted with evidence.

Insurance, medical bills and child care on the worksheet

The schedule leaves out three costs that go on the worksheet as line items: the children's share of the health insurance premium (medical, dental and vision), recurring uninsured medical expenses, and work-related child care. Each is entered in the column of the parent who pays it and split by income share. Insurance counts as reasonable in cost when it is no more than 5% of the providing parent's gross income. Uninsured bills that are not routine stay out of the monthly figure and are paid as they come, by income percentage unless the court orders otherwise.

Private school tuition and other extraordinary educational costs can be added as a deviation. Special expenses such as camps, music or sports are considered for a deviation once they exceed 7% of the monthly BCSO.

Low incomes, the shaded area, and the $100 floor

The schedule carries a self-support reserve of $957 in gross income a month, 90% of the 2020 federal poverty level for one person. Cells built on that reserve are shaded: for a paying parent with AGI up to $1,300 and one child, up to $1,550 with two, and up to $2,000 with five. When the paying parent falls in the shaded area, the worksheet also figures support on that parent's income alone and uses the lower number, and the parenting time credit is then not given.

Every parent owes at least $100 a month, except when Supplemental Security Income is the only income, when a federal benefit paid to the child brings the amount lower, or when the parenting time adjustment does. Incarceration is not treated as voluntary unemployment.

Other children in either home

A parent with other qualified children living in the home at least half the time gets a credit against gross income of 75% of a theoretical order for those children, figured on the Credit Worksheet from that parent's income alone. For children living elsewhere, the credit is the lesser of 75% of the theoretical order and the support actually paid, averaged over the last 12 months.

When support ends and when it can change

Support continues until the child turns 18 or, if the child is still in high school at 18, until the child graduates or the child's class graduates, whichever comes last. A court can extend support for a disabled child under Tenn. Code 36-5-101(k).

An order can be modified only when the new presumptive amount differs from the current one by at least 15%, leaving deviations out of the comparison; for an order below $100 the worksheet uses $15. A change in parenting time has to clear the same bar. Nothing can be modified for any period before the petition is filed and notice is mailed to the other side. Proposed amendments heard on September 1, 2026 would, among other things, require parents to share proof of child care and other add-on costs each February 15; they are not in effect until adopted.

Collection and past-due support

Child Support Services at the Tennessee Department of Human Services opens cases, collects through wage withholding and enforces orders. Its guide on past-due support explains that a driver license can be revoked when more than $500 is owed and nothing has been paid in 90 days, and a passport is denied at $2,500. Interest is not automatic: since July 2018 a court may add up to 6% a year in agency cases.

Documents you will need

Tennessee child support FAQ

Is there an official Tennessee child support calculator?

Yes. The Department of Human Services publishes the Income Shares Worksheet as an Excel workbook for Windows and Mac (English and Spanish) plus a Windows program. They apply the schedule that took effect October 1, 2021, which still governs in 2026.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Tennessee?

It depends on combined gross income. At $7,500 a month the schedule lists $1,286 for two children, so a parent earning 60% of that income with a standard schedule owes about $772 a month before insurance and child care.

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

92 days a year, or an average of 92 across the children. A day means more than 12 consecutive hours with the parent, so daytime visits can count. Below 69 days the payment can go up slightly instead.

Is there child support with 50/50 custody in Tennessee?

Usually yes. With 182.5 days each, the higher earner still pays the difference unless incomes and expenses are identical. In our example with a 60/40 income split, equal time leaves about $257 a month.

When does child support stop in Tennessee?

At 18, unless the child is still in high school; then it runs until the child or the child's class graduates, whichever is later. Arrears are still collected after current support ends.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

Child support in every other state

All states

This is general educational information, not legal advice, and official figures change. Last verified: October 2026. Consult a licensed family-law attorney in Tennessee.