Child support in Tennessee
Tennessee uses the income-shares model: both parents' incomes count, and each parent pays a share of the child's support. To open a case, contact the Tennessee Department of Human Services, Child Support Program at (833) 772-TDHS (8347).
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓
How much child support in Tennessee?
Support is based on both parents' combined adjusted gross income and the number of children. The state schedule gives the basic child support obligation, each parent pays his or her percentage share, and the amount is adjusted for parenting time, health insurance, work-related child care and other children.
Law: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04 (Child Support Guidelines, revised October 2021), including 1240-02-04-.07 minimum order
We don't estimate Tennessee's amount here: its formula uses both parents' incomes and other facts, and a home-made number could mislead you. The official tool gives the real starting number:
Open a child support case in Tennessee
- Apply
- Apply online
- How to open a case
Apply online through the One DHS Customer Portal, or get a paper Application for Services from your local child support office (or print it) and mail, fax or bring it in. Anyone who needs services can apply, regardless of income. Families First/TANF cases are referred automatically.
- Yearly fee
$35 a year for families that never received Families First/TANF, collected after $550 in support has been received on the case. Families who received Families First/TANF do not pay it.
- Forms
- Paternity (legal fatherhood)
Unmarried parents can sign a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity (VAoP), at the hospital or a health department, which adds the father to the birth certificate. If either parent has doubts, they should not sign; the local child support office can schedule DNA testing, and paternity is then set by court order.
Tennessee child support by topic
How support is calculated in Tennessee
The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.
Change child support in Tennessee
When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.
Collect unpaid support in Tennessee
Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.
When support ends in Tennessee
The end age, high school and disability rules.
How child support is figured in Tennessee
- Model
- Income shares
- How it works
Support is based on both parents' combined adjusted gross income and the number of children. The state schedule gives the basic child support obligation, each parent pays his or her percentage share, and the amount is adjusted for parenting time, health insurance, work-related child care and other children.
- Low income
There is a minimum order of $100 a month, except when the paying parent's only income is SSI, or when a federal benefit for the child or the parenting-time adjustment brings the amount below $100. The schedule also includes a low-income adjustment.
- Official calculator
- Official Tennessee child support calculator
- Health insurance and medical costs
Child support orders must provide for the child's health care through private or public health coverage and/or cash medical support; the cost of the child's insurance premium is shared in the worksheet. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04.
Law: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04 (Child Support Guidelines, revised October 2021), including 1240-02-04-.07 minimum order
Change a child support order in Tennessee
- When a change is allowed
Either parent can ask for a review at any time, but the order can be changed only if there is a significant variance: at least a 15% difference between the current order and the new guideline amount. If there was a full review in the last 2 years, you must first show a change (for example, a new child, a big income change, a child becoming disabled, or a parent jailed 180 days or more). The child's health care needs are always a reason to modify.
- How to ask
Ask your local child support office for a review (both parents fill out an Affidavit of Income and Expenses) or file in court yourself. The review can be done by the court or administratively by DHS.
Law: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04-.05
Can I ask for a change? Check your situation
Collect unpaid child support in Tennessee
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Collection tools
- Income withholding
- Liens on bank accounts and property
- Driver's license revocation
- Professional, trade and occupational license suspension
- Federal tax refund offset
- Lottery winnings intercept
- Credit bureau reporting
- Passport denial
- Court action when administrative tools do not work
- License suspension
For driver's license action, the state program's criteria are $500 or more in arrears and payments at least 90 days behind.
Source: OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide, Tennessee profile
- Interest on unpaid support
In cases handled by the state Child Support Program (Title IV-D cases), interest on past-due support is not added unless a court makes a written finding that it should accrue; the court can then charge up to 6% a year (rule since July 1, 2018; Tenn. Code 36-5-101(f)(1), as reported in the OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide, Tennessee profile). Interest owed to the receiving parent can be forgiven through DHS's Debt Compromise program.
Law: Tennessee DHS Child Support Program Fact Sheet; OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide, Tennessee profile
When child support ends in Tennessee
- Support ends
18. If the child is still in high school at 18, support continues until the child graduates from high school or until the child's high school class graduates.
- Exceptions
A court can continue support for a child with a disability (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act) until age 21, and for a severely disabled child who lives with a parent, for as long as the court finds is in the child's best interest, if the disability began before 18.
Law: Tenn. Code 36-5-101(k), as reported in the OCSS IRG
Law: Tenn. Code 34-1-102(b); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04-.02
When does support end? Check your situation
Free help in Tennessee
Official self-help
Free letters and checklist
Ask the agency to review (change) your order
A letter to the child support agency asking for a review and adjustment.
Ask the agency to collect unpaid support
A letter asking the agency to enforce the order and collect what is past due.
Checklist: what to bring to open a case
IDs, birth certificates, the other parent's details and your papers, with Tennessee's agency contact.
Good to know in Tennessee
- An order changes only if the new amount differs by at least 15% (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04-.05).
- Tennessee's minimum order is $100 a month, with exceptions such as SSI-only income (1240-02-04).
- Through Debt Compromise, a receiving parent can forgive some or all arrears and interest owed to him or her after the paying parent pays in full for 12 months (TN DHS).
Federal rules in every state
- Applying. If you don't get TANF, Medicaid or foster care help, a state may charge an application fee of up to $25 to open a child support case. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(i)
- Yearly fee. If you never got TANF and the agency collected at least $550 for you in a year, the state charges a $35 yearly fee. It can come out of your support, but never out of the first $550. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(ii)
- Review every 3 years. If your case is with the child support agency, either parent can ask it to review the order every 3 years and adjust it to the guidelines. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(10)(A); 45 CFR 303.8
- Past-due support. Each unpaid payment becomes a judgment on the day it is due. It can't be lowered later, except back to the date the other parent got notice of a request to change the order. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)
- Tax refunds. The federal government can take a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support. Law: 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passports. A parent who owes more than $2,500 in past-due support can be refused a passport. Law: 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Pay withholding limit. For support, up to 50% of take-home pay can be withheld if the parent supports another spouse or child, or 60% if not. It is 55% or 65% when support is more than 12 weeks behind. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- How long support lasts. How long support lasts follows the law of the state that made the order, even if you move. Law: 28 U.S.C. 1738B(h)(2)
Questions about child support in Tennessee
How is child support calculated in Tennessee?
Support is based on both parents' combined adjusted gross income and the number of children. The state schedule gives the basic child support obligation, each parent pays his or her percentage share, and the amount is adjusted for parenting time, health insurance, work-related child care and other children.
Is there an official child support calculator for Tennessee?
What if the paying parent has a low income in Tennessee?
There is a minimum order of $100 a month, except when the paying parent's only income is SSI, or when a federal benefit for the child or the parenting-time adjustment brings the amount below $100. The schedule also includes a low-income adjustment.
How do I apply for child support in Tennessee?
Apply online through the One DHS Customer Portal, or get a paper Application for Services from your local child support office (or print it) and mail, fax or bring it in. Anyone who needs services can apply, regardless of income. Families First/TANF cases are referred automatically.
Is there a yearly fee for child support services in Tennessee?
$35 a year for families that never received Families First/TANF, collected after $550 in support has been received on the case. Families who received Families First/TANF do not pay it.
When can child support be changed in Tennessee?
Either parent can ask for a review at any time, but the order can be changed only if there is a significant variance: at least a 15% difference between the current order and the new guideline amount. If there was a full review in the last 2 years, you must first show a change (for example, a new child, a big income change, a child becoming disabled, or a parent jailed 180 days or more). The child's health care needs are always a reason to modify.
How do I ask to change child support in Tennessee?
Ask your local child support office for a review (both parents fill out an Affidavit of Income and Expenses) or file in court yourself. The review can be done by the court or administratively by DHS.
What happens if child support is not paid in Tennessee?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding; Liens on bank accounts and property; Driver's license revocation; Professional, trade and occupational license suspension; Federal tax refund offset; Lottery winnings intercept; Credit bureau reporting; Passport denial; Court action when administrative tools do not work.
Can a license be suspended for unpaid child support in Tennessee?
For driver's license action, the state program's criteria are $500 or more in arrears and payments at least 90 days behind.
Is there interest on unpaid child support in Tennessee?
In cases handled by the state Child Support Program (Title IV-D cases), interest on past-due support is not added unless a court makes a written finding that it should accrue; the court can then charge up to 6% a year (rule since July 1, 2018; Tenn. Code 36-5-101(f)(1), as reported in the OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide, Tennessee profile). Interest owed to the receiving parent can be forgiven through DHS's Debt Compromise program.
When does child support end in Tennessee?
18. If the child is still in high school at 18, support continues until the child graduates from high school or until the child's high school class graduates.
Does child support continue while my child finishes high school in Tennessee?
If the child is still in high school at 18, support continues until the child graduates from high school or until the child's high school class graduates.
Can child support continue past the usual age in Tennessee?
A court can continue support for a child with a disability (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act) until age 21, and for a severely disabled child who lives with a parent, for as long as the court finds is in the child's best interest, if the disability began before 18.
How is paternity established in Tennessee?
Unmarried parents can sign a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity (VAoP), at the hospital or a health department, which adds the father to the birth certificate. If either parent has doubts, they should not sign; the local child support office can schedule DNA testing, and paternity is then set by court order.
Who pays for the child's health insurance in Tennessee?
Child support orders must provide for the child's health care through private or public health coverage and/or cash medical support; the cost of the child's insurance premium is shared in the worksheet. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- TN DHS Child Support Services
- Applying for Services
- Review and Adjustment
- Child Support Guidelines
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04
- Child Support Program Fact Sheet
- Debt Compromise flyer
- TN VAoP Program
- Establishing Paternity
- OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide - Tennessee profile
Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.
- State plan requirements: application fee, annual fee, safeguards, 42 U.S.C. 654
- Required state laws: arrears as judgments, review every 3 years, UIFSA, 42 U.S.C. 666
- Federal tax refund offset, 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passport denial for child support arrears, 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Garnishment limits for support orders, 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- Full faith and credit for child support orders, 28 U.S.C. 1738B
- Office of Child Support Enforcement (federal)