Lebanon, Tennessee Child Support Attorneys
Do Your Children Have the Support They Deserve?
Following a divorce, your children still have the right to be supported by both parents financially. In Tennessee, child support is not set by a judge's guess or by what one parent thinks is fair. It is calculated under the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines, a formula that applies to nearly every case. Whether you are the parent who will pay support or the parent who will receive it, you should know how that formula works before you agree to anything. The Law Offices of Thomas Maynard has guided Lebanon and Middle Tennessee families through child support cases since 2005.
How Tennessee calculates child support
Tennessee uses an "income shares" model (Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-5-101(e); Tennessee Child Support Guidelines, Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04, current version effective October 1, 2021). The idea is simple: the child should receive the same share of the parents' combined income they would have received if the parents still lived together. The calculation runs in steps:
1. Each parent's adjusted gross income is determined. That is income after certain deductions the Guidelines allow.
2. The two incomes are added together. The combined figure is plugged into the state's Child Support Schedule to find the Basic Child Support Obligation — the amount parents at that combined income would spend on their children.
3. Each parent pays a share in proportion to income. If one parent earns 60% of the combined income, that parent pays 60% of the basic obligation.
4. Adjustments are made. The basic amount is adjusted for how many days the child spends with each parent, the cost of the child's health insurance premiums, and work-related childcare costs. A parent also receives credit for other children they are legally responsible for supporting.
The Guidelines are a rebuttable presumption — the court starts with the formula amount, and it takes a good reason to move away from it.
What counts as income
Tennessee defines income broadly. It includes:
Wages and salaries
Self-employment income
Bonuses and commissions
Pensions and retirement plans
Social Security benefits
Disability and workers' compensation benefits
Unemployment benefits
Alimony received from a former spouse
Rental income and other regular income
Personal injury awards
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed — quitting a job or taking a lower-paying job to reduce support — the court can base support on what that parent is capable of earning, not just what they are actually earning.
When the formula does not fit: deviations
Sometimes the formula amount would be unjust or inappropriate. In those cases, the court may deviate from the Guidelines — for example, where a child has special medical or educational needs or extraordinary expenses, or where the parenting schedule is very different from the one the formula assumes. A deviation must be explained in the court's order. It is not a way to avoid support; it is a way to fit the order to the child's real needs.
Changing a support order
A child support order is not permanent. Either parent can ask the court to change it, but Tennessee requires a "significant variance" first: when the order is recalculated under the current Guidelines, the new amount must differ from the current order by at least 15 percent (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04-.05). Common reasons include:
A job loss or a large change in either parent's income
A change in the parenting schedule
New childcare or health insurance costs
A child's health care needs — which alone can support a modification, even if the 15 percent threshold is not met
Another child the parent is now legally responsible for supporting
Two things to know about timing. First, a change takes effect only from the date the modification petition is filed — not from the date your circumstances changed. Every month you wait is a month you pay the old amount. Second, a parent cannot lower support by voluntarily quitting work or taking a lower-paying job.
When support ends
Child support generally ends when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school. Tennessee law changed on this point in 2026. Under Public Chapter 870, which took effect April 27, 2026 and amended Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 34-1-102(b) and 36-5-101: if the child is enrolled in an accredited high school at 18, support continues until the child graduates, or until the class the child was a member of at 18 graduates — whichever comes first — but never past age 19, unless the child is handicapped or disabled. For a disabled child, the court may continue support until age 21.
One practical point: an order does not always end by itself. A parent may need to ask the court or the Department of Human Services to terminate the order once the child reaches the end of support.
If support is not paid
If the other parent is not paying, the order can be enforced. The court can hold a parent in contempt, wages can be withheld, licenses can be suspended, and tax refunds can be intercepted. The Tennessee Department of Human Services, Child Support Services, can also help collect support. Willful failure to pay can be charged as criminal nonsupport. If you are owed support, do not wait — the longer the arrears build, the harder they are to collect.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Tennessee?
Under the income shares model: both parents' adjusted gross incomes are combined, the combined income is plugged into the state's Child Support Schedule to find the Basic Child Support Obligation, and each parent pays a share in proportion to income — adjusted for parenting time, health insurance, and childcare costs.
Can support be changed if I lose my job?
Yes, if the recalculated amount differs from the current order by at least 15 percent. But the change takes effect only from the date you file the modification petition, so file promptly. And a parent cannot lower support by voluntarily quitting work.
What if the other parent is not working on purpose?
The court can impute income — base support on what that parent is capable of earning, rather than what they are actually earning. Voluntary unemployment or underemployment does not reduce support.
When does child support end?
Generally at 18 or high school graduation. If the child is still enrolled in an accredited high school at 18, support continues until the child graduates or the class the child was in at 18 graduates, whichever comes first — but never past 19, unless the child is handicapped or disabled.
Talk to a Lebanon child support lawyer
Whether you need to establish, change, or enforce a child support order, call the Law Offices of Thomas Maynard at (615) 784-4677 for a free consultation.
General information only, not legal advice. Every case is different. Contacting the office does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship, and no outcome is promised.