Tennessee Child Support Calculator — Rex's Toolbox

Rex says

Income shares looks simple until you hit Tennessee's custody-time adjustment — that's usually where the real number moves.

Try a scenario

Click to load — tweak from there.

Inputs

Parent A monthly gross income($)

Parent B monthly gross income($)

Number of children

Guideline % of combined income (editable — represents the Tennessee schedule lookup for this income/child count)(%)

Monthly work-related childcare cost($)

Monthly health insurance premium for children($)

Result

Total monthly child support obligation

$1,890

Basic obligation (guideline % of combined income)

$1,890

Parent A's share of combined income

61.1%

Parent B's share of combined income

38.9%

Parent A's pro-rata amount

$1,155

Parent B's pro-rata amount

$735

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How to use this

1Enter parent a monthly gross income ($).
2Enter parent b monthly gross income ($).
3Enter number of children.
4Enter guideline % of combined income (editable — represents the tennessee schedule lookup for this income/child count) (%).
5Enter monthly work-related childcare cost ($).
6Enter monthly health insurance premium for children ($).
7Read your total monthly child support obligation on the right — it updates as you type.
8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.

About this calculator

Estimates guideline child support in Tennessee using an income-shares model: both parents' monthly incomes are combined, a guideline percentage (editable, representing a lookup in Tennessee's statutory schedule) is applied to combined income to get a basic obligation, and each parent pays their pro-rata share of that obligation based on their percentage of combined income. Childcare and health insurance costs are added on top and split the same way. This is an estimate only, not legal advice — actual awards depend on the specific court, county guideline worksheets, and judicial discretion, and a judge may deviate from the guideline for good cause.

FormulaTennessee income shares: basic obligation = combined monthly income × guideline % (schedule lookup); each parent pays their % share of combined income times (basic + childcare + health insurance).

Worked example

Using the values the calculator loads with:

Inputs

Parent A monthly gross income: 5500 $
Parent B monthly gross income: 3500 $
Number of children: 2
Guideline % of combined income (editable — represents the Tennessee schedule lookup for this income/child count): 21 %
Monthly work-related childcare cost: 0 $
Monthly health insurance premium for children: 0 $

Results

Total monthly child support obligation: $1,890
Basic obligation (guideline % of combined income): $1,890
Parent A's share of combined income: 61.1%
Parent B's share of combined income: 38.9%
Parent A's pro-rata amount: $1,155
Parent B's pro-rata amount: $735

What each field means

Inputs

Parent A monthly gross income ($): The parent a monthly gross income used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 5500 $ so you have a working example on load.
Parent B monthly gross income ($): The parent b monthly gross income used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3500 $ so you have a working example on load.
Number of children: The number of children used in the calculation. Starts at 2 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–6.
Guideline % of combined income (editable — represents the Tennessee schedule lookup for this income/child count) (%): The guideline % of combined income (editable — represents the tennessee schedule lookup for this income/child count) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 21 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 5–40 %.
Monthly work-related childcare cost ($): The monthly work-related childcare cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load.
Monthly health insurance premium for children ($): The monthly health insurance premium for children used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0 $ so you have a working example on load.

Results

Total monthly child support obligation: Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Basic obligation (guideline % of combined income): Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Parent A's share of combined income: Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Parent B's share of combined income: Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Parent A's pro-rata amount: Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Parent B's pro-rata amount: Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.

FAQ

What model does Tennessee use for child support?

Tennessee uses an income-shares model: both parents' incomes are combined, a schedule amount is applied, and each parent pays a share proportional to their percentage of combined income.

How does Tennessee's income-shares model treat overnights?

Tennessee's Child Support Guidelines use an income-shares model with a parenting-time (PRISM) adjustment that credits the paying parent for each day of parenting time above 92 days a year.

Where does the guideline percentage in this calculator come from?

It's an editable input that stands in for the amount you'd look up in Tennessee's statutory child support schedule table for your combined income and number of children — the schedule isn't a single flat percentage, so adjust it to match your state's table.

Is this number what a Tennessee court will order?

This is an estimate only, not legal advice — actual awards depend on the specific court, county guideline worksheets, and judicial discretion, and a judge may deviate from the guideline for good cause.

Accuracy and limitations

Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.

Cite this calculator

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APA

RevenueLab. (2026). Tennessee Child Support Calculator (Income Shares). Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/child-support-calculator-tennessee

HTML

<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/child-support-calculator-tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee Child Support Calculator (Income Shares) — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>

Markdown

Source: [Tennessee Child Support Calculator (Income Shares) — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/child-support-calculator-tennessee) (2026).