What is child support?
The law will not permit a child to go unsupported. For this reason, once custody of a child is determined (the law now calls the custodial the parent, the primary residential parent) the noncustodial, or alternate residential parent is required to pay support for the maintenance of the minor child.
The law in Tennessee has changed in recent years to track a growing national trend in calculating the child support obligation. The present law in Tennessee takes into accounts a number of factors in calculating child support, including the amount of time each parent spends with the child and the income levels of each parent.
Who owes child support?
Child support must be paid by the alternate residential parent. That person is determined by the parenting plan or court order. The alternate residential parent is what many people think of as the noncustodial parent, although that distinction has been abolished in Tennessee law. Even if you are not married to the other parent of the minor child, the law will still require that child support be paid for the maintenance of that child.
How is child support calculated?
Courts now rely upon a worksheet created by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. A link to that worksheet is located above.
Can court ordered child support be modified?
The answer to that question is yes, but.... Child support orders can be modified upon a showing of a significant variance in the amount of the child support obligation. Some situations that can give rise to a significant variance include the alternate residential parent being legally obligated to support more children or a 15% change in the amount of the support. Additionally, the need to provide for a child's healthcare can provide a significant variance, as well as putting the child in daycare.
