By Child-Support.com Staff – Last updated
The State of Tennessee child support calculator is both an excel work sheet and a downloadable program that automatically estimates the amount of child support you may owe. The amount you calculate will be just an estimate as the court may take into account of other factors. However, this may be useful to give you an idea of what your payment may be.
How to Calculate
Important: In order for the WIN and MAC calculators to work correctly, they must be DOWNLOADED and SAVED. Calculations completed in the online versions will not work.
REQUIRES: Microsoft Excel (version 97 or later or compatible program). It may be necessary to adjust the macro security settings to use this document.
Step 1: You will need to select a worksheet that works with your computer’s operating system (Windows or Mac). Links to both the English and Spanish versions can be found here: Tennessee Child Support Excel Calculator Download Page
Step 2: Enter the following information:
- In Part I, enter the name of the mother, father, non-parent caretaker (if applicable), TCSES case identifier, docket number, and docket court identifier in the appropriate blanks.
- Enter the name, date of birth, and parenting days with each parent / non-parent caretaker in the appropriate blanks. For equal parenting time situations only, enter 182.5 days for each parent
- In Part II, enter each parent’s monthly gross income in the appropriate column.
- Enter the amount of benefit paid to the child’s caretaker from the parent’s account for federal benefits, such as social security or veteran’s benefits.
- Enter the allowed amount of any self-employment tax paid by the parent.
- If the parent has qualified other child(ren) living in the parent’s home 50% or more of the time, click the “Credit Worksheet” tab at the bottom of the page. When the Credit Worksheet is completed, the in-home credit amount for each parent, as determined on Line 5 in Part II, Other Children, of the Credit Worksheet, will be automatically displayed in the appropriate column.
- If the parent has qualified other child(ren) who live in the parent’s home less than 50% of the time, and the parent is actually supporting such child(ren), click the “Credit Worksheet” tab at the bottom of the page. When the Credit Worksheet is completed, the not-in-home credit amount for each parent, as determined on Line 10b in Part II, Other Children, of the Credit Worksheet, will be automatically displayed in the appropriate column.
- The sheet will then automatically calculate the Parents’ Share of BCSO
- Enter each parent’s expense amount in the appropriate column for health insurance for the children for whom support is being determined.
- In the appropriate column, enter the amount of each parent’s recurring expenses that can be reasonably ascertained for the children for whom support is being determined.
- Enter in the appropriate column the work-related childcare expense for each parent and/or non-parent caretaker for the children for whom support is being determined.
- The Adjusted Support Obligation will be calculated automatically
- Enter the amount of the current support order for the case under consideration in the column of the parent ordered to pay.
- Enter the amount of the court-ordered increase or decrease. Enter a reason for deviation in the space provided below Line 14.
- The final child support order amount will be automatically calculated.
The worksheet uses the Tennessee child support guidelines to make the calculations.
Download: Tennessee Guidelines Rules Prior to October 1 2021
