Child Support in Tennessee
Years ago, child support in Tennessee was based on percentages of the non-custodial parent’s income. You paid 21% of your income for one child, 32% for two children, and so on.
A few years back, the Tennessee legislature changed the child support formula. Child support now takes into consideration both parents’ incomes. It also considers the number of days each parent spends with the child. Plus, other children each parent may support, child care expenses, and health insurance expenses.
It’s a complicated formula.
Depending on each case, the Court can deviate child support upwards or downwards depending on the circumstances. For instance, 7% of a parent’s child support goes towards extra-curricular expenses. Many children participate in expensive extracurriculars. Therefore, this 7% simply doesn’t cover it. You must tell your attorney about these expenses, it could increase child support.
Who claims the children for tax purposes? Sometimes, the parties, through their attorneys, can agree on who may claim which child in any given year.
Child Support Length
By law, however, the child support guidelines have a built-in calculation that is supposed to allow the custodial parent to claim all the children. There is little discretion as to who may claim the children. That discretion is left to the Judge in your case if the parties cannot agree.
Child Support will be paid in Tennessee until a child graduates from high school or turns 18, whichever occurs last. If you agree to pay longer than the law requires, you just formed a contractual agreement that a Judge can enforce against you.
If a child is disabled, child support may be paid past 18 years. The law allows you to present evidence of the child’s disability that may entitle the child to child support until age 21 and, in some cases, even longer.
If you have questions about child support in Tennessee, contact us at https://www.kane-law.com/contact-us/
Child Support, Support for a child with a disability, Taxes and Child Support