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Child Support
Our team of lawyers can help determine who is responsible for paying child support and the equitable amount of child support that should be paid in accordance with the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines. We can help enforce child support payments from the obligated payer, including potential child support arrearages, as well as petition for child support to end when appropriate (for example, when a child turns eighteen or graduates high school, whichever occurs last). Whether you are in the midst of a divorce or you were never married, our attorneys can help guide you through the legal process when it comes to setting or modifying a child support obligation.
Our Goodlettsville child support lawyers are equipped to investigate various sources of income (including the self-employed worker), examine health insurance and child care/ daycare payments, and determine any potential deviations, all of which affect the amount of child support you pay or receive. Even the “day count”, the number of days with each parent, affects the overall calculation. Whether a person supports other children in the home or pays child support on another child affects the bottom dollar in child support as well. We will work directly with you and the courts to achieve an appropriate and equitable amount of support.
How Child Support is Calculated
Tennessee follows an income shares model when determining child support. This means both parties’ incomes are considered when the court approves the child support amount. Specifically, a Child Support Worksheet is used to calculate the support. The Worksheet encompasses the numbers of days the child or children spends with each parent, the amount of insurance payments and work-related childcare costs, and other children supported as well as other statutory factors. There are various caveats when calculating the support amount which directly affect the amount of child support you pay or receive. Call one of our Goodlettsville Child Support lawyers today for your child support guidance. Call (615) 859-1328 for help in Davidson County, Sumner County, and Robertson County.
Modification of Child Support
The Tennessee Child Support Guidelines direct whether child support may be modified or changed. To determine if a modification is possible, child support must be calculated on the Child Support Worksheet using evidence of the parties’ current circumstances.
Under Tennessee law, a current child support order is modifiable when there has been a “significant variance.” Typically, there must be a 15% variance between the amount of the proposed order and the amount of the existing order before the courts will review. Various circumstances can affect change in the existing amount of child support. For example, a significant variance may be present when visitation days change, a child graduates high school and turns eighteen, a party has a significant change in income, either party has an additional child for whom the party is legally responsible and actually supporting, a child becomes disabled and several other factors. Call Freeman & Bracey for your free consultation to learn more about your particular child support matter. Call (615) 859-1328.