What Child Support Really Covers
When it comes to child support in Tennessee, every parent has a basic obligation to provide for their child. This includes the essentials:
- Housing
- Food
- Clothing
- Transportation
- Education needs
- Work-related childcare
- Health insurance premiums
- Uninsured medical costs such as deductibles, copays, or orthodontics
- Reasonable entertainment and extracurricular activities
From prom to field trips, every child deserves the chance to participate in the same opportunities as their peers. Child support ensures that those needs are consistently met, even after parents separate.
Who Benefits From Child Support?
A common question parents ask is whether child support benefits the child or the other parent. The truth is simple: it benefits the child.
Think back to when you were married. When both parents’ income went into the same household account, no one questioned whether money spent on housing, food, or even a car payment supported the child. The same principle applies after separation.
Child support reflects the combined income that once supported the child under one roof. If one parent previously earned two-thirds of the household income and the other earned one-third, those proportions remain the same. The child’s standard of living should not drop simply because the parents are no longer together.
Legal Requirements
Tennessee law is clear about what child support must cover. At a minimum, it includes:
- Housing, food, and clothing
- Transportation
- Basic education costs
- Health care, including insurance premiums and recurring medical expenses
- Childcare related to work
- Reasonable extracurricular and entertainment costs
Child support is designed to maintain the same standard of living the child had before the parents separated.
Robert Maines, founding attorney of Maines Legal in Tennessee, has guided countless families through the complexities of child support and custody disputes.
With years of experience in Tennessee family law, he understands how courts calculate support, what expenses it truly covers, and how to protect a child’s best interests while reducing unnecessary conflict. Robert Maines’ compassionate yet strategic approach has helped parents achieve clarity and stability during some of life’s most difficult transitions.
If you’re facing child support questions in Tennessee, contact Maines Legal today to get the guidance you need.
Reducing Stress Through Clarity
One of the biggest sources of conflict in family law is money. But when parents understand how child support is calculated, it removes guesswork and provides stability. Tennessee uses an income shares model. Both parents’ incomes are combined and entered into a state-provided spreadsheet with a built-in algorithm. The calculation takes into account:
- Each parent’s income
- Parenting time (overnights with each parent)
- Number of children
- Credits for other children from other relationships
- Credits for health, dental, or vision insurance payments
- Work-related childcare expenses
The spreadsheet then calculates each parent’s percentage of financial responsibility. From there, it determines which parent owes support and how much.
The result? Predictability. Parents can focus on raising their children instead of fighting about money. And children benefit most when their parents shift attention away from disputes and toward their well-being.
Robert Maines, founding attorney of Maines Legal in Tennessee, has guided countless families through the complexities of child support and custody disputes.
With years of experience in Tennessee family law, he understands how courts calculate support, what expenses it truly covers, and how to protect a child’s best interests while reducing unnecessary conflict. Robert Maines’ compassionate yet strategic approach has helped parents achieve clarity and stability during some of life’s most difficult transitions.
If you’re facing child support questions in Tennessee, contact Maines Legal today to get the guidance you need.
