Child Support
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At ZubaidaLaw, we help parents establish, modify, and enforce child support orders under the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines. Whether you are seeking support or responding to a petition, we ensure that child support is calculated fairly based on both parents’ income, parenting time, health insurance, and childcare costs. Child support is the right of the child – not the parent – and we fight to protect that right.
Key Services We Handle:
Initial Child Support Orders: Establishing support during divorce, separation, or paternity cases
Child Support Modification: Changing existing orders due to job loss, income change, or parenting time changes
Child Support Enforcement: Collecting unpaid support through wage garnishment, tax refund interception, license suspension, and contempt proceedings
Income Withholding Orders: Automatic deduction of support from the paying parent’s paycheck
Arrears & Past-Due Support: Calculating and collecting back support
Health Insurance & Childcare: Including these costs in the support calculation
How Child Support is Calculated in Tennessee:
Tennessee uses the Income Shares Model – both parents’ gross income is combined, and support is based on the number of children and the amount of parenting time. Factors include: (1) both parents’ gross monthly income, (2) number of children, (3) parenting time percentage (overnights), (4) health insurance premiums for the child, (5) work-related childcare costs, and (6) any other court-ordered support obligations.
What We Handle at ZubaidaLaw:
Our legal advocates manage every aspect of your child support case: calculating support accurately under Tennessee guidelines, filing petitions for establishment or modification, negotiating with the other parent or their attorney, representing you in court hearings, enforcing unpaid support through wage garnishment and contempt actions, and notarizing all financial affidavits and court documents.
Call us at 865-382-2900 for a confidential consultation to understand your child support rights and obligations.
Using the Income Shares Model – both parents' gross income is combined, then support is allocated based on each parent's share of income and parenting time.
Wages, salaries, bonuses, commissions, self-employment income, rental income, dividends, interest, unemployment benefits, Social Security, and any other regular income.
Yes. The more overnight parenting time a parent has, the lower their child support obligation may be. Tennessee uses a parenting time adjustment in the calculation.
Generally until the child turns 18 (or 19 if the child is still in high school full-time). Support may continue longer for a child with special needs.
Yes, if there is a significant and continuing change in circumstances, such as: job loss, substantial income increase/decrease, change in parenting time, or the child's changing needs.
We can file a petition for enforcement. The court may order: wage garnishment, interception of tax refunds, suspension of driver's license, contempt of court (jail time), or seizure of assets.
Yes. Under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA), Tennessee can work with other states to enforce support orders, including wage garnishment in the other parent's home state.
Yes. The court can order either parent to provide health insurance for the child, and the premium cost is included in the child support calculation.
Child support: For the child's expenses – calculated by guidelines, ends when child turns 18
Alimony: For the spouse's support – no fixed formula, may end upon remarriage or death
Yes. We provide full notarization services for financial affidavits, income verification forms, child support worksheets, and all court filings.
