Child Support Attorneys
in Knoxville, Tennessee

A parent’s primary responsibility is to provide for their children. Parents who care and are compassionate for their children – want what is best for them. This means providing our children with financial flexibility to address their basic needs.

The Tennessee Child Support Guidelines are meant to make the process of paying child support a simple one. You do not need to just accept incorrect child support payments. Your financial well-being and that of your children are at stake. Get the justice and fairness you deserve by hiring a Knoxville child support lawyer who will look out for your interests and esnure that your rights are protected.

Biological parents are legally obligated to provide financial support for their children after a divorce. The Tennessee Child Support Guidelines are most often used to determine the quantity and frequency of these payments. Divorcing spouses can agree upon their own financial terms if both parties can come to an agreement and are cooperative.

Regardless of how the custody rights are split, both parents are required to pay child support. This usually means making payments until the child turns 18 – if any of these guidelines are confusing, our Knoxville child support attorneys can walk you through them.

Tennessee follows an income shares model for child support. The Tennessee Child Support Guidelines are complex and if you are not represented at a hearing you may wind up with a child support obligation you cannot afford to pay. If you find yourself in that hole, you may wind up being incarcerated for failure to pay as ordered. Remember, child support is the only bill collector you have with a jail, so do not go it alone in Court.

• Initial Order – We will help you to be prepared for your child support hearing and help you gather the evidence necessary to ensure that your child support obligation is calculated reflecting your actual ability to earn, accurate health insurance cost, work-related daycare expense, and recurring uninsured medical expenses for your children.

• Other parent not paying – If you are not receiving the child support that the non-custodial parent is ordered to pay, we can help you to file a proper petition to hold that individual responsible, collect on your judgment, and properly calculate the past due arrearage. In Tennessee, a child support arrearage accrues interest at a rate of 12% per year. This money can be very helpful to your children and we will help you collect.

• Modification – If your or the other parent’s earning and expenses have changed, we can help you file a petition to modify child support. We will first advise you on the evidence necessary to prove a significant variance triggering either an increase or decrease in your child support obligation. If you qualify, we will file a petition for modification and prepare your testimony and exhibits for trial so that you are comfortable and ready to go on trial day.

How Is Child Support Calculated in Knoxville, TN?

Tennessee law utilizes the Income Shares worksheet in conjunction with the Tennessee Child Support Guidelines to establish child support payments. If you are curious about what your child support payment may be, you can use The State of Tennessee Child Support Calculator.

How Is Child Support Enforced in Tennessee?

We are often asked “What happens when one parent does not pay child support?” Paying child support is a legal obligation, so not doing so means the parent is violating their court order. Consequently, they are subject to civil or criminal contempt of court and can even be incarcerated.

Other options include:

• Driver’s License Suspension

• Liens

• Lowered Credit Score

• Passport Restrictions

• Tax Refund Seizure

• Wage Garnishment

Contact a Child Support Attorney in Knoxville TN

Former spouses have the legal obligation to support their child or children until they become an independent adult in Tennessee. Child support payments provide the primary residential parent with the resources to provide for the child or children. If your former spouse has failed to pay or refused to pay child support our attorneys can help you. There are methods available to enforce this contempt of court. Contact a Knoxville child support attorney TODAY for help. The attorneys at Wykoff & Sikes, PLLC will hard to make your that your rights are protected.