How Child Support Services Are Organised Across Tennessee

Child support in Tennessee is run by the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS), which administers the state's federally required Title IV-D program. Parents and caregivers use it to establish paternity, set a support order, collect payments and enforce orders that have gone unpaid. The program covers all 95 counties and serves custodial parents, noncustodial parents and relatives who are raising a child.

The state does not run one full-service counter in every town. Services are delivered through local offices, court-connected staff, contracted partners, and phone and online options. This is why one county's listing can look very different from the next. Some are walk-in offices with a street address. Others are mailing addresses only.

Our database lists ten offices in ten Tennessee counties. They run from Mountain City in the northeast corner to Bolivar and Jackson in West Tennessee. Find the one closest to you, then call before you drive.

Offices in Middle, West and East Tennessee

Tennessee's three Grand Divisions differ in population, distance and court structure. Child support offices follow those differences.

Middle Tennessee: Franklin and Gallatin

The Franklin Child Support & Social Service Office sits at 212 East Main Street in Franklin, the seat of Williamson County. You can reach it at 615-591-9292. Williamson County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state and part of the greater Nashville area. Many parents there commute, so ask about phone or mail options before taking time off work.

The Gallatin Child Support & Social Service Office is at 109 West Main Street in Gallatin, the county seat of Sumner County. Its number is 615-451-5829. Gallatin is also within the Nashville commuting area. Both offices are in downtown courthouse districts, which makes it easy to combine a visit with other county business.

Hohenwald, in Lewis County, is in the rural southern part of Middle Tennessee. The Hohenwald Child Support & Social Service Office is at 37 Smith Avenue, phone 931-796-4900.

West Tennessee: Bolivar, Jackson, Huntingdon, Paris and Savannah

West Tennessee has several small county seats spread across farmland and river country. The Bolivar Child Support & Social Service Office is at 1361 West Market Street in Bolivar, serving Hardeman County. Call 731-659-3215.

Jackson is the largest city among our listings and the seat of Madison County. The Jackson Child Support & Social Service Office uses PO Box 2825 as its address, and its phone is 731-423-5805. Because this is a postal box, do not plan to show up with paperwork. Call first and ask where to deliver documents.

The same applies to the Huntingdon office (PO Box 99, phone 731-986-2233) in Carroll County and the Paris office (PO Box 281, phone 731-644-9191) in Henry County. In Savannah, the Division of Child Support Services is at 354 Main Street, phone 731-925-1087. It serves Hardin County, along the Tennessee River.

East Tennessee: Huntsville and Mountain City

East Tennessee is mountainous, and drive times are longer than the map suggests. The Huntsville Child Support & Social Service Office serves Scott County from PO Box 310, phone 423-663-2532. The Mountain City Child Support & Social Service Office is at 108 Court Street in Mountain City, phone 423-727-3961. It serves Johnson County, one of the most remote counties in the state. If you live in a rural pocket of either county, a phone call can often settle a question that would otherwise cost you half a day.

Starting a Tennessee Child Support Case: What to Have Ready

You can apply for child support services through DHS whether or not you receive public benefits. Most people begin with a phone call or an online application, then follow up with a local office. A county office can tell you which steps happen locally and which are handled by state staff or through the court.

Gather these items before you call:

If the parents were never married, paternity usually has to be established first. A father can sign a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, often at the hospital when the child is born. If there is a dispute, the court can order genetic testing. A support order generally follows once legal parentage is settled.

Do not assume an address in our list is the right place to deliver forms. Several listings are PO boxes. Always confirm the delivery method, whether that is mail, drop-off, fax or an online upload.

Tennessee Rules That Shape Your Support Order

Tennessee sets support amounts under state child support guidelines. These guidelines use an income shares approach, which considers both parents' incomes and the cost of raising a child. Parenting time also matters, because the number of days a child spends with each parent affects the calculation. Health insurance and work-related child care are usually factored in as well.

Once an order exists, the most common way to collect is income withholding. The employer deducts support from the paycheck and sends it to the state's payment system. This is far more reliable than payments made directly between parents, and it creates a clear record if a dispute arises later.

When payments fall behind, Tennessee has several enforcement tools. These can include intercepting tax refunds, reporting arrears, and suspending licenses, including driver licenses in some circumstances. A court can also hold a parent in contempt. Serious or repeated nonpayment can lead to more severe consequences, so a parent who loses a job should act quickly.

Orders are not frozen forever. If a parent's income changes significantly, or a child's needs change, either parent can ask for a review. Only a court-approved modification changes what is owed. Informal agreements between parents do not stop arrears from building, so ask your local office how to request a review the right way.

Support generally continues until a child turns 18. If the child is still in high school at that point, it can continue until graduation, within limits set by state law. Check your own order, because its wording controls.

The child support program in Tennessee is administered by the state's child support enforcement agency, which operates through a network of county-level offices that handle case intake, order establishment, payment processing, and enforcement across the state under the authority of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

Child Support Offices locations are available in 10 cities across Tennessee. They are spread across 10 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Jackson, Gallatin, Hohenwald, which serve as regional hubs for child support case processing and interstate enforcement coordination for cases involving parents in multiple states.

Non-custodial parents in Tennessee who are current on their support obligation and experiencing a significant change in income — such as job loss or medical disability — may be eligible to request a formal modification review through the state child support agency without having to hire an attorney.

Child Support Offices by Counties

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Custodial parents in Tennessee who receive public assistance are automatically enrolled in child support services as a condition of TANF or Medicaid eligibility. Parents not receiving public assistance can still apply for child support services voluntarily and typically receive the same level of enforcement assistance at little or no cost.

Browse Child Support Offices by county across Tennessee to find the nearest location.

Planning a Visit to a Tennessee Child Support Office

Opening hours, appointment rules and mail handling vary by county, so a short call saves a wasted trip. The Hohenwald, Mountain City, Franklin, Gallatin and Bolivar offices list street addresses, which suggests in-person contact may be possible. Jackson, Huntingdon, Huntsville and Paris list PO boxes. Treat those as mailing points and ask where to bring documents.

Rural travel takes time. A resident of Johnson County or Scott County may face winding mountain roads. A resident of Hardin County near the Tennessee River may live a good distance from a bigger city. If you can handle a question by phone, mail or an online account, do that first. Keep copies of everything you submit, and write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with and what was said. This record helps if a payment is misapplied or a case is transferred.

Bring photo ID to any in-person visit, along with your case number if you already have one. If you are applying for the first time, bring your court orders and the other parent's information. If you feel unsafe sharing your address with the other parent, tell staff right away so they can note it in your file.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services administers the state's child support program under federal Title IV-D rules. It handles paternity, support orders, payment processing and enforcement, working with courts and local partners. The offices in our list, such as the Division of Child Support Services in Savannah or the Child Support & Social Service Office in Gallatin, are local points of contact within that system. If you are unsure whether you are in the right place, call the number shown for your county and ask who handles your case before you send any paperwork.

Your case is usually tied to the county where the order was issued or where the child or parent lives, but you can often start with any office or by phone. If you live in Franklin but the order came from another county, tell staff both locations. They will explain which court and office hold your file. Moving does not erase an order. Report your new address promptly, because notices about hearings, reviews and payments go to the address on file, and missed mail can delay your case.

Tennessee uses state child support guidelines built on an income shares model. The calculation looks at both parents' incomes, the number of children, the parenting schedule, and costs such as health insurance and work-related child care. A judge or magistrate can adjust the result when the facts justify it, and must explain why. Because the parenting plan affects the number, make sure the schedule on file matches what actually happens. Ask your local office for the current worksheet rather than relying on an online estimate from another state.

Contact the office handling your case and report the missed payments with dates and amounts. If income withholding is not already in place, the state can send a withholding order to the employer. Other tools include tax refund intercepts, credit reporting, license suspension and contempt proceedings in court. If you are the parent who cannot pay because of a job loss or illness, do not wait. Ask how to request a review, because debts that build up under an unchanged order can be hard to reduce later.

If both parents agree, they can sign a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, commonly offered at the hospital after birth. It can also be completed later through the proper channels. Tennessee allows a short window to rescind the acknowledgment, so read it carefully before signing. If the father disputes parentage or cannot be found, the court can order genetic testing. A child support case in a county like Hardeman or Madison can start the court process for you. Once parentage is legally established, support and parenting issues can move forward.

Yes, but only through a formal review or court modification. A significant change in income, a change in parenting time, or new medical needs for the child can justify a request. Gather pay stubs, a layoff notice or medical records, and contact your local office to ask how to file. Until a new order is entered, the old amount remains due, and unpaid balances keep adding up. A side agreement between parents is not enough on its own, so make sure any change is approved by the court and recorded in your case.