Utah Child Support
Estimate the amount of child support in your case using Utah Family Law's Child Support Calculator. This tool is designed to help parents estimate how much child support may be ordered given their situation.
| Instructions | Mother | Father |
| How many children are a part of the support action? | ||
| Enter Father and Mother's gross monthly income. | ||
| Enter previously ordered alimony actually paid. | ||
| Enter previously ordered child support. | ||
| Optional - Enter the amount from Line 12 for either parent from the Children in Present Home Worksheet. | ||
| How many nights will the children spend with each parent? (Both numbers must equal 365) | ||
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Combined nights must equal 365. |
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Click here to see the Worksheet >>
Worksheet
| Instructions | Mother | Father | Combined | |
| 1. | Enter the number of natural and adopted children of this mother and father for whom support is to be awarded. | |||
| 2a. | Enter the Father's and Mother's gross monthly income. Refer to Instructions for definition of income. | |||
| 2b. | Enter previously ordered alimony that is actually paid. (Do not enter alimony ordered for this case). | |||
| 2c. | Enter previously ordered child support. (Do not enter obligations ordered for the children in Line 1). | |||
| 2d. | OPTIONAL: Enter the amount from Line 12 of the Children in Present Home Worksheet for either parent. | |||
| 3. | Subtract Lines 2b, 2c, and 2d from 2a. This is the Adjusted Gross Income for child support purposes. | |||
| 4. | Take the COMBINED figure in Line 3 and the number of children in Line 1 to the Support Table. Find the Base Combined Support Obligation. Enter it here. (Support Table up to date as of April 1st, 2014) | |||
| 5. | Divide each parent's adjusted monthly gross in Line 3 by the COMBINED adjusted monthly gross in Line 3. | |||
| 6. | Multiply Line 4 by Line 5 for each parent to obtain each parent's share of the Base Support Obligation. | |||
| 7a. | Enter the number of overnights the children will spend with each parent. (They must total 365). Each parent must have at least 111 overnights to qualify for Joint Physical Custody (U.C.A. 78B-12-208). | |||
| 7b. | Identify the parent who has the child the lesser number of overnights, and continue the rest of the calculation for them. You will be making adjustments to the net amount owed by this parent. | |||
| 8a. | For the parent who has the child the lesser number of overnights multiply the number of overnights that are greater than 110 but less than 131 by .0027 to obtain a resulting figure and enter in the respective column. | |||
| 8b. | Multiply the result on line 8a. by the Combined Support Obligation on line 4 for this parent and enter the number in the respective column. | |||
| 8c. | Subtract the respective dollar amount on line 8b. from this parent's share of the Base Support Obligation found in the column for this parent on line 6 to determine the amount as indicated by U.C.A. 78B-12-208 (3)(a) and enter the amount in the respective column. | |||
| 9a. | Additional calculation necessary if both parents have the child for more than 131 overnights (Otherwise go to line 10): For the parent who has the child the lesser number of overnights multiply the number of overnights that exceed 130 (131 overnights or more) by .0084 to obtain a resulting figure and enter it in the respective column. | |||
| 9b. | Multiply the result on line 9a. by the Combined Support Obligation on line 4 for this parent and enter each in the respective column. | |||
| 9c. | Subtract this parent's dollar amount on line 9b. from their respective amount as identified on line 8c. to determine the amount as indicated by U.C.A. 78B-12-208 (3)(b) and enter the amount in the respective column. Go to line 10. | |||
| 10. | BASE CHILD SUPPORT AWARD: If the result in line 9c. is > 0, then this parent is the obligor (and the other parent is the obligee). Enter the amount in line 9c. here. This is the amount owed by this parent to the obligee all 12 months of the year. If the result in line 9c. is < 0, then this parent is the obligee (and the other parent is the obligor). Enter the absolute value of the result in line 9C. here. This is the amount owed to this parent by the obligor all 12 months of the year. | |||
Utah Child Support Calculator
How is child support calculated in Utah?
I will explain it both accurately and simply, but even then, it can sometimes get complex. But don’t worry; I’m going to give you the link to the online child support calculator a later on in this article. I still encourage you to read my explanation here first, so that you will understand the policy behind child support first.
Utah uses what are known as statutory child support guidelines. Child support is almost always based upon Utah’s statutory child support calculation formula (there are situations where the court can deviate from the statutory guidelines, but that rarely happens).
Generally, each parent’s child support obligation is based upon both parents’ respective incomes, the number of minor children they have, and the number of overnights the children spend with each parent. Balancing these factors should, at least in theory, ensure that each parent has enough money to maintain the children’s lifestyle at the same level in each parent’s household.
Unless a parent’s income is orders of magnitude greater than the other parent’s income, the parent who has the children with him/her fewer nights than the other parent usually pays child support, and the fewer overnights the children spend with the parent, the more child support that parent pays.
But remember that child support is a factor of both the number of overnights spent with a parent and the amount of each parent’s income. This is why the parent who has a higher income will still end up paying some (albeit a small) amount of child support to the parent with the lower income even if those parents share equal physical custody of their children.
Here is the link to the Utah Office of Recovery Services (ORS) child support calculator.
Read the calculator’s instructions carefully, so that you understand the correct information to provide, so that you get an accurate child support calculation.
You will answer the questions in the calculator to determine how much child support you’ll have to pay or how much child support you will receive.
Make sure you use your gross monthly income, not your net. Child support is based upon gross income. And gross income is not limited to just your earned income. Gross income includes not only salaries, wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, rents, gifts from anyone, prizes, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, alimony from previous marriages, annuities, capital gains, Social Security benefits, worker compensation benefits, unemployment compensation, income replacement disability insurance benefits, and payments from nonmeans-tested government programs.
Additionally, if you or your spouse is unemployed or under-employed, you can’t use that status to game the child support calculation. If you are unemployed or under-employed, the court can determine what you should be earning and “impute” that amount of gross monthly income to you in calculating child support.
How long does child support last?
In Utah, child support typically lasts until:
- a child becomes 18 years of age or graduates from high school during the child’s normal and expected year of graduation, whichever occurs later;
- If a child turns 18 but does not graduate from high school, that does not result in child support payment obligations continuing unless and until the child finally does graduate; if the child is 18, is not disabled/unable to care for himself/herself, and the child’s normal and expected year of graduation has come and gone without having graduated from high school, child support ends.
- if the child dies, marries, becomes a member of the Armed Forces of the United States; or
- is legally emancipated by court order.
Child Support can, in rare circumstances, be extended to the age of 21 for the child, but that usually arises if and when a child is mentally or physically handicapped after reaching the age of majority (i.e., 18 years of age). I have yet to see a case where child support was ordered beyond the age of 18 for an able-bodied person of normal intelligence.
So for those of you who are wondering whether courts in Utah order parents to pay for college for their adult age children, the answer is, the courts can do it, but I have never seen it done personally. Even though college is generally not something that a judge will order parents to pay for their adult children, it is something the parents can agree will be ordered if they want to make that a part of their settlement agreement.
How child support is enforced
nless the government enforces payment of child support, that leaves the government to take care of the children using taxpayer (welfare) money. So the government is highly motivated to ensure child support is paid, to enforce payment of child support.
Utah and every other state in this country has at least one government agency to help parents who are owed child support collect it. Utah’s Office of Recovery Services and the Utah court system can garnish wages, intercept tax refunds, criminally prosecute and jail delinquent parents, revoke their driver’s licenses, professional licenses and even their recreational licenses.
The government has agencies in place to assist parents in collecting child support so that children do not become welfare charges. While you certainly can hire an attorney to help you pursue the collection of child support, ORS provides child support collection help for little to no money. Why? Because helping collect child support often saves more money than it costs the government. To find out how ORS can help collect child support. Here is ORS’s website address: Office of Recovery Services – State of Utah Office of Recovery Services
We have other articles on the subject of child support on this site, and I encourage you to view those as well to help you better understand child support and all the forms it takes in Utah divorce and child custody cases.
How is child support calculated in Utah?
I will explain it both accurately and simply, but even then, it can sometimes get complex. But don’t worry; I’m going to give you the link to the online child support calculator a later on in this article. I still encourage you to read my explanation here first, so that you will understand the policy behind child support first.
Utah uses what are known as statutory child support guidelines. Child support is almost always based upon Utah’s statutory child support calculation formula (there are situations where the court can deviate from the statutory guidelines, but that rarely happens).
Generally, each parent’s child support obligation is based upon both parents’ respective incomes, the number of minor children they have, and the number of overnights the children spend with each parent. Balancing these factors should, at least in theory, ensure that each parent has enough money to maintain the children’s lifestyle at the same level in each parent’s household.
Unless a parent’s income is orders of magnitude greater than the other parent’s income, the parent who has the children with him/her fewer nights than the other parent usually pays child support, and the fewer overnights the children spend with the parent, the more child support that parent pays.
But remember that child support is a factor of both the number of overnights spent with a parent and the amount of each parent’s income. This is why the parent who has a higher income will still end up paying some (albeit a small) amount of child support to the parent with the lower income even if those parents share equal physical custody of their children.
Here is the link to the Utah Office of Recovery Services (ORS) child support calculator.
Read the calculator’s instructions carefully, so that you understand the correct information to provide, so that you get an accurate child support calculation.
You will answer the questions in the calculator to determine how much child support you’ll have to pay or how much child support you will receive.
Make sure you use your gross monthly income, not your net. Child support is based upon gross income. And gross income is not limited to just your earned income. Gross income includes not only salaries, wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, rents, gifts from anyone, prizes, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, alimony from previous marriages, annuities, capital gains, Social Security benefits, worker compensation benefits, unemployment compensation, income replacement disability insurance benefits, and payments from nonmeans-tested government programs.
Additionally, if you or your spouse is unemployed or under-employed, you can’t use that status to game the child support calculation. If you are unemployed or under-employed, the court can determine what you should be earning and “impute” that amount of gross monthly income to you in calculating child support.
How long does child support last?
In Utah, child support typically lasts until:
- a child becomes 18 years of age or graduates from high school during the child’s normal and expected year of graduation, whichever occurs later;
- If a child turns 18 but does not graduate from high school, that does not result in child support payment obligations continuing unless and until the child finally does graduate; if the child is 18, is not disabled/unable to care for himself/herself, and the child’s normal and expected year of graduation has come and gone without having graduated from high school, child support ends.
- if the child dies, marries, becomes a member of the Armed Forces of the United States; or
- is legally emancipated by court order.
Child Support can, in rare circumstances, be extended to the age of 21 for the child, but that usually arises if and when a child is mentally or physically handicapped after reaching the age of majority (i.e., 18 years of age). I have yet to see a case where child support was ordered beyond the age of 18 for an able-bodied person of normal intelligence.
So for those of you who are wondering whether courts in Utah order parents to pay for college for their adult age children, the answer is, the courts can do it, but I have never seen it done personally. Even though college is generally not something that a judge will order parents to pay for their adult children, it is something the parents can agree will be ordered if they want to make that a part of their settlement agreement.
How child support is enforced
nless the government enforces payment of child support, that leaves the government to take care of the children using taxpayer (welfare) money. So the government is highly motivated to ensure child support is paid, to enforce payment of child support.
Utah and every other state in this country has at least one government agency to help parents who are owed child support collect it. Utah’s Office of Recovery Services and the Utah court system can garnish wages, intercept tax refunds, criminally prosecute and jail delinquent parents, revoke their driver’s licenses, professional licenses and even their recreational licenses.
The government has agencies in place to assist parents in collecting child support so that children do not become welfare charges. While you certainly can hire an attorney to help you pursue the collection of child support, ORS provides child support collection help for little to no money. Why? Because helping collect child support often saves more money than it costs the government. To find out how ORS can help collect child support. Here is ORS’s website address: Office of Recovery Services – State of Utah Office of Recovery Services
We have other articles on the subject of child support on this site, and I encourage you to view those as well to help you better understand child support and all the forms it takes in Utah divorce and child custody cases.
