Child support in Utah
Utah uses the income-shares model: both parents' incomes count, and each parent pays a share of the child's support. To open a case, contact the Office of Recovery Services (ORS), Utah Department of Health and Human Services at (801) 536-8500.
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓
How much child support in Utah?
Both parents' gross monthly incomes are added together and looked up in a state table to find the total support for the number of children. Each parent pays a share based on their part of the combined income, with different worksheets for sole, joint and split custody.
Law: Utah Code 81-6-202 to 81-6-207, 81-6-304, 81-6-305
We don't estimate Utah's amount here: its formula uses both parents' incomes and other facts, and a home-made number could mislead you. The official tool gives the real starting number:
Open a child support case in Utah
- Phone
- (801) 536-8500
- Apply
- Apply online
- How to open a case
Apply to ORS online or with a paper application (English or Spanish) by mail or in person. Do one application per family group (each pair of parents and their children) and send copies of birth certificates (if the child was born outside Utah), any paternity papers, any existing order and any divorce decree. You can also ask for support in a divorce, custody or paternity case in district court.
- Yearly fee
$35 per case each federal fiscal year (Oct. 1-Sept. 30), taken from support after $550 has been collected, for custodial parents who have never received cash assistance. ORS also takes a payment processing fee of 6% of each payment, up to $12 a month, if the applicant does not receive cash assistance or Medicaid.
Law: ORS Fees page
- Paternity (legal fatherhood)
Unmarried parents can sign a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity (Office of Vital Records and Statistics), usually at the hospital; both parents sign in front of two unrelated witnesses. ORS can also establish paternity administratively with a Notice of Agency Action and genetic testing, which is normally free for people with an open ORS case. Paternity can also be set by a court.
Utah child support by topic
How support is calculated in Utah
The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.
Change child support in Utah
When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.
Collect unpaid support in Utah
Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.
When support ends in Utah
The end age, high school and disability rules.
How child support is figured in Utah
- Model
- Income shares
- How it works
Both parents' gross monthly incomes are added together and looked up in a state table to find the total support for the number of children. Each parent pays a share based on their part of the combined income, with different worksheets for sole, joint and split custody.
- Low income
A separate low income table, based on the paying parent's income only, is used for low earners. At the very lowest incomes the order is $30 a month, and a base award in a sole custody case may not be less than $30.
Law: Utah Code 81-6-205(5), 81-6-305
- Official calculator
- Official Utah child support calculator
- Health insurance and medical costs
Orders must require health care coverage for the child, and health insurance if available at reasonable cost. Unless the court finds good cause or the parents agree otherwise, parents split the child's share of the premium and all reasonable uninsured medical and dental costs (co-pays, deductibles) equally.
Law: Utah Code 81-6-208
Law: Utah Code 81-6-202 to 81-6-207, 81-6-304, 81-6-305
Change a child support order in Utah
- When a change is allowed
At any time, you can ask for a change if there is a substantial change in circumstances (for example a material change in custody, a 30% or more change in a parent's income, a change in earning ability, the child's medical needs, or support duties for others) and it changes the guideline amount by 15% or more and is not temporary. If the order has not been issued or changed in the last 3 years, you can ask for an adjustment when the guideline amount differs by 10% or more and the difference is not temporary; no other change needs to be shown. 'Temporary' means expected to last less than 12 months. A change in the state tables alone is not a substantial change.
Law: Utah Code 81-6-101(32), 81-6-212
- How to ask
Ask ORS in writing for a review and adjustment (ORS will not review if the youngest child turns 18 within 12 months), or file in the court that made the order: a Motion to Adjust Child Support (3+ years, 10% difference, amount consistent with the guidelines) or a Petition to Modify Child Support.
Law: Utah Code 81-6-212; 81-6-101(32)
Can I ask for a change? Check your situation
Collect unpaid child support in Utah
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Collection tools
- Income withholding
- Federal and state tax refund intercept
- Intercept of state or local payments such as unemployment and workers' compensation
- Credit bureau reporting
- Liens on property and bank accounts
- Passport denial
- Driver's, professional, occupational and recreational license suspension
- Civil contempt
- Referral for criminal nonsupport prosecution
- Contempt of court
ORS may start civil contempt proceedings. If the court finds you in contempt, sanctions can include community service or short-term jail. Criminal nonsupport can also be prosecuted.
Law: Utah Code 81-6-202(10)(f); Title 26B, Chapter 9
When child support ends in Utah
- Support ends
18, or graduation from high school during the child's normal and expected year of graduation, whichever is later
- Exceptions
Support can continue at any age for a child who is incapacitated from earning a living and cannot support themself. Support ends earlier if the child marries, joins the U.S. armed forces, becomes self-supporting or is emancipated. When one child emancipates, the award for the remaining children usually adjusts automatically using the table and incomes from the last order.
Law: Utah Code 81-6-101(7), 81-6-213
When does support end? Check your situation
Free help in Utah
Official self-help
Free letters and checklist
Ask the agency to review (change) your order
A letter to the child support agency asking for a review and adjustment.
Ask the agency to collect unpaid support
A letter asking the agency to enforce the order and collect what is past due.
Checklist: what to bring to open a case
IDs, birth certificates, the other parent's details and your papers, with Utah's agency contact.
Good to know in Utah
- Utah's child support law moved from Title 78B, Chapter 12 to Title 81, Chapter 6 on Sept. 1, 2024. (Utah Code 81-6, Chapter 366, 2024 General Session)
- In Utah, past-due child support becomes a judgment, and some tools such as tax refund intercepts start automatically even if you are on a payment plan. (ORS Enforcement Tools page)
- ORS charges a 6% fee on each payment it processes (up to $12 a month) for applicants not on cash assistance or Medicaid. (ORS Fees page)
Changes in 2024–2026
2024: the Child Support Act was renumbered into Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 6 (effective Sept. 1, 2024); the tables for orders entered on or after Jan. 1, 2023 also apply to modifications of older final orders made on or after Jan. 1, 2025. 2025 (Chapter 86): for incarceration of 90 or more days that begins on or after Jan. 1, 2027, support is suspended by law (with exceptions for criminal nonsupport or offenses against the child or other parent). 2026 (Chapter 155): a new minimal child care award table applies to orders set or modified on or after Jan. 1, 2027.
Federal rules in every state
- Applying. If you don't get TANF, Medicaid or foster care help, a state may charge an application fee of up to $25 to open a child support case. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(i)
- Yearly fee. If you never got TANF and the agency collected at least $550 for you in a year, the state charges a $35 yearly fee. It can come out of your support, but never out of the first $550. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(ii)
- Review every 3 years. If your case is with the child support agency, either parent can ask it to review the order every 3 years and adjust it to the guidelines. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(10)(A); 45 CFR 303.8
- Past-due support. Each unpaid payment becomes a judgment on the day it is due. It can't be lowered later, except back to the date the other parent got notice of a request to change the order. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)
- Tax refunds. The federal government can take a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support. Law: 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passports. A parent who owes more than $2,500 in past-due support can be refused a passport. Law: 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Pay withholding limit. For support, up to 50% of take-home pay can be withheld if the parent supports another spouse or child, or 60% if not. It is 55% or 65% when support is more than 12 weeks behind. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- How long support lasts. How long support lasts follows the law of the state that made the order, even if you move. Law: 28 U.S.C. 1738B(h)(2)
Questions about child support in Utah
How is child support calculated in Utah?
Both parents' gross monthly incomes are added together and looked up in a state table to find the total support for the number of children. Each parent pays a share based on their part of the combined income, with different worksheets for sole, joint and split custody.
Is there an official child support calculator for Utah?
What if the paying parent has a low income in Utah?
A separate low income table, based on the paying parent's income only, is used for low earners. At the very lowest incomes the order is $30 a month, and a base award in a sole custody case may not be less than $30.
How do I apply for child support in Utah?
Apply to ORS online or with a paper application (English or Spanish) by mail or in person. Do one application per family group (each pair of parents and their children) and send copies of birth certificates (if the child was born outside Utah), any paternity papers, any existing order and any divorce decree. You can also ask for support in a divorce, custody or paternity case in district court.
Is there a yearly fee for child support services in Utah?
$35 per case each federal fiscal year (Oct. 1-Sept. 30), taken from support after $550 has been collected, for custodial parents who have never received cash assistance. ORS also takes a payment processing fee of 6% of each payment, up to $12 a month, if the applicant does not receive cash assistance or Medicaid.
When can child support be changed in Utah?
At any time, you can ask for a change if there is a substantial change in circumstances (for example a material change in custody, a 30% or more change in a parent's income, a change in earning ability, the child's medical needs, or support duties for others) and it changes the guideline amount by 15% or more and is not temporary. If the order has not been issued or changed in the last 3 years, you can ask for an adjustment when the guideline amount differs by 10% or more and the difference is not temporary; no other change needs to be shown. 'Temporary' means expected to last less than 12 months. A change in the state tables alone is not a substantial change.
How do I ask to change child support in Utah?
Ask ORS in writing for a review and adjustment (ORS will not review if the youngest child turns 18 within 12 months), or file in the court that made the order: a Motion to Adjust Child Support (3+ years, 10% difference, amount consistent with the guidelines) or a Petition to Modify Child Support.
What happens if child support is not paid in Utah?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding; Federal and state tax refund intercept; Intercept of state or local payments such as unemployment and workers' compensation; Credit bureau reporting; Liens on property and bank accounts; Passport denial; Driver's, professional, occupational and recreational license suspension; Civil contempt; Referral for criminal nonsupport prosecution.
Can a parent be held in contempt for not paying in Utah?
ORS may start civil contempt proceedings. If the court finds you in contempt, sanctions can include community service or short-term jail. Criminal nonsupport can also be prosecuted.
When does child support end in Utah?
18, or graduation from high school during the child's normal and expected year of graduation, whichever is later
Does child support continue while my child finishes high school in Utah?
18, or graduation from high school during the child's normal and expected year of graduation, whichever is later
Can child support continue past the usual age in Utah?
Support can continue at any age for a child who is incapacitated from earning a living and cannot support themself. Support ends earlier if the child marries, joins the U.S. armed forces, becomes self-supporting or is emancipated. When one child emancipates, the award for the remaining children usually adjusts automatically using the table and incomes from the last order.
How is paternity established in Utah?
Unmarried parents can sign a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity (Office of Vital Records and Statistics), usually at the hospital; both parents sign in front of two unrelated witnesses. ORS can also establish paternity administratively with a Notice of Agency Action and genetic testing, which is normally free for people with an open ORS case. Paternity can also be set by a court.
Who pays for the child's health insurance in Utah?
Orders must require health care coverage for the child, and health insurance if available at reasonable cost. Unless the court finds good cause or the parents agree otherwise, parents split the child's share of the premium and all reasonable uninsured medical and dental costs (co-pays, deductibles) equally.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 6 (Child Support)
- Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 6 (PDF)
- ORS: Apply for Child Support
- ORS: Fees
- ORS: Change a Child Support Order
- ORS: Enforcement Tools
- ORS: Establish Paternity
- ORS: Calculate Child Support
- Utah Courts: Modifying Child Support
Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.
- State plan requirements: application fee, annual fee, safeguards, 42 U.S.C. 654
- Required state laws: arrears as judgments, review every 3 years, UIFSA, 42 U.S.C. 666
- Federal tax refund offset, 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passport denial for child support arrears, 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Garnishment limits for support orders, 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- Full faith and credit for child support orders, 28 U.S.C. 1738B
- Office of Child Support Enforcement (federal)