How to change child support in Utah

How and when to ask for a new amount, with a review letter.

Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026.

Short answer

To modify an order means to change the amount by a new order. 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.

Agency review
Every 3 years if a parent asks (federal law)
First form
Utah Courts: Modifying Child Support (Motion to Adjust and Petition to Modify forms)

When you can ask for a change 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.

Law: Utah Code 81-6-101(32), 81-6-212; Utah Code 81-6-212; 81-6-101(32)

Can I ask for a change? Check your situation

Utah's rule: 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; Utah Code 81-6-212; 81-6-101(32)

Until a new order is made, the current amount is still owed. A change can count only from the date the other parent gets notice of your request, so ask soon.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)

How to ask 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.

How a change is made 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.

Write to the child support agency to ask for a review: Ask the agency to review (change) your order

What changed in 2024–2026 in Utah

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.

If a parent is in jail or prison

State guidelines may not treat time in jail or prison as choosing not to work, when support is set or changed.

Law: 45 CFR 302.56(c)(3)

In nearby states

What to do now in Utah

  1. Find your order

    Find the date and the amount on the order.

  2. Check the rule

    Utah's rule: 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.

  3. Collect papers

    Pay stubs, a job loss letter or proof of new costs show what changed.

  4. Send your request

    Contact Office of Recovery Services (ORS), Utah Department of Health and Human Services ((801) 536-8500) · Apply online

  5. Talk to legal aid

    Ask for free help: Utah Legal Services.

Where to get free help in Utah

Questions about changing support in Utah

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.

Keep reading about Utah

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.

Federal sources