Utah combines both parents' gross monthly incomes, sets one total support figure against that combined number, and splits it in proportion. A parent earning two-thirds of the combined income carries two-thirds of the obligation.
Utah uses the Income Shares Model, which is based on the idea that children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the parents lived together. Both parents' incomes are combined to determine the total support obligation, then each parent contributes their proportionate share.
Example: Parent A earns $4,000/month and Parent B earns $2,000/month. Combined income is $6,000. Parent A contributes 67% and Parent B contributes 33% of the total support obligation.
Courts can deviate from the guideline amount if applying it would be unjust or inappropriate. Any deviation must be in writing and explain the reason. Common grounds include:
Under Utah Code § 81-6-212, you can request a modification if:
Utah's Office of Recovery Services (ORS) enforces child support orders using several tools:
Utah uses the income-shares model (Utah Code § 81-6-304). Both parents' gross monthly incomes are combined, a base support amount is read from the state guideline table for the number of children, and that base is divided between the parents in proportion to their incomes and the parent-time schedule. The result is presumed correct unless a court finds it unjust or inappropriate.
The number of overnights each parent has decides which worksheet applies. A parent needs at least 111 overnights a year to reach the joint-physical-custody worksheet (§ 81-6-206), below that, the sole-custody worksheet is used. More overnights with the paying parent generally lower the support amount, because that parent covers more day-to-day costs directly.
Gross monthly income from nearly all sources, wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment (net of ordinary business expenses), Social Security, and more. It is income before taxes, not take-home pay. Means-tested benefits such as TANF and SNAP are excluded, and a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed can have income imputed to them.
Yes, but not by simple agreement alone. A court can order an amount that differs from the guideline only if it makes a written finding that the guideline amount would be unjust, inappropriate, or not in the child's best interest. Without that finding, the guideline figure controls.
Either parent can ask to modify child support when there is a substantial change in circumstances, and a support order can generally be reviewed about every three years under § 81-6-212 without having to prove that kind of change. Support is not automatically recalculated, someone has to file to change it.
The Utah Office of Recovery Services (ORS) enforces child support orders, through income withholding, tax-refund intercepts, and license actions, among other tools. A parent can also enforce a support order directly through the court. Support owed does not disappear if it goes unpaid; it accrues.