Child Support in Utah

Where to start

Start with the path that matches your case today. If you already have a court order, your next step may be different from someone who has never had paternity or support established.

For child support basics across states, see ASMOM’s child support guide. For Utah help beyond child support, start with the Utah help guide.

Quick reference

What Utah ORS can and cannot do

ORS is Utah’s child support agency. It can help parents and caregivers with paternity, child support orders, medical support, payment processing, collection, enforcement, and some reviews for possible changes. If you receive cash assistance or Medicaid, ORS says your case may be referred automatically, but you still need to complete the application information ORS needs for your case.

ORS can set some administrative child support orders, and Utah courts can also set child support orders. Once an ORS order is established, ORS says it begins enforcing that order. If your case is already in court, ask whether ORS, the court, or both are involved.

ORS is not your lawyer. It does not give legal advice, does not represent either parent, and does not decide custody or visitation. Utah Courts have separate pages for court child support, custody, parent-time, enforcement, and modification.

How Utah child support is estimated

Utah child support is usually based on the child support guidelines. The main parts are base child support, medical support, and work-related child care costs. Utah Courts say child support is calculated using both parents’ gross monthly income and the number of overnights the child spends in each home.

Use the official calculator to estimate support and prepare worksheets. The calculator is not a promise. ORS or the court decides the final amount after reviewing the facts and the law.

If you need help paying for child care while your case is pending, see ASMOM’s Utah child care guide.

How to apply for child support in Utah

You can apply through ORS online or with a paper form. ORS says many people find the online application easier. If you have children with different other parents, ORS says you need a separate application for each family group.

After you submit the online application, ORS starts processing it and sends an application number. Write that number on copies of documents you send. You can also use it when you contact ORS about whether your application was received and whether anything is missing.

ORS forms are also available online. The ORS forms page includes the child support services application, Spanish forms, parentage forms, and review request forms.

Documents and details to gather

ORS asks for copies, not originals. You may not need every item below, but gathering papers early can reduce delays.

For a wider folder list, use ASMOM’s documents checklist. It can help you organize child support, SNAP, Medicaid, housing, child care, and school papers in one place.

Paternity and medical support

If the parents were not married

Paternity means deciding who a child’s legal father is. If the parents were not married when the child was born, paternity may be established through ORS, through court, or through a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity.

If anyone is unsure who the father is, do not sign a paternity form without getting legal help first. ORS says genetic testing is usually free for people with an open ORS case before paternity and child support are established. A later genetic test does not automatically undo a paternity order.

Medical support

ORS says medical support is part of child support. This may include adding a child to a parent’s employer health plan when it is available and legally required. The ORS medical support page explains insurance notices, credits, and documents parents may need to give ORS.

If health coverage is a problem now, do not wait for the child support case to finish. Check Utah Medicaid, CHIP, employer coverage, or ASMOM’s Medicaid guide.

Payments, fees, and enforcement

ORS says most child support payments are required to come from employer income withholding. In some cases, a paying parent pays ORS directly, such as when self-employed or making extra payments. Parents receiving support usually receive payments electronically.

ORS says direct deposit has no ORS fee. The Utah Debit MasterCard is also an option, but some card uses may have fees. Read the ORS receive payments page before choosing a payment method.

ORS lists a payment processing fee of 6% of each payment applied to an ORS case, capped at $12 per month. ORS also lists a $35 annual collection processing fee after at least $550 has been collected during the federal fiscal year. ORS says these fees are not charged if the applicant is receiving Cash Assistance or Medicaid. Check the ORS fee page before making decisions because fees can change.

If you have an ORS case, the ORS Now portal lets you check payments and balances, make payments, and submit contact, employer, and insurance updates. ORS lists child support contact information on its contact page.

Changing a child support order

Either parent may need a change when income, custody, child care costs, medical needs, disability, incarceration, or legal responsibilities change. A private agreement is risky if the legal order is not changed. The amount in the order usually controls until ORS or the court changes it.

Utah Courts explain that there are different ways to ask the court to change child support, including a Motion to Adjust in limited situations and a Petition to Modify in other situations. The court says a change cannot be temporary if you are asking under certain adjustment rules.

For some orders, a Motion to Adjust may be available if at least three years have passed, the new guideline amount differs by 10% or more, the difference is not temporary, and the proposed amount follows the guidelines. Other changes may need a petition. Read the Utah Courts modification page before filing.

If problems come up

Child support cases can slow down when the other parent cannot be found, income is hard to prove, paternity is disputed, another state is involved, a protective order exists, or the case also includes custody or divorce. Delays do not always mean you did something wrong.

• Ask ORS what is missing and write down the answer.
• Keep copies of every form, notice, document, message, and payment record.
• Use ORS Now to update contact, employer, and insurance information.
• Ask the Utah Courts Self-Help Center about court forms if your issue is in court.
• Contact ASMOM’s Utah legal help page if you need legal resources.

If a benefit, court, or agency issue is denied, delayed, or closed, save the notice and check deadlines right away. ASMOM’s benefits problem guide can help you organize calls, appeal steps, and documents.

When child support may end

Utah Courts say child support generally continues until a child is 18 or has completed high school, whichever is later, unless the child is emancipated. The court may order support after age 18 for a disabled child who remains a dependent.

Do not stop paying only because the child turned 18 unless the order and the law allow it. Ask ORS, the court, legal aid, or a lawyer what applies to your order. You can also read Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 6 for the current child support law.