How Utah Calculates Child Support
Utah adjusts each parent’s gross income for prior alimony and support, reads the base combined obligation from a statutory table for the number of children and has each parent pay his or her percentage of the combined income, adjusted for custody.
Step 1: Gross income and adjustments
Each parent’s gross income is calculated monthly (annual income divided by 12) from earned and unearned sources such as wages, commissions, bonuses, rents, dividends, pensions, Social Security benefits and unemployment, limited for earned income to the equivalent of one full-time 40-hour job. Means-tested benefits, SSI and Social Security Disability Insurance are excluded (Utah Code 81-6-203). The court then subtracts alimony previously ordered and paid and child support previously ordered for that parent, but not alimony ordered in the pending case (81-6-204). A $600 prior order lowers the other parent’s adjusted income and the result to $846.
Step 2: The base combined table
The combined adjusted incomes and the number of children give the base combined child support obligation in the table in section 81-6-304, which runs from $1,951 to $100,000 of combined monthly income and covers up to six children. It is the amount for all the children, not per child. If no amount is listed, the base obligation is $0 and the low income table is used.
Step 3: Each parent’s share
Each parent’s share of the base obligation is his or her adjusted income divided by the combined income (Utah Code 81-6-205). All figures on a worksheet are rounded to the nearest dollar.
A worked example
Two children; sole physical custody with the parent earning $3,000.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross monthly income: you (custodial parent) / other parent | $3,000 / $5,000 |
| Combined adjusted gross income | $8,000 |
| Percentages of income | 37.5% / 62.5% |
| Base combined obligation, two children (table row $8,001 to $8,100) | $1,442 |
| Other parent’s 62.5% share | $901 |
With one child the other parent pays $572 and with three $1,026. The Utah child support calculator reproduces these.
Incomes above the table
If combined adjusted income exceeds $100,000 a month, the court orders an appropriate and just amount case by case, but not less than the highest level in the table for the number of children; there is no maximum. With $60,000 each and two children the table amount is $8,356 and the other parent’s share is $4,178. More than six children: the court may add to the six-child amount, and may not order less.
What to gather
Pay stubs for the year to date, tax returns, records of other support orders and proof of the children’s premium and child care costs.
Rebuttable presumption
The guideline award is presumed correct. A written finding that it would be unjust, inappropriate or not in the child’s best interest rebuts it, and the order is then a deviated order; an order that differs from the worksheet by $10 or more is also considered deviated (81-6-202).
Frequently asked questions
What income counts for Utah child support?
Gross income from earned and unearned sources, with earned income limited to one full-time 40-hour job, and excluding means-tested benefits, SSI and SSDI.
Does Utah subtract other support from income?
Yes. Alimony and child support previously ordered and paid by that parent, but not alimony ordered in the pending case.
Is the Utah table amount per child?
No. It is the total for all the children.
What is the highest income in the Utah table?
$100,000 of combined adjusted monthly gross income; above it the court sets an appropriate amount, not less than the highest level.
Is Utah child support presumed correct?
Yes, as a rebuttable presumption under section 81-6-202.
Official sources
- Utah Code 81-6-202 to 81-6-213: calculation and adjustment of child support
- Utah Code 81-6-304: base combined child support obligation table
- Utah Code 81-6-305: low income table
- Utah Courts: instructions for the joint physical custody worksheet
A local family law attorney can review your situation — many offer a free consultation.
This is general information, not legal advice. It is based on the cited Utah statutes, rules and court opinions, and every case turns on its own facts. Confirm how the law applies to your situation with a licensed Utah attorney.