Children in Care - Calculate Child Support Amounts
How to Request a Review and Links to Forms to Compute Support Amounts?
Under Federal and State law, the parents have the right to ask the Office of Recovery Service/Children in Care (ORS/CIC) to review the existing child support order. The review may result in either an increase or a decrease in the child support amount.
By completing the appropriate pre-review worksheets, you will have a general idea how much your child support will increase or decrease.
NOTE: Administrative orders issued by ORS/CIC are only valid while the child is in state care. After the child is no longer in care, the amount in the original order becomes effective again.
The laws governing child support can be found in Utah Code Annotated 78-45-1 through 78-45-7.21.
REVIEW PROCESS
Either ORS or the parent may request a review of the existing support amount. Upon the parent's written or verbal request, ORS/CIC will review the order to decide if the amount of child support needs to be changed. ORS/CIC will request that the child support award be modified if:
1. The new award is at least 10% higher or lower than the current award; and
2. The order is at least 3 years old; or,
3. If it has been less than 3 years since the order was issued, modified, or reviewed and you provide proof that a substantial change in circumstances has occurred; and
4. The new award is at least 15% higher or lower than the current award.
ORS will not adjust your order:
1. If the child will be 18 years old within one year; or
2. If there is not an existing juvenile court order requiring the parents to pay child support while the child is in the states care.
If the order does not require a parent to have insurance for medical expenses for the child(ren), ORS/CIC may establish a new administrative order requiring the parents to maintain insurance if it is available at a reasonable cost, while the child is in the states care. Once the child returns home, the original order becomes effective again.
ORS may be assisted by attorney's from the Utah Attorney General's Office. They are the State's attorneys. They represent the State and are not personal attorneys for either parent.
Utah law requires the use of both parents' incomes to determine a child support amount. The income the support is based upon is limited to the equivalent of one full-time job. Generally, overtime and additional part-time jobs are not included. Cash assistance, Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), are not considered as income. Pension, Social Security Benefits, Workman's Compensation, and Disability Insurance benefits are considered income.
Once ORS/CIC receives a written or verbal request to review you order, you will receive a Financial Statement to complete and return. Along with a completed Financial Statement, you will also be required to provide verification of your yearly gross income.
To estimate your support amount, you may use the appropriate worksheets and tables below.
INSTRUCTIONS TO LINKS AND FORMS
NEW - Child Support Calculator - Automatically calculates child support amounts provided income are accurate.
1. The Sole Custody Worksheet is used when the juvenile court gives custody of the child(ren) to the care and or custody of the state.
Note: In all situations, you need the Base Combined Child Support Table and Low Income Table - Utah Code 78-45-7.14.
2. Worksheet to Determine Father's Obligation to Children in His Present Home and Worksheets to Determine Mother's Obligation to Children in Her Present Home.
If the mother's or father's "present home" worksheet was used when our order was originally established or last modified, you may use the same number of children listed in the original father's or mother's worksheet if the mother or father is still supporting the adopted or natural children from his/her present marriage. Stepchildren are not included on the mother or father's worksheet. If either parent has new natural or adopted children (since the date of order or last modification), the children may be used on this worksheet to keep the child support award from going up. You may not use additional natural or adopted children in this worksheet to reduce the child support award.
When using this worksheet, you must use the other parent's income to receive the credit. The father or mother's share of the child support obligation to the children in his/her present family (line 12), is entered on line 2d of the Sole Custody worksheet. this amount is subtracted from his/her gross income, reducing that parent's child support obligation.
3. Read and print Insurance premium and child care adjustment worksheet.