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How Utah child support works
Utah uses an income shares model. The court combines both parents' gross monthly income, looks up a base support amount on the state guideline table for that income and number of children, then divides the obligation between the parents in proportion to what each one earns.
Custody changes who pays and how much. With sole physical custody, the non-custodial parent pays their share of the base amount. With joint physical custody, the amount is reduced to reflect the nights the children spend in each home. Health insurance premiums and work-related childcare are then added on top.
Combine both parents’ gross monthly income
Work out each parent’s percentage of that total
Find the base support amount on Utah’s guideline table
Apply the custody adjustment
Add each parent’s share of insurance and childcare
How your estimate was calculated
Step 1
Combined income
Both parents' gross monthly incomes are added together. Utah's guideline table is based on this combined figure, not on either parent's income alone.
Step 2
Income shares
Each parent's income is divided by the combined total. A parent earning 60% of the household income is responsible for 60% of the base support amount.
Step 3
Base support
The base amount comes from the Utah base combined child support obligation table, which lists a monthly figure for every combined income bracket and number of children. This calculator uses the table that applies to orders entered on or after January 1, 2023.
Step 4
Custody adjustment
With sole custody, the non-custodial parent pays their full share of the base amount. With joint custody, each parent's share is reduced by the portion of the year the children spend in their home, and the difference is paid by the parent who owes more.
Step 5
Insurance and childcare
The paying parent also contributes their income share of the children's health insurance premium and work-related childcare costs. These are added to the base amount to produce the final estimate.
Step 6
What the calculator cannot do
Courts can adjust support for other children a parent supports, imputed income, split custody, very high or low income, and other circumstances. A Henriksen Law attorney can review how these apply to your case.
Mediation Attorney Robert Henriksen & Attorney C. Richard Henriksen
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