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Utah child support: the gross-income table, overnights past 110, and a worked example

Utah reads support from a table of both parents' combined gross income, then cuts the payment for every overnight the paying parent has beyond 110 a year. By default the parents also split insurance premiums, uninsured medical bills and work-related child care down the middle rather than by income.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on combined adjusted gross income, Utah Code 81-6-204
Table81-6-304, for orders first entered on or after January 1, 2023; rows run to $100,000 combined a month
Joint physical custodyEach parent has more than 30% of overnights; credit of 0.27% of the table amount per night from 111 to 130 and 0.84% per night above 130
Low-income floorA separate low income table; sole custody awards are never below $30
Medical and child careShared equally by default: the children's premium share, uninsured costs, and work-related child care
Support endsAge 18 or graduation in the child's normal and expected year, whichever is later
ModificationSubstantial change plus a 15% difference, or a 10% difference once 3 years have passed
AgencyOffice of Recovery Services (ORS), Utah Department of Health and Human Services

How Utah calculates child support

Utah works from gross income, not take-home pay. Gross income covers salaries, wages, commissions, bonuses, rents, dividends, interest, pensions, Social Security, unemployment and disability insurance benefits, alimony from an earlier marriage, and even gifts and prizes. Earned income is counted only up to the equivalent of one full-time 40-hour job, unless the parent consistently worked longer hours before the original order. Means-tested help such as SNAP, Medicaid, SSI and housing subsidies is left out.

From each parent's average monthly gross income the court subtracts alimony and child support already ordered and paid in other cases (never alimony being set in the same case) and any credit for other children at home. The two adjusted incomes are added and looked up in the base combined child support obligation table. Each parent owes the share of that figure that matches their share of combined income, and the parent without physical custody pays their share.

Self-employment income is gross receipts minus the expenses needed to run the business at a reasonable level, which can differ from the profit on a tax return. Income is imputed only by stipulation, default, or findings after a hearing; with no work history, the court may use federal minimum wage for 40 hours a week. Every income and award on a Utah worksheet is rounded to the nearest dollar.

Worked example: Utah

  1. Parent A earns $5,500 a month in adjusted gross income and Parent B earns $3,500, so the combined figure is $9,000.
  2. The 81-6-304 table row for $8,901 to $9,000 lists $1,537 a month for two children. That is the support for both children together, not a per-child amount.
  3. Parent A brings in 61.1% of the combined income and Parent B 38.9%, so their shares of the table amount are $939 and $598.
  4. If Parent B has sole physical custody, Parent A owes $939 a month, roughly $11,268 a year, before the 50/50 split of the children's insurance premium, uninsured medical bills and work-related child care.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Figures are rounded to the dollar and leave out the insurance, childcare, and other adjustments your case may have. Try your own numbers in CoreParent's calculator, then confirm with the state's official calculator.

Joint physical custody in Utah: the per-overnight credit

Utah defines joint physical custody as each parent keeping the child overnight for more than 30% of the year, with both parents contributing to expenses on top of support. The formula in 81-6-206 starts from the lesser-time parent's income share and subtracts 0.27% of the table amount for each overnight from 111 through 130, then 0.84% for each overnight above 130. If the result drops below zero, the roles flip and the parent with more nights pays.

On a 60/40 schedule Parent A has 146 overnights and Parent B 219. Twenty nights earn the smaller credit and sixteen the larger one, so Parent A's payment falls from $939 to about $650, a reduction of about $290 a month.

Utah's statutory equal parent-time schedule gives one parent 182 overnights and the other 183, and for support the parent with the lower income is always counted at 183. That makes the higher earner the payer, and in this example the payment at equal time comes to about $185. The extended parent-time abatement described below does not apply to joint physical custody orders.

Health insurance and medical bills: an even split

For orders issued or modified since May 3, 2023, Utah requires both parents to provide health care coverage, and health insurance if it is available at a reasonable cost. Each parent pays half of the premium actually paid for the children's portion, which is the premium divided by the number of people covered times the number of children in the case. All reasonable and necessary uninsured medical and dental costs, including copays, coinsurance and deductibles, are also shared equally. A court can depart from the even split with good cause or approve the parents' own agreement.

A parent who pays a medical bill must send the other parent written proof within 30 days of paying it, and coverage must be verified every year by January 2. Missing those deadlines can cost the right to be reimbursed.

Child care and the 2027 minimal child care award

Reasonable work-related child care, for up to a full-time work week or training schedule, is split equally between the parents. The 2026 Legislature added a minimal child care award: in orders entered or modified on or after January 1, 2027, the paying parent also owes a set monthly amount per child from a new table in 81-6-306, based on combined income and the child's age, ending when the child turns 13. Depending on income and age, the table runs from $204 to $450 a month per child. It is not ordered when support comes from the low income table, and it can be set at zero on proof that no child care will be needed.

Low incomes, other children, and extended summers

When a paying parent's own adjusted gross income falls within the low income table in 81-6-305, the award is the lower of the regular share and the low income table amount. The bottom rows list $30 a month whatever the number of children, and no sole custody award can be less than $30.

Children of either parent who live in that parent's home but are not shared with the other parent can be counted at either party's option: a separate worksheet figures support for them, and that amount comes off the parent's income first.

Outside joint custody, a noncustodial parent who has a child for at least 25 of any 30 consecutive days of extended parent-time, under a court order or written agreement, has that child's share of support cut by 50% for the period, or by 25% for at least 12 of 30 days. Normal parent-time and holiday visits do not count.

When support ends

A child is emancipated at 18 or on graduating from high school in the normal and expected year, whichever is later, or earlier on marriage, military service or a court emancipation. Support can continue at any age for a child who is incapacitated from earning a living. When one of several children emancipates, the award adjusts automatically to the table amount for the remaining children, using the incomes in the last order, so there is no flat per-child reduction and no new court case, unless the order was a deviation or left the incomes out.

Changing a Utah order

There are two routes. With a substantial change in circumstances, such as a 30% change in a parent's income, a material change in custody, or new medical needs, the court adjusts support when the guideline amount differs by 15% or more and the change is not temporary. If no order has been entered or modified in three years, a parent or ORS can ask for an adjustment without proving any change, and a 10% difference is enough. A new version of the tables is not by itself a substantial change.

For a parent incarcerated for 90 or more consecutive days starting on or after January 1, 2027, support is suspended by law and resumes 90 days after release, except where the offense was criminal nonsupport or against the child or the other parent.

Office of Recovery Services

Utah's child support agency is the Office of Recovery Services in the Department of Health and Human Services. ORS establishes paternity and support orders, locates parents, sets and enforces medical support, collects payments and handles order changes. Its online calculator fills in the sole, joint and split custody worksheets for you; ORS notes that the result is only an estimate and that ORS or the court sets the final amount.

Documents you will need

Utah child support FAQ

Is there an official Utah child support calculator?

Yes. The Office of Recovery Services runs an online calculator that completes the worksheets, and it also publishes printable worksheets for sole, joint and split custody that follow the tables in Utah Code Title 81, Chapter 6, Part 3. Both give an estimate; ORS or the court decides the final figure.

How many overnights do you need for joint custody child support in Utah?

More than 30% of the year. The support credit begins with the 111th overnight: 0.27% of the table amount for each night through 130, then 0.84% for each night beyond 130. At 110 nights or fewer the sole custody calculation applies.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Utah?

It depends on combined gross income. At $9,000 a month the table lists $1,537 for two children; a parent earning 61.1% of that income and without joint custody pays about $939 a month, plus half of the children's premium and uninsured medical costs.

Is there a maximum child support amount in Utah?

No. The table stops at $100,000 of combined monthly income, and above that the court sets an appropriate and just amount case by case, but never less than the table's top figure for that number of children. The statute says there is no maximum limit on the award.

Does child support stop at 18 in Utah?

Not if the child is still in high school. Support runs until 18 or graduation in the child's normal and expected year, whichever comes later, and can continue indefinitely for an adult child who cannot earn a living because of incapacity.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

Child support in every other state

All states

This is general educational information, not legal advice, and official figures change. Last verified: October 2026. Consult a licensed family-law attorney in Utah.