Calculation for Child Support Available in Utah

When you have a child and you are getting a divorce, the question of child support will come up. You and your spouse have an obligation to support your minor children. Of course, if your child is emancipated in the state of Utah, you won’t need to offer any type of support. If not, until the children are 18 or have graduated from high school, whichever is later, you must support them monetarily by law. If your child is disabled, you may have to support this child after the age of 18 if the court orders it. A support order will be entered by the district court to show the time obligation of the support you will be paying.

There are laws in Utah that govern the amount of child support you will be required to pay. The three components of this calculation are base child support, medical care and child care expenses. This table will help you and your attorney calculate the amount that you will be paying for your child support. This table originated in the Utah Code Section 78B-1-301. In order to familiarize yourself with the law, you may want to look at this section of the Utah statutes.

There are actually forms that you can use to determine your support amount. You need to be careful to choose the right forms because you may over-pay if you don’t. Your attorney can help you with this and will ensure that the right forms are done and submitted to the court.

You may have to help pay for health insurance, with your ex-spouse paying half of it. Also, the cost of deductibles and those costs that insurance doesn’t cover will be split between both of you. Also, if your ex-spouse works outside the home and your child is in daycare, you may need to help with these costs as well.

Knowing clearly what is expected of you monetarily is important. Being informed of the laws in the state of Utah and can guide you through the process of establishing child support.

Source: Utah Courts, “Child support,” accessed Jan. 12, 2016