How to Apply For Utah Child Support
The first step is getting a court order, it’s important to get a court order as soon as the baby is born, especially if the parents are not married. If the parents are legally separated or divorced then a court order is also needed. Utah child support usually starts on the date the court order was filed and it is not retroactive. So it is very important to begin the process as soon as possible.
You can obtain a court order through the Utah child support office, when doing so you have the option to have the agency represent you, obtain a lawyer, or just represent yourself. It is usually the best option to select an attorney to represent you as they do not have an emotional attachment and know the law. Once you have been approved for child support, the next step is to collect Utah child support payments.
What’s Involved When Applying For Utah Child Support?
If you are a single mom and were not married to your child’s father then you first need to contact the local Office of Child Support Enforcement, OCSE, so they can help establish paternity. In some circumstances this could require tracking down the other parent in order to perform a genetic test.
What If I Do Not Know Where The Other Parent Is?
You will be asked to provide information of the most recent address of the other parent you are looking for by the Child Support Enforcement Office. The information provided will be utilized by the Federal Parent Locator Service, which is part of the OCSE, by the National Directory of New Hires, State Directories of New Hires and State Employment Security Agencies to assistance in locating the other parent.
Is The Process Long When Applying For Utah Child Support?
The process for filing for Utah child support can be a lengthy process due to the amount of agencies this has to go through. You will first be set up with a case worker at the Utah Department of Human Services, they will walk you through the process of establishing paternity, obtaining a legal child support order, and receiving the actual child support.
Could Applying For Utah Child Support Allow Visitation Rights?
Though this could lead to allowing visitation rights for the other parent, because it acknowledges the other parent as the biological parent, this is considered a different matter in the court system. If the other parent is proven to be the child’s biological parent, then the non-custodial parent can exercise his or her right to visitation. This process would require the other parent to petition the court so that visits can be established.
Are There Fees For Filing For The Utah Child Support Program?
The fee can vary from state to state but in most cases you may be charged up to $25 to apply for child support through the Utah Department of Human Services, however if you currently receive TANF or Medicaid then you will not be charged this filing fee. If you want to move forward with filing for child support, then contact the Utah child support agency. They will work with you to establish and enforce a child support order. When you apply for child support you will need to provide documents. Below are a list of documents you may need when filing out your Utah child support application:
• A valid photo id such as your driver’s license
• Proof of residency such as a receipt for rent or a utility bill
• Birth Certificate’s for your child or children that you are filing to receive child support for
• Latest location information of the other parent
You may also need to bring the following based on your child support application requirements:
• Paternity Test Results
• Divorce Records
• Social Security Cards for you and your children
• Description of Personal Property
• Wage Information such as recent pay stubs or w-2 forms
• Child support payment history
In the context of a divorce or paternity proceeding, the court requires the parents to provide financial support for the children which is done through a child support order.
How is Child Support in Utah Determined?
Child support varies based upon the number of children and is also affected by the type of physical custody of the case. In cases where one of the parents is awarded primary physical custody, the child support paid by the non-custodial parent will be greater than in cases where parents have shared or joint custody arrangement. In the state of Utah, child support is determined from what is termed a “child support calculator”. Figures are plugged into the calculator and a total monthly figure is determined and set. The figures plugged in gross income, the number of children, and type of custody. The maximum combined income is $10,000 per month. If combined income exceeds the guideline amount then it is left to the discretion of the court to determine the child support. Factors taken into consideration will include any special needs of the children and the standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the parents stayed together. More generally, though:
• Child support is based upon parents’ gross monthly incomes.
• Proof of income is required in the form of a paycheck stub showing current income along with the most recent tax return to submit the final decree of divorce or paternity.
• The gross monthly income is income received from the parents’ regular full-time employment.
• In situations where one or both of the parents are unemployed, the courts may actually impute or attribute income to that parent based upon his/her earning potential.
• The court will generally impute the minimum of federal minimum wage to the unemployed parent.
• Earnings potential can be based upon the analysis of historical wage or income history, education and work experience.
• Child support is payable until a child turns eighteen or graduates from high school, whichever is later.
In cases involving multiple children, as each child turns eighteen or graduates from high school the child support is recalculated based upon the remaining number of minor children.
An exception to this would in situations where there is a child with special needs which may require the payment of support well into adulthood.
The parents are generally required to share all out of pocket medical expenses which usually includes co-payments and payments toward deductibles on health insurance coverage. Where one or both of the parents are able to obtain health insurance coverage for the children at a reasonable cost, the maintaining of said coverage is usually ordered by the court with the parents being required to share equally in the children’s portion of the health insurance premiums. Where the non-custodial parent is the one maintaining insurance, the sharing or reimbursement from the custodial parent is done simply by deducting it from the child support obligation.
To ensure the well-being of the child in Utah, both parents are expected to pay for any Uninsured Medical Expenses that may be accrued.
Parents are also required to share all out of pocket work or education related child care expenses. Health insurance premium, medical (including dental and optical) expenses and child care expenses are in additional to the base child support Utah. When a parent pays a medical expense they are required to provide written proof of payment to the other parent within 30 days of payment of that expense. Subsequently, the other parent is required to provide one-half reimbursement of that receipt within 30 days of receiving proof of payment. With respect to reimbursement of child care expenses, the parent who incurs that expense is required to provide notification to the other parent of the name and location of the child care provider, the monthly child care cost and proof of amount incurred each month. Once the non-custodial parent has been provided this information he or she is then required to provide monthly reimbursement for one-half of the total cost to the other parent. The parent that incurs that cost doesn’t have to provide proof every month, but the non-custodial parent has a continuing obligation while child care services rendered to maintain monthly reimburse. The noncustodial parent has the right to request proof of child care costs at any time to verify expenditures. The custodial parent to immediately notify the non-custodial parent of any change in the child care provider or child care cost.
Extended Visitation Reduction in Child Support
The non-custodial parent is entitled to a reduction in his child support obligation of 50% whenever he/she has the children for any 25 days of any 30 consecutive day period. A reduction of 25% whenever he/she has the children for any 12 days of any 30 consecutive day period. The Utah Annotated Code detailing this reduction is below:
The base child support award shall be:
(a) reduced by 50% for each child for time periods during which the child is with the noncustodial parent by order of the court or by written agreement of the parties for at least 25 of any 30 consecutive days of extended parent-time; or
(b) 25% for each child for time periods during which the child is with the noncustodial parent by order of the court, or by written agreement of the parties for at least 12 of any 30 consecutive days of extended parent-time.
Child Support Taxes in Utah
Another issue that the court will address during your divorce or paternity proceedings is the award of the child dependent tax exemptions. The court will usually consider which parent is providing the bulk of financial support for the children and which parent will gain the greatest relative tax benefit by claiming the child/children for tax exemption. If both parents are employed, the courts will usually allow the parties to share the exemptions in some fashion by alternating years or in cases with multiple children by dividing the number of children they each get to claim. A parent that is ordered to pay child support will not be allowed to claim the tax exemption unless he/she is current in their child support Utah payments for the tax year you want to claim.
The payment of child support is required to be made pursuant to what is called a wage withholding order which is administrated through the Utah Office of Recovery Services (ORS). Mandatory income or wage withholding may be waived in certain circumstances where the payor is self-employed or the parties mutually agree to waive it. If it is waived then there is usually a provision where the payee has a right to go to ORS for assistance to recover the past due and ongoing child support through ORS.
Child Support Modification in Utah
Even though a divorce or paternity decree may set a child support amount, that amount is not necessary permanent. The court retains what is called continuing jurisdiction to modify certain provisions in such decrees. One of these is the amount of child support. In situations where there has been a significant increase/ decrease or loss of income by one or both of the parents the court may modify the child support amount based upon that change in circumstances. There are two circumstances to where child support may be modified. First, in cases where it has been more than three years since the child support was first established or last modified if the change in the parties’ incomes results in a change of the child support amount of more than 10% then the court more modifies the support amount accordingly. In cases where it has been less than 3 years there is a threshold of 15% change to mandate a child support modification.
In order to obtain a modification, a petition to modify the existing child support order has to be filed with the court as a new proceeding. It is prudent to hire an attorney to assist you in this modification. In your original divorce/paternity decree, it is recommended that the parties be required to exchange yearly tax returns on an annual basis.
If you are in a circumstance where you lose your job, you are still on the hook to pay your monthly child support until the court modifies your support amount. It is critical to keep paying your child support during this time, but in modifications preceding you can make a request to the court of a temporary reduction in the child support while waiting for you’re the final determination on the petition to modify.
During a modification, if you have remarried your spouse’s income is not considered as part of the proceedings. Consult an attorney at Wall and Wall to assist you in these matters.
There are many important provisions to include in your decree of divorce or paternity and it is imperative that you receive legal counsel to ensure that all pertinent issues are covered and that the language is strong and appropriate to protect your long term interests.
(a) Prospective support shall be equal to the amount granted by prior court order unless there has been a substantial change of circumstance on the part of the obligor or obligee or adjustment under Subsection 78B-12-210(6) has been made.(b) If the prior court order contains a stipulated provision for the automatic adjustment for prospective support, the prospective support shall be the amount as stated in the order, without a showing of a material change of circumstances, if the stipulated provision:
• is clear and unambiguous;
• is self-executing;
• provides for support which equals or exceeds the base child support award required by the guidelines; and
• does not allow a decrease in support as a result of the obligor’s voluntary reduction of income.
If no prior court order exists, a substantial change in circumstances has occurred, or a petition to modify an order under Subsection 78B-12-210(6) has been filed, the court determining the amount of prospective support shall require each party to file a proposed award of child support using the guidelines before an order awarding child support or modifying an existing award may be granted.
If the court finds sufficient evidence to rebut the guidelines, the court shall establish support after considering all relevant factors, including but not limited to:
a) the standard of living and situation of the parties;
b) the relative wealth and income of the parties;
c) the ability of the obligor to earn;
d) the ability of the obligee to earn;
e) the ability of an incapacitated adult child to earn, or other benefits received by the adult child or on the adult child’s behalf including Supplemental Security Income;
f) the needs of the obligee, the obligor, and the child;
g) the ages of the parties; and
h) the responsibilities of the obligor and the obligee for the support of others.
When no prior court order exists, the court shall determine and assess all arrearages based upon the guidelines described in this chapter.
How Does Child Support Work?
As part of a child custody arrangement for unmarried or divorcing parents, a court may order the non-custodial parent to pay a set monthly sum of money to the custodial parent to cover expenses relating to the care of a minor child or incapacitated adult child. The “custodial parent” is the parent who has custody of the child. The child lives with that parent and the parent assumes responsibility for the child. A child support attorney usually drafts and files the agreement for court approval.
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West Jordan, Utah
84088 United States
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