Salt Lake City Child Support Attorney

Dedicated Salt Lake City Child Support Attorney Serving Families In Utah

Under Utah law, parents have a legal duty to provide financial support for their minor children. This legal duty is in place even if the parents divorce or are no longer living together. When parents are separated, a family court will usually order one parent to pay the other parent child support, depending on what type of child custody order the court has issued.

At Collins Rupp, P.C., we understand that navigating child support issues can be uncomfortable—and in some cases contentious—even when there is a good co-parenting relationship. Whether you are going through a divorce and need an initial child support order, or you need a modification for an existing order, our child support attorneys are here to help.

Child Support Calculations in Utah

A child support order is usually in effect until a child turns 18 or has completed high school, whichever occurs later. Exceptions are if the child becomes emancipated before they turn 18 or if the court has issued a modification to an existing order where the paying parent is no longer required to pay – i.e. if there is a change in custody and the child now lives with that parent. In some cases, the court may extend child support after the child turns 18 if he or she is disabled and remains a dependent.

Utah uses the “income shares” model to calculate the child support amount a parent must pay:

• The first step is combining the gross income of both parents, including salaries, wages, bonuses, dividends, commissions, rental income, etc.
• The second step is taking that combined income amount and calculating the base combined child support obligation based on Utah’s base combined child support obligation table. This table’s calculations are based on the number of children the couple has.
• Once the base combined total is calculated, each parent’s share of the obligation is calculated based on their percentage of the combined income. For example, if a parent earns 75 percent of the combined income, they would be responsible for paying 75 percent of the total child support obligation.
• The court may adjust that amount based on factors such as parenting time schedules, shared custody, and other expenses incurred by parents during their parenting time.

Although the income-sharing model can be confusing, you can be assured that our child support lawyers are well-versed and experienced in Utah child support law. We will work to ensure that a child support order is as fair as possible. We will also ensure that the court addresses other expenses for your child, such as childcare, healthcare, education, extracurricular activities, and other financial needs.

Enforcing Child Support Obligations

Unfortunately, not all parents feel they have a duty to pay child support, despite the court ordering them to do so. A parent may fall behind in their payments or stop paying altogether. If you are the parent who should be receiving child support payments, this can not only be stressful and frustrating, but it can also cause financial hardships that can impact your child’s emotional and physical well-being.

Our child support attorneys can help you pursue legal action against the non-paying parent and ask the court to intervene on your behalf. Some of the legal steps the court can take against a deadbeat parent include:

• Interception of federal tax refunds or any other federal payments due to the non-paying parent.
• Interception of state tax refunds or any other state payments due to the non-paying parent.
• Placing liens on the non-paying parent’s property and bank accounts.
• Suspension of the parent's driver’s license.
• Suspension of professional or occupational licenses.
• In some cases, the state may choose to criminally prosecute the parent.

Contact Our Salt Lake City Child Support Lawyers

If you need help obtaining a child support order, modifying an existing one, or collecting back child support, do not hesitate to contact the attorneys at Collins Rupp, P.C. at 385-777-2753 to schedule a free and confidential consultation.