Utah Child Support

The IRS will not consider child support payments a taxable income. These payments cannot be deducted from the parent’s annual taxes.

The parent receiving support payments does not need to report the payments as income.

All support payments are made after income has already been taxed.

In Utah, the state may withhold your federal tax return if you are delinquent on your payments.

Establishing paternity can be done three ways in Utah. Unmarried parents may voluntarily establish paternity before the child is born, parents may request an administrative paternity order for genetic testing or a judicial paternity order may be ordered by the court.

If a father is not on the child’s birth certificate, then the mother is given the right to custody after birth. The father will have to petition the courts for paternity rights.

No. When a judicial or administrative paternity order is administered, the mother cannot deny the father an opportunity to have a paternity test.

Unfortunately, the online court assistance program of Utah does not have an option for children seeking paternity answers when one parent is deceased. You will need to request a court-ordered genetic test for the deceased parent’s family members, but there must be a very good reason for the parent to be seeking paternity answers to receive this order from the court.

Yes. In Utah, potential fathers have a right to have a paternity order and petition the court for a paternity test even when the mother doesn’t agree with the order.

Yes. In Utah, potential fathers have a right to have a paternity order and petition the court for a paternity test even when the mother doesn’t agree with the order.

Yes, parents can petition the court for a modification of their support order. It’s possible to modify the payment amounts when circumstances have changed, there is at least a ten percent difference between support ordered and support required by law or when the child has become emancipated.

In Utah, you can modify a support order when it has been three or more years since the order was initiated or when you meet specific conditions.

The ORS will review all written requests for a modification of support orders that qualifies for a review. Both parents will need to fill out a financial statement and provide verification about their incomes.

A support order is very unlikely to be appealed. While circumstances may dictate a modification or reduction, courts generally assume that both parents have a duty to financially provide for the child until they reach the age of majority.

It isn’t necessary to hire a lawyer to request a modification of support orders in Utah.

Processing times are affected by things like whether or not paternity needs to be established and if a non-custodial parent can be located.

When one parent has failed to pay child support, the other parent needs to file an enforcement action against the non-paying parent in court.

Judges have the discretion to initiate a number of enforcement orders including withholding wages, suspending the driver’s license, filing liens against property or assets or levying the parent’s bank accounts.

Non-paying parents may face a felony criminal charge when they’ve been late for over two years.

Child support debt is only forgiven in very rare circumstances.

It is not possible to stop a support order before the child reaches the age of majority unless the parent wishes to relinquish their parental rights and there is a valid reason for attempting to cancel support.

When the child has turned 18, graduated from high school, is emancipated, joins the military or passes away.

Yes, the custodial parent can request for a case to be closed; however, only a court can close a case.

Parents can apply to terminate support when the child has turned 18, graduated from high school, is emancipated, joins the military or passes away.

The legal age of majority in Utah is 18.