How to Find Out If I Owe Child Support in Utah

Regardless if you are married or not, separating ways won’t just affect you. Child support is a financial benefit provided by a parent to his child. It is accorded by the law. If you just had a divorce, how would you know if you owe child support?

Applying for Child Support

If a mutual agreement doesn’t work, the law can help you with your child support case. If you are in the Utah area, you have to contact ORS. ORS or Utah Department of Human Services Office of Recovery Services focuses on providing support to this kind of case. If you want a private law firm to appeal the case for you, you can hire a private Salt Lake City child support lawyer as well.

Calculating Child Support

There are different factors considered when it comes to the amount of child support. The Utah State legislature has developed a formula for this. Child support changes once any of the factors in calculating child support changes. Among the factors that are considered are parent’s income, number of children to support, the needs, and cost of living among others.

Owing to a Child Support

Is it possible to back-owe child support in Utah? Indeed!

The statute of limitations when it comes to Utah child supports back child support. It means that missed payments are considered arrears. You have to pay for it as required by the law. Even if your kid is older than 18 years old, if he or she still needs support (eg school support), you are obligated by the law to do so.

In Utah, you can contact the ORS to find out how much back child supports you might owe.

What to do if you owe child support?

If a the ORS determines that you owe back support, they can take your federal tax return or garnish your wages. In Utah, you can even go to jail for not paying your arrears in child support.

To avoid such, talk to your lawyer. There are steps that you can do to avoid penalties including asking for equitable forgiveness, creating a payment schedule, negotiate with your ex-partner, or ask the court to redetermine your back child support.

Author Statement:
David Pedrazas is a premier divorce and family law attorney in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah Law School in 1997 and has been practicing for over 14 years in the areas of divorce, child support, child custody, paternity, alimony, property division, and parent time.

Law Office of David Pedrazas, PLLC
3325 South 1100 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
801-263-7078

Can I Change My Child’s Last Name After a Divorce?

Going through a divorce is one of the most stressful and challenging situations that someone can deal with. When you are going through a divorce, the entire system and process will only be more complicated when kids are involved. One issue that many people have when kids are involved in a divorce is deciding what the name of the child will be after the divorce is final. When you are trying to change the name of a child after a divorce is over, there are several important factors that could influence whether or not you are able to change your child's name. Courts will look at whether a name change will strengthen the mother-child relationship, or it is necessary to help a child adjust to a new family unit. The courts will try and balance those factors with the strength of the father-child relationship, or if the father had done something like murder someone and now the child has an infamous last name. What it boils down to is if changing a child’s last name after a divorce is if it’s in the best interest of the child to do so. If you don’t have a good reason to require a child’s name change, you may be able to get a name change granted with the permission of the other parent. Keep in mind that changing a child’s name will not change the rights or duties of a father to that child.

If you are going through a divorce, hiring a family law attorney would very beneficial. When hiring a family law attorney Salt Lake City, residents will benefit greatly from the legal support that is provided. Attorney David Pedrazas has helped many people with the challenging legal aspects that come with divorce and child custody. The Law Office of David Pedrazas, PLLC is committed to helping you and ensuring that your rights are properly represented during any divorce or custody proceeding.

Author Statement:
David Pedrazas is a premier divorce and family law attorney in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah Law School in 1997 and has been practicing for over 14 years in the areas of divorce, child support, child custody, paternity, alimony, property division, and parent time.

Law Office of David Pedrazas, PLLC
3325 South 1100 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
801-263-7078