Utah requires that both parties provide the court with actual pay stubs and tax return documents to verify what their actual monthly gross income is. These verified income amounts are then imputed into a state-created calculator. The calculator runs the numbers and gives the minimum amount of child support that must be paid each month by the obligated party.

Courts do not allow parties to “creatively” work out alternative or negotiated amounts of child support. For example, if a father is ordered to pay $500.00 per month in child support for the next 15 years, the father could not pay the mother a $10,000.00 lump sum payment to satisfy his child support obligation. Likewise, the father could not offer to give the mother his prized boat or car in exchange for child support. Child support cannot be negotiated!