Smoak Law, P.C., a family law firm in Salt Lake City, is highlighting Utah Senate Bill 257, which, with exceptions, requires a child support order entered or modified on or after January 1, 2027, to include a minimal child care award paid by the parent who owes support. The bill, Domestic Relations Amendments, took effect May 6, 2026.
Senate Bill 257 was sponsored by Senator Todd Weiler and Representative Stephanie Gricius. It repeals and reenacts the child care statute, section 81-6-209 of the Utah Code, which the code lists as reenacted by Chapter 155 of the 2026 General Session.
Under the statute, a court or administrative agency must require each parent to share equally the reasonable work-related child care expenses. For orders entered or modified on or after January 1, 2027, it must require the parent who owes support to pay a minimal child care award to the other parent. The award may not be ordered if the support obligation is calculated using the low income table.
Each party must file a proposed minimal child care award before the court decides. The court uses the parents’ combined adjusted average monthly gross income and each child’s age to find the amount in a table in section 81-6-306, and presumes that amount is correct. An agreement the court accepts, evidence favoring a different amount, or a showing of the child’s best interest can rebut the presumption.
A court may set the award at zero if it finds, by a preponderance of the evidence, that child care expenses will not be incurred. The award adjusts automatically as the child ages and ends when the child turns 13 or becomes emancipated, whichever is earlier.
Actual work-related child care expenses are presumed to belong in the order if a parent, during extended parent-time, is working and incurring those expenses. The presumption is rebutted if the obligor’s base award and medical expenses exceed 50 percent of the obligor’s adjusted gross income, or if adding the expenses would push the obligation above that level.
Senate Bill 257 addresses Social Security Disability Insurance in calculating a parent’s gross income for child support. It provides that the base award is automatically adjusted for the remaining children when parental rights to a child are terminated for the parent who owes support.
On parent-time, the bill modifies the schedules for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, removes Columbus Day and Veterans Day as holidays, and requires extended summer parent-time to be consecutive.
A court may not require a parent in a custody and parent-time proceeding to disclose the parent’s address if the parent relocated because of domestic violence or family violence by the other parent. District courts are directed, to the extent possible, to assign cases involving the same child or family to a single judge.
House Bill 309, Juneteenth Observance Amendments, takes effect January 1, 2027, and amends the Juneteenth parent-time schedule.
Smoak Law, P.C. handles family law matters including divorce, child custody, child support modification, alimony, and prenuptial agreements. Emily Smoak is the firm’s owner and principal attorney.
The legal information in this release is based on the enrolled text of Senate Bill 257 and Utah Code section 81-6-209. It is presented for general public awareness and is not legal advice. Application depends on the facts and the court’s findings.
Smoak Law, P.C. represents clients in child support matters in Salt Lake City.
###
For more information about Smoak Law, P.C., contact the company here:
Smoak Law, P.C.
Emily Smoak
(801) 535-4311
esmoak@smoaklaw.com
299 S Main St 13th Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
