ENFORCEMENT OF SUPPORT OBLIGATION

CS 812P Duration of Child Support Judgments

10/85 Revised 02/25/26 Training Completed 03/11/26 Last Reviewed 03/09/26

Utah Code 15-2-1, 26B-9-101, 201; 205, 214, 301, 78B-2-104, 112, 311, 78B-5-202, 81-6-101, 81-7-102, 81-8-604; R527-250

 

 

Introduction

 

The Office of Recovery Services/Child Support Services (ORS/CSS) attempts to collect past-due support that may be owed to the family, the state of Utah, or to another state or country. CSS enforcement efforts may continue until the appropriate provision in the duration of judgments statute expires.

 

 

Statutory Authority

 

Utah Code 78B-5-202 governs how long both sum certain judgments and monthly judgments that accrue under support orders may be enforced. It reads as follows:

“(6) (a) A child support order or a sum certain judgment for past due support may be enforced:
(i) within four years after the date the youngest child reaches majority; or
(ii) eight years from the date of entry of the sum certain judgment entered by a tribunal.
(b) The longer period of duration shall apply in every order.
(c) A sum certain judgment may be renewed to extend the duration.” (Emphasis added.)

 

Utah Administrative Code R527-250-8 Age of Majority states:

“(1) As provided in Section 15-2-1, a child reaches the age of majority when the child turns 18 years old or is legally married.

(2) Pursuant to Section 78B-5-202, a child support order or a sum certain judgment for past due support may be enforced within four years after the date that the youngest child reaches the age of majority, or eight years from the date of the entry of the sum certain judgment entered by a tribunal, whichever period of duration is longer.”

 

 

Definitions

 

1.                   Age of Majority – Pursuant to R527-250-8:

“(1) As provided in Section 15-2-1, a child reaches the age of majority when the child turns 18 years old or is legally married.”

 

2.                   Child ‒ Pursuant to Utah Code 81-6-101(7), a child is defined as:

“(a) a son or daughter who is under 18 years old and who is not otherwise emancipated, self-supporting, married, or a member of the armed forces of the United States;

(b) a son or daughter who is 18 years old or older while enrolled in high school during the normal and expected year of graduation and not otherwise emancipated, self-supporting, married, or a member of the armed forces of the United States; or

(c) a son or daughter of any age who is incapacitated from earning a living and, if able to provide some financial resources to the family, is not able to support self by own means.”

 

2.                   Sum Certain Judgment – A monetary obligation for a specific amount and/or time period that is awarded by a court or an administrative body.

 

3.                   Monthly Judgments Accruing Under a Support Order (AUO): Per Utah Code 81-7-102 (and reemphasized in Utah Code 26B-9-214:

“(4) Each payment or installment of child support or alimony under any support order is, on and after the date the payment or installment is due:

(a) a judgment with the same attributes and effect of any judgment of a district court . . . .”

 

 

Procedures – Review for a Duration of Judgement

 

When you receive the Emancipation, Age of Majority Review alert AND the child is the youngest child in the order, follow the procedures found in CS 417P Emancipation. In addition, review the case for duration of judgments and apply the appropriate duration of judgments statute. In all cases, consider the laws of the state or country that issued the controlling order and the laws of the state or country that is enforcing the controlling order. Compare the laws of each state or country using the information below:

 

1.                   Prior to May 1, 2000, a statute of limitations limited enforcement on both sum certain and monthly judgments older than eight years in Utah orders. Any arrears due and owing in such judgments and support orders prior to May 1, 1992 were subject to the eight-year statute and expired on May 1, 2000 if they were more than eight-years old and had not been renewed.

 

2.                   On May 1, 2000, new wording was added to Utah Code 78B-5-202 to allow enforcement on all child support judgments that had not previously expired until “four years after the date the youngest child reaches majority.” Old wording continued in the statute that allowed enforcement for up to eight years for sum certain judgments. Monthly judgments for child support that accrued under Utah support orders and became due between May 1, 1992 and May 1, 2000, became subject to both the new and the old wording in the statute, and could therefore be enforced until age of majority plus four years, or longer if the eight-year period for the sum certain judgment would be a later date.

 

3.                   On May 5, 2003, wording in Utah Code 78B-5-202(6)(b) was clarified to make it more explicit that sum certain judgments for child support are enforceable either within eight years from the date of entry of the sum certain judgment entered by a tribunal or until four years after the date the youngest child reaches majority, and that “. . . the longer period of duration shall apply in every order.” [Utah Code 78B-5-202(6)(b)]. Therefore, any arrears reduced to sum certain judgment on or after May 1, 1992 are subject to this statute and can be enforced until age of majority plus four years or until eight years after the date of the sum certain judgment, whichever is longer.

 

EXAMPLE:  A Utah divorce decree signed January 1, 2020 orders $300.00 per month in child support.  The custodial parent (CP) obtains a sum certain judgment for their arrears of $29,400.00 on June 1, 2025 that covers from January 1, 2020 until February 28, 2025.  The child turns 18 on December 31, 2025.  The arrears have accrued and will expire as follows:

 

Dates

Amount

Expires

Reason

01/01/2020 to 02/28/2025

$29,400.00

12/31/2033

Eight year duration of sum certain judgment

03/01/2025 to 12/31/2025

$3,000.00

12/31/2029

Majority plus four years

 

4.                   If another state or country issued the controlling order, consult with the assigned Assistant Attorney General to compare the laws of the enforcing state or country to the laws of the issuing state. Pursuant to Utah Code 81-8-604:

“(2) In a proceeding for arrears under a registered support order, the statute of limitation of this state or of the issuing state or foreign country, whichever is longer, applies.”

 

5.                   If an applicant applies for child support services in Utah and provides a current accounting (e.g., a pay history or debt computation) from a child support case in another state, ORS workers may treat the accounting similar to a sum certain judgment. ORS workers may load the debts that are owed as they are listed in the accounting if the following conditions are met:

a.                   The accounting from the other state is from the current or previous month from the date the applicant applies for child support services in Utah. If the accounting from the applicant is older than the month prior to the applicant’s application for services, the applicant must provide a sum certain judgment for the amounts owed before ORS will load the debts; and,

b.                   The worker has contacted the other state to verify that:

i.                     The accounting is correct; and,

ii.                   The other state’s case is no longer open.

 

NOTE: If the other state’s case is open, the other state must close their case or refer their case to Utah for enforcement.

 

6.                   Continue to enforce the arrears that have accrued under that order until the applicable expiration date

 

EXAMPLE: When reviewing a case, you find that California issued the controlling order. California does not have a statute of limitations on the enforcement of child support arrears, so arrears can be collected longer under California law than under Utah law. Continue to collect on the case until the debt has been paid in full.

 

 

Procedures – Prior to Arrears Expiring

 

Review the case for arrears pay-off in full before the duration of judgments period expires by taking the steps listed below.

 

1.                   Consider if the arrears on the case will be paid in full at the current rate of withholding or personal payments.

 

2.                   Initiate additional appropriate enforcement activities to ensure that the arrears will be paid in full. Consider all available enforcement tools. Refer to CS 700P Overview, Credit Card Payments, Forms and Appendices for more information.

 

3.                   Establish and monitor appropriate “call-ups.”

a.                   Monitor cases with children between 18 and 21-years-old to periodically review progress on case pay-off.

b.                   Monitor cases with children over age 22 to determine if the arrears (or a portion of the arrears) expire.

 

 

Procedures – After Arrears Have Expired

 

When the arrears expire per the controlling order’s duration of judgments statute, take the steps listed below:

 

1.                   Review the following exceptions that may allow CSS to continue collecting:

a.                   If a noncustodial parent (NCP) has filed bankruptcy and you are receiving payments from the bankruptcy court, you may continue to receive the payments even if the duration of judgments has expired.

b.                   Criminal restitution orders are not bound by the duration of judgment statute and instead are collected under the Criminal Accounts Receivable and Costs statute (see Utah Code Title 77, Chapter 32b). Refer to CS 844P Criminal Nonsupport Overview for more information.

c.                   Utah Code 78B-2-104 states:

“If a cause of action accrues against a person while the person is out of the state and the person is not subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of this state in accordance with Section 78B-3-205, the action may be commenced within the term as limited by this chapter after his return to the state. If after a cause of action accrues the person departs from the state, the time of his absence is not part of the time limited for the commencement of the action unless Section 78B-3-205 applies.”

 

The courts have ruled that this does not apply to a case in which CSS (in a IV-A case) or the Non-IV-A CP knows where the NCP is living in the other state. If the NCP leaves Utah and his/her place of residence is unknown, extend the statute of limitations time period for the arrears debt that you are enforcing. You must be able to document the specific time periods the NCP lived outside of Utah before you can extend the duration of judgments period.

d.                   If the duration of judgments statute has expired, but the NCP contacts you and is willing to continue to pay on a voluntary basis (no enforcement tools involved), you may keep the case open to receive and distribute payments.

 

2.                   Determine portion of arrears that expire:

a.                   If only a portion of the arrears expire (e.g. the “accrued under order” debt expires at majority plus four years, but a sum certain judgment still has time remaining under the eight-year duration of judgments):

i.                     Adjust the expired debt balance to zero;

ii.                   Review the remaining debt to ensure balance will be paid in full before duration of judgments expires; and,

iii.                 Continue to monitor and set self-alerts for next applicable arrears expiration.

b.                   If all arrears expire:

i.                     Adjust the expired debt balance to zero;

ii.                   Terminate income withholding;

iii.                 Terminate all enforcement actions (manual or automated);

iv.                 Pend the case for closure. When the case is closed, ORSIS will automatically end all obligations and debts on the case; and,

v.                   Generate and mail the “60-day Closure Notice” to the CP.

 

 

CIC Cases Only: Child Reaching the Age of Majority Plus Four Years

 

In regards to CIC cases, ORS is not taking the position that the respondent(s) no longer owes the arrears when the duration of judgment’s time period has passed, only that ORS does not provide enforcement or income withholding services for the state to collect the arrears.