Colorado Child Support Calculator

Colorado uses the income shares model under C.R.S. § 14-10-115, combining both parents' monthly adjusted gross incomes to determine a basic support obligation from a statutory schedule. Each parent pays their proportional share based on their percentage of combined income. The formula adjusts for childcare costs, health insurance, extraordinary expenses, and the number of overnights each parent has with the children.

Colorado child support calculations use each parent's monthly adjusted gross income, which includes wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, unemployment benefits, and investment income under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(5). Courts may impute income to a voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parent based on a reasonable rate of pay for a 32-hour workweek over 50 weeks per year. Social Security benefits received on behalf of the child may also offset the obligation.

Under current Colorado guidelines, shared parenting time adjustments apply when each parent has at least 93 overnights per year with the child. The more overnights the paying parent has, the lower their support obligation. Starting March 1, 2026, HB 25-1159 eliminates the 93-overnight threshold entirely — shared parenting time credit will begin from the first overnight, significantly changing calculations for many families.

Colorado child support can be modified under C.R.S. § 14-10-122 when there is a substantial and continuing change in circumstances that would change the support amount by at least 10%. Common grounds include job loss, significant income changes, changes in parenting time, or new childcare or medical expenses. Modifications take effect from the date the motion is filed, not retroactively to when the change occurred.

Beyond the basic obligation, Colorado child support includes work-related and education-related childcare costs under § 14-10-115(9), health insurance premiums for the child under § 14-10-115(10), and extraordinary adjustments for special education, transportation, or unreimbursed medical expenses exceeding $250 per year per child. Both parents share these additional costs proportionally based on their percentage of combined adjusted gross income.

Colorado sets a minimum child support order of $10 per month for obligors with adjusted gross income of $650 or less per month, regardless of the number of children. For low-income earners between $650 and $1,500 monthly, a low-income adjustment applies with a cap at 20% of the obligor's adjusted gross income. The guideline schedule caps at $30,000 combined monthly income ($360,000 annually), though courts may order higher amounts above the cap using judicial discretion.

In Colorado, child support continues until the child turns 19, which is the age of emancipation under C.R.S. § 14-10-122. Support may extend beyond 19 if the child is still in high school — continuing until graduation or the end of the month they turn 21, whichever comes first. Support may also continue indefinitely for a child with a physical or mental disability. Early termination can occur if the child marries, joins the military, or becomes legally emancipated.

Colorado enforces child support through Colorado Child Support Services, which can garnish up to 65% of disposable earnings, intercept tax refunds and lottery winnings, and report delinquencies to credit bureaus. Under C.R.S. § 26-13-123, the state may suspend driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational permits when a parent is 30 or more days delinquent. Unpaid support accrues interest at 10% compounded annually, and willful nonpayment can result in fines or up to six months in jail.