Colorado Child Support Laws: Guidelines and Calculations

How Colorado Calculates Child Support

Colorado uses the Income Shares Model to determine child support obligations. This model, established under C.R.S. § 14-10-115, operates on the principle that children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the family had stayed together.

Child support is owed to the child, not to the other parent. This distinction matters because the obligation exists to meet the child's needs regardless of the relationship between the parents.

The calculation starts by combining both parents' gross monthly incomes. The court then applies the Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations to determine the base amount. Each parent's share is proportional to their percentage of the combined income.

What Counts as Gross Income

Under the guidelines, gross income includes nearly all sources of earnings and benefits:

• Wages, salaries, and tips
• Commissions and bonuses
• Self-employment income (after business expenses)
• Overtime pay
• Pensions and retirement benefits
• Social Security benefits
• Unemployment and workers' compensation benefits
• Interest and dividends
• Rental income
• Trust income and annuities
• Spousal maintenance (alimony) received

Gross income does not include means-tested public assistance benefits such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or food assistance.

Factors That Adjust the Calculation

After determining the basic support obligation from the schedule, the court considers several adjustments:

• Parenting time. The number of overnights each parent has with the child directly affects the calculation.
• Childcare costs. Work-related and education-related daycare expenses are split proportionally between parents.
• Health insurance premiums. The cost of adding the child to a parent's health insurance plan is factored in.
• Extraordinary expenses. Special education needs, transportation costs between households, and unreimbursed medical expenses exceeding $250 per child per year may be included.

Major Changes Under HB 25-1159 (Effective March 1, 2026)

Governor Polis signed House Bill 25-1159 on May 31, 2025. The law takes effect on March 1, 2026, and applies to any child support order entered or modified on or after that date. These are the most significant changes to Colorado's child support guidelines in over a decade.

Elimination of the 93-Overnight Threshold

Under the previous law, a parent needed at least 93 overnights per year before receiving any parenting time credit in the child support calculation. HB 25-1159 eliminates this threshold entirely. Starting March 1, 2026, parenting time credit begins from the first overnight and scales proportionally across the full range of parenting time.

This change significantly affects parents who have fewer than 93 overnights per year. Under the old system, a parent with 92 overnights received no credit at all. Under the new system, every overnight counts.

New Self-Support Reserve for Low-Income Parents

The law introduces a self-support reserve, calculated as 29 hours per week at the state minimum wage, multiplied by 50 weeks and divided by 12 months. Based on Colorado's 2025 minimum wage of $14.81 per hour, this equals approximately $1,790 per month.

If a parent's income falls below the self-support reserve, the child support obligation is significantly reduced. For parents with income above the reserve, the obligation is calculated by deducting the self-support reserve from their adjusted gross income, then applying a percentage of the difference: 80% for one child, scaling up to 95% for six or more children.

This replaces the old flat minimums of $50, $70, and $90 per month for one, two, and three children respectively.

Expanded Income Schedule

The schedule of basic child support obligations has been expanded from a maximum combined monthly income of $30,000 to $40,000. The schedule amounts have also been updated from 2010 values to 2023 values based on the Betson-Rothbarth Study and the 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

Revised Shared Parenting Time Formula

The previous calculation for shared parenting time used a 1.5x multiplier on the basic schedule amount, followed by an offset calculation. HB 25-1159 removes this approach. Instead, the basic support obligation is taken directly from the standard schedule, allocated between parents in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes, and then adjusted with a parenting-time credit for each parent.

Colorado Child Support Guidelines Table

The following table shows approximate monthly basic support obligations based on combined adjusted gross income for different numbers of children. These figures are from the current schedule and will be updated when HB 25-1159 takes effect.

Combined Monthly Income	1 Child	2 Children	3 Children	4 Children
$1,850	$311	$478	$541	$624
$3,000	$468	$710	$826	$931
$5,000	$688	$1,041	$1,211	$1,360
$7,500	$908	$1,367	$1,583	$1,764
$10,000	$1,100	$1,637	$1,900	$2,110
$15,000	$1,390	$2,087	$2,419	$2,687
$20,000	$1,628	$2,448	$2,837	$3,152
$25,000	$1,838	$2,763	$3,203	$3,558
$30,000	$2,030	$3,050	$3,536	$3,928

These amounts represent the total basic support obligation before adjustments. Each parent's share is proportional to their percentage of the combined income. Source: Colorado Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (JDF 1822).

What Does Child Support Cover?

According to Colorado Child Support Services (CSS), child support is intended to cover the child's share of:

• Housing and shelter costs
• Food and clothing
• Education expenses
• Medical and dental care not covered by insurance
• Transportation
• Entertainment and extracurricular activities

The underlying principle is that the child should maintain a standard of living reasonably comparable to what the child would have experienced if the parents had remained together.

Modifying a Child Support Order

Either parent can request a modification of child support under C.R.S. § 14-10-122. To succeed, the requesting parent must show a substantial and continuing change in circumstances.

What Qualifies as a Substantial Change

A change is considered substantial if it would cause the child support amount to increase or decrease by at least 10%. Common qualifying changes include:

• Involuntary job loss or significant income reduction
• A serious health condition affecting the ability to earn income
• A significant increase or decrease in either parent's income
• A change in parenting time or custody arrangements
• A child's new medical needs requiring additional financial support
• Changes in childcare or health insurance costs

The "Continuing" Requirement

The change must also be continuing, meaning it is not temporary. A brief period of unemployment while between jobs is unlikely to qualify. A permanent disability or long-term layoff lasting 12 or more months is more likely to meet this standard.

When Modifications Take Effect

A modification takes effect from the date the motion is filed with the court, not retroactively. This means that if your circumstances change, filing promptly protects you from accumulating arrears at the old rate.

Enforcement and Penalties for Non-Payment

Colorado takes child support enforcement seriously. The state uses both administrative and judicial enforcement tools to collect unpaid support.

Administrative Enforcement by CSS

Colorado Child Support Services (CSS) can take the following actions without a court proceeding:

• Income withholding. Automatic deductions from wages, unemployment benefits, retirement accounts, and workers' compensation payments.
• Tax refund interception. Both state and federal tax refunds can be seized to pay arrears.
• Lottery and gambling interception. Winnings can be intercepted and applied to unpaid support.
• Credit bureau reporting. Delinquent child support is reported to all major credit bureaus, which can significantly harm the obligor's credit score.
• License suspension. Driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational licenses may be suspended.
• Bank account levies. Funds can be seized directly from checking and savings accounts.
• Property liens. Liens can be placed on vehicles, real estate, and other property.
• Passport denial. If arrears exceed $2,500, the U.S. Department of State can deny or revoke the obligor's passport.

Court Enforcement and Contempt

When administrative actions are not enough, CSS may refer the case to court. A parent found in contempt of court for willfully failing to pay support may face:

• Fines
• Payment of the other parent's attorney fees
• Jail time (up to 6 months per contempt finding)
• A bench warrant for arrest

If a bench warrant is issued, the obligor is subject to arrest at any time, including during a routine traffic stop.

Criminal Penalties for Non-Payment

Under C.R.S. § 14-6-101, willful failure to provide reasonable support for a child is a Class 5 felony in Colorado. A conviction carries a sentence of 1 to 3 years in prison and fines up to $100,000.

Leaving the state to avoid paying child support can also trigger federal charges under the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act (18 U.S.C. § 228), which carries penalties of up to 2 years in federal prison.

Voluntary Unemployment and Imputed Income

Colorado courts distinguish between voluntary and involuntary unemployment when calculating child support.

Involuntary Unemployment

If you lose your job through no fault of your own, become disabled, or are the primary caregiver for a child under 30 months for whom both parents share responsibility, the court will generally use your actual income. Courts will not impute additional income to a parent who is genuinely unable to work.

The same protection applies to incarcerated parents who have no ability to earn income while in custody.

Voluntary Unemployment or Underemployment

If the court finds that a parent is intentionally avoiding employment or working below their capacity to reduce support obligations, it may impute income under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(5)(b)(I). This means calculating support based on what the parent could reasonably be earning.

Examples of voluntary underemployment include:

• Quitting a job without good cause
• Reducing work hours without justification
• Leaving a professional career to take a substantially lower-paying position
• Failing to make reasonable efforts to find employment

Imputed income is based on the parent's work history, qualifications, prevailing job market conditions, and earning capacity.

When Does Child Support End in Colorado?

The age of emancipation in Colorado is 19. For child support orders entered on or after July 1, 1997, support terminates automatically when the last or only child turns 19, without either party needing to file a motion.

Support May Continue Beyond 19 If:

• The child is still in high school. Support continues until the end of the month following graduation, but not beyond age 21. If the child drops out and later reenrolls, support resumes upon reenrollment.
• The child has a mental or physical disability. Support may continue indefinitely if the child is unable to support themselves.

Support Ends Before 19 If:

• The child enters active military duty
• The child gets married (if the marriage is later annulled, support may be reinstated)
• The child is legally emancipated by court order
• The child dies

Important Steps When Support Ends

Even though support terminates automatically at 19 in most cases, you should still notify all relevant parties: CSS, your employer (if wages are being garnished), and the other parent. If you continue to have wages garnished after the obligation ends, contact an attorney to recover overpayments.

Colorado does not require parents to pay for college expenses unless they voluntarily agreed to do so in a written separation agreement or parenting plan.

Applying for Child Support Services in Colorado

You can apply for child support services through Colorado Child Support Services (CSS), a division of the Colorado Department of Human Services. CSS can help with:

• Establishing parentage
• Setting up a child support order
• Enforcing an existing order
• Modifying an existing order
• Locating a non-custodial parent

You can apply online through the CSS website or contact your local county CSS office.