How to Calculate Child Support Payments in Colorado

How to Use the Colorado Child Support Calculator

To calculate the amount of support under Colorado's current child support guidelines, you can use the official Colorado Child Support Calculator. After you've set up an account and filled in the form, this calculator will allow you to create the child support worksheets that you'll submit to the court.

You'll need to have some basic information on hand before doing the calculations, including both parents' income, what your physical custody (parenting time) arrangements will be, and your expenses for the child's health insurance coverage and work-related child care. If you're still negotiating custody, you might try multiple calculations under different scenarios.

Are Other Child Support Calculators Accurate?

Watch out for other websites with so-called child support calculators for Colorado. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that these calculators are accurate and up-to-date. Colorado updates its child support guidelines regularly, and you usually can't tell whether any of these other websites have kept up with the latest changes.

It's best to stick with the official state calculator to get the most accurate estimate of the amount of child support you may pay or receive. But notice that word "estimate." As we discuss in this article, the judge may order a different amount in your case. Of course, the accuracy of the child support calculation will also depend on the accuracy of the information you provide.

The Basics of Colorado's Child Support Guideline

Colorado's child support guidelines take into account both parents' incomes, how many children need support, and the physical custody arrangements (referred to as "parenting time" in Colorado). Generally, the parent who has the child for fewer than 90 overnight visits a year pays child support to the other parent. The guidelines also provide adjustments to child support in a number of situations, including when:

• both parents spend significant time with their children
• children have special needs or extraordinary medical expenses, or
• the parents who will pay support have very low or very high incomes (more on that below).

Learn more about how child support works in Colorado. You can also find the full child support guidelines at Colorado Revised Statutes § 14-10-115.

When Support Amounts May Be Different Than the Guideline Calculation

Colorado law presumes that the amount of child support calculated under the guidelines is the proper amount, but you may argue that a different amount would be better in your situation. Whether you and the child's other parent have agreed on a support amount that departs from the guideline or a judge decides for you, the judge will have to find that applying the guideline would be "inequitable, unjust, or inappropriate" under the circumstances in your case (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-10-115(8)(e) (2024).)

Is There a Minimum or Maximum Amount of Child Support in Colorado?

If the parent who will be paying support has an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $650 a month or less, the guidelines call for a minimum of $10 a month in child support, regardless of the other parent's income or the number of children involved. (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-10-115(7)(a)(II)(D) (2024).)

There isn't a maximum support amount under the guidelines. The schedule in the guidelines shows amounts of basic child support for income levels up to a certain amount. However, these basic support amounts are subject to various adjustments. Also, when both parents' AGI is above the top level, judges may order a higher support amount than the schedule shows, if that's appropriate under the circumstances. (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-10-115(7)(a)(II)(E) (2024).)

How to Apply for Child Support in Colorado

Typically, you'll apply for child support in the process of filing for divorce in Colorado. But there are other situations when you might need to request child support—such as when you were never married to the child's other parent. In that situation, you may apply for child support through the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) in Colorado's Office of Economic Security. The DCSS can also help with identifying and establishing your child's other legal parent.

How to Collect Child Support in Colorado

The Colorado DCSS can also help collect support payments and, if the other parent is behind on those payments, take actions to enforce court-ordered child support.

Depending on how much the other parent owes, the agency has several ways of enforcing child support, including withholding support from paychecks, reporting the debt to credit bureaus, intercepting income tax refunds, intercepting workers' compensation or unemployment benefits, seizing money from bank accounts, placing liens on property (so the delinquent parent can't sell it or borrow money before paying off the debt), and suspending the parent's driver's or other licenses.

How to Modify Child Support in Colorado

Either parent may request a change (modification) in the amount of child support under the current order. However, you'll generally have to show that there's been a change in circumstances that will be ongoing and is so substantial that the current amount is unfair. (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-10-122(1) (2024).)

You may request a DCSS review of your current child support order to see if it warrants a modification. You'll need to make this request in writing at the local child support office handling your case. Ask the office about the supporting documents that you'll need to include with the request.

Without assistance from the DCSS, you may want to consider speaking with a Colorado family lawyer about filing a modification request with the court.