How Colorado Calculates Child Support
Colorado uses the Income Shares model for child support. The governing statute is Colorado Revised Statutes Section 14-10-115, which courts have applied in child support proceedings across the state. Colorado's guidelines are updated periodically to reflect current economic research on what parents at various income levels spend on their children.
The Income Shares model in Colorado works the same way as in most states: both parents' gross monthly incomes are combined to produce a total monthly child-rearing obligation, and each parent pays their proportional share of that total. The parent with less parenting time pays their share to the parent with more parenting time. The formula is consistent whether the parents were married or never married, and it applies equally to initial orders and modifications.
The Colorado Child Support Formula
Colorado follows five steps to calculate the monthly obligation.
Step one is determining each parent's monthly gross income. Step two is combining those gross incomes into a single total. Step three is looking up the Basic Child Support Obligation in Colorado's schedule. The schedule uses combined income and number of children to produce the total monthly obligation. Step four is dividing each parent's gross income by the combined total to get their income share percentage. Step five is multiplying the Basic Child Support Obligation by each parent's income share percentage to determine their individual share.
Here is a concrete example. Parent A earns $5,500 per month. Parent B earns $2,500 per month. Combined income is $8,000. Parent A's income share is 68.75%. Parent B's income share is 31.25%. If Colorado's schedule produces a Basic Child Support Obligation of $1,450 for two children at $8,000 combined income, Parent A's base obligation is $997 per month. That is the number before parenting time adjustments and add-ons.
Colorado also has a specific calculation for split custody situations, where each parent has primary custody of at least one child from this relationship. In those cases, the formula calculates a separate obligation in each direction and offsets the two amounts.
What Counts as Income in Colorado
Colorado courts count wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, overtime, tips, self-employment income, rental income, pension and retirement distributions, Social Security benefits, SSDI payments, unemployment compensation, workers' compensation, trust distributions, and income from any other regular source.
Courts can impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or who is earning less than their historical earnings and skills suggest is possible. The imputed income is based on what that parent could reasonably earn in the local job market given their work history and qualifications.
One notable Colorado rule: income that is specifically excluded is income received for caring for a child with physical, mental, or developmental disabilities. Colorado also excludes child support received for children from other relationships when calculating income for this case.
Step-by-Step: How to Use This Calculator
Step 1 — Find your gross monthly income. Use income before taxes and before any payroll deductions. If your income varies, average the last 12 months and divide by 12.
Step 2 — Account for existing child support obligations. If you are already paying court-ordered child support for children from another relationship, subtract that amount from your gross income before entering it into the calculator. Colorado adjusts for prior support orders.
Step 3 — Estimate the other parent's gross monthly income. Use their most recent documented income. If it is unavailable, estimate based on their employment history and field.
Step 4 — Enter the number of children covered by this order.
Step 5 — Enter your parenting time percentage. Count your actual overnight stays per year. Divide by 365 to get your percentage. Every-other-weekend visitation is roughly 14 to 20 percent. Equal time is 50 percent.
Step 6 — Add healthcare and childcare costs. Enter the monthly premium for the children's health insurance and the monthly work-related childcare expense.
Step 7 — Run the calculation and review each line of the breakdown.
Parenting Time Adjustments in Colorado
Colorado applies what it calls an extraordinary parenting time adjustment. When the paying parent has 93 or more overnights per year — roughly 25.4 percent of the year — a parenting time credit applies. This threshold is lower than some states, which means more paying parents qualify for a reduction.
The credit increases as parenting time increases. At 50/50 parenting time (182 or more overnights per year), Colorado applies its own separate shared parenting calculation. Both parents' obligations are calculated as if the other parent were the paying parent. The two amounts are offset, and the parent with the higher net obligation pays the difference.
This means that equal parenting time does not automatically mean zero child support in Colorado. If one parent earns significantly more than the other, a net payment still flows from the higher earner to the lower earner even at 50/50 custody.
Add-On Expenses in Colorado
Colorado adds health insurance premiums and work-related childcare costs to the base obligation. These are divided proportionally by income. Courts may also address extraordinary medical expenses, educational costs, and other necessary expenses on a case-by-case basis.
When one parent provides health insurance for the children, that parent's direct cost is credited within the formula. The net effect is that the insuring parent's total out-of-pocket cost is recognized and the obligation is adjusted accordingly.
Reading Your Results
The results display shows combined gross income, the Basic Child Support Obligation from Colorado's schedule, each parent's income share, the parenting time adjustment if applicable, add-on allocations, and the final monthly transfer amount.
If you are in the 93-to-182 overnight range, pay close attention to the parenting time credit line. Even a modest credit can reduce a monthly obligation by $100 to $300 depending on income levels. If you believe you are close to the 93-night threshold, an actual overnight count may be worth doing.
After You Get Your Estimate
Colorado courts follow the statutory guidelines in most cases. Deviation from the guideline requires a written finding that applying the guideline would be inequitable. Grounds for deviation include extraordinary medical needs of the child, significant non-monetary contributions by a parent, and financial circumstances that make the guideline amount unjust.
Colorado allows modification when there has been a substantial and continuing change in circumstances — typically a 10 percent or more change in the calculated obligation. A meaningful change in income, a custody schedule change, or a shift in parenting time past or below the 93-overnight threshold can all support a modification request.
A licensed Colorado family law attorney can review your numbers and confirm whether a modification or deviation applies to your situation — many offer a free first consultation.