Child Support in Colorado:
How It’s Calculated,
What Changes It, and How to Lower It
Colorado uses the income shares model — meaning both parents’ incomes directly affect what you owe. Here’s how the formula works, the 93-overnight threshold most Dads don’t know about, and exactly what it takes to modify your order. See also: how much child support you can expect to pay.
You’re in the kitchen in Colorado Springs. The child support payment cleared your account yesterday — same amount it’s been since your order was signed two years ago. But your income dropped. Your daughter has been staying with you more nights than the order reflects. And you’re not sure if either of those things changes what you owe.
It does. Colorado child support law is built around the income shares model — a framework that accounts for both parents’ incomes, your actual parenting time, and specific adjustments for things like childcare and health insurance. It’s one of the more Dad-friendly frameworks in the country. Most Dads just don’t know how to use it.
This guide covers how Colorado calculates child support, what makes it change, and how to file a modification when your situation no longer matches your order.
The Income Shares Model: How Colorado Determines What You Owe
Colorado child support is governed by C.R.S. § 14-10-115, which establishes the income shares model as the state standard. The formula starts with gross income, applies specific deductions to arrive at net income for worksheet purposes, and allocates the obligation proportionally. Here’s how the steps work:
- Step 1: Calculate gross monthly income for both parents. Colorado uses gross income as the starting point. This includes wages, salary, self-employment income, and most other regular sources. Net income adjustments are applied through the worksheet, but the input is gross.
- Step 2: Find the basic child support obligation. The combined gross income of both parents is run against the Colorado child support schedule to find the total obligation — what it costs to raise the child in a household at that combined income level. This is the number the two households are splitting.
- Step 3: Allocate proportionally. Each parent pays their percentage of the combined income. Earn $4,000 of a $10,000 combined total, your share is 40% of the obligation.
- Step 4: Add adjustments. Work-related childcare costs, the cost of health insurance for the child, and any extraordinary expenses are added to the basic obligation and split the same way. These adjustments can significantly change the final number.
- Step 5: Apply parenting time credit. If you have at least 93 overnights per year with your child, Colorado applies a parenting time adjustment that reduces your obligation. More on this below.
The final figure is what the obligor — typically the noncustodial parent — pays to the other household. Colorado courts use Worksheet A for standard arrangements (one primary residential parent) and Worksheet B when parenting time is more equally shared.
| Scenario | Your Gross | Co-Parent Gross | Your % Share | Your Est. Payment* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original order | $4,500/mo | $3,000/mo | 60% | ~$900/mo |
| Your income drops | $3,000/mo | $3,000/mo | 50% | ~$750/mo |
| Both incomes changed | $3,000/mo | $4,500/mo | 40% | ~$600/mo |
| * Based on illustrative combined obligation of ~$1,500/mo for one child at this income level. Actual figures depend on the Colorado schedule and applicable adjustments. | ||||
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The 93-Overnight Threshold: Colorado’s Parenting Time Adjustment Most Dads Miss
Colorado child support law reduces the paying parent’s obligation when actual parenting time exceeds 25.4% of the year — or 93 overnights. This threshold is specific and statutory. Many Dads are already past it without knowing the number exists. The adjustment reflects the direct costs you absorb when your child is with you: food, transportation, activities, clothing.
How Colorado Parenting Time Is Counted
Colorado counts parenting time in overnights out of 365 per year. The parent’s share is simply their nights divided by 365. Standard every-other-weekend arrangements typically produce around 52–73 overnights. Once you cross 93 nights — roughly 25.4% — the adjustment kicks in. The higher your actual parenting time, the larger the reduction.
under 20%
20–25.3%
25.4–29.9%
30–39.7%
40%+
Colorado’s 10% Rule: When Your Situation Qualifies for a Modification
Colorado has one of the more accessible downward modification standards in the country. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-122, a child support order can be modified when a parent demonstrates a substantial change in circumstances — and Colorado family courts treat a 10% shift in the calculated support amount as meeting that standard.
What Counts as a Qualifying Change in Colorado
- Income change of any direction. A drop in your gross income, a raise in your co-parent’s income, or both — if the result is a 10% or greater shift in the calculated obligation, you have grounds to file.
- Parenting time change. If your actual overnight count has shifted significantly since the order was set — especially if you’ve crossed the 93-night threshold — that’s a qualifying change.
- Change in childcare or insurance costs. These are direct inputs to the Colorado calculation. If work-related childcare costs increased or decreased substantially, or if health insurance coverage changed, the obligation changes.
- Three-year support order review. Colorado allows either parent to request a review after 36 months without a hearing — no specific change required. The obligation is recalculated at current incomes.
Filing a Modification in Colorado: What You Need Before You Go
Colorado courts require specific documents for a child support modification filing. Missing any one of them sends you home without a stamped filing date. Here’s what to have complete before you walk in.
- JDF 1820 — Motion to Modify Child Support. Colorado’s standardized motion form, available through the Colorado Judicial Branch self-help portal. Complete and sign before you go.
- JDF 1111 — Financial Affidavit. The form most Dads don’t know exists. Requires full income, expense, and asset disclosure. Most counties require notarization. This is the most common reason motions are sent back at the clerk’s window.
- Colorado Child Support Worksheet. A completed calculation from the Colorado Judicial Branch online calculator showing your proposed new amount. Courts need to see the number before the hearing, not at it.
- Supporting income documentation. Last three months of pay stubs and most recent federal tax return. Self-employment requires additional documentation.
- Proof of service. The other parent must be served per Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure. An incomplete service certificate can delay or dismiss the motion.
Colorado’s income shares model accounts for both parents’ incomes. The 93-overnight parenting time threshold is specific and achievable. The 10% modification standard is lower than most states. The 36-month review provision means time alone can be grounds for a hearing.
The gap between knowing all of this and having a stamped motion on file is the filing sequence — which forms, in which order, completed correctly.
Colorado Dads who end up with lower orders aren’t the ones with the strongest cases. They’re the ones who filed correctly, filed quickly — before arrears could build from any missed or partial payments — and knew exactly what they were asking the court to approve before they walked in.
You know Colorado’s formula.
Here’s the exact sequence to file on it.
Picture leaving the Colorado courthouse with a stamped motion, a case number, and a filing date that locks in your lower payment — starting from today, not from whenever you get around to it.
- The specific JDF forms Colorado courts require — and the one most self-represented Dads show up without, guaranteeing a second trip to the courthouse
- How to use the Colorado Judicial Branch calculator to produce the exact worksheet number the court needs to see before approving your modification
- The 93-overnight count — how to document your actual parenting time so it holds up when the other parent disputes your numbers in the hearing
- Why the filing date matters more than the court date in a Colorado modification — and the specific rule that makes every month of delay unrecoverable
- How to calculate your co-parent’s income contribution to the obligation — the part of Colorado’s income shares formula most Dads leave off the worksheet entirely
Colorado child support law gives Dads real tools — an income shares formula that accounts for both households, a parenting time credit that kicks in at 93 overnights, a 10% modification threshold that’s among the lowest in the country, and a 36-month review right. These aren’t loopholes. They’re the law.
The Dads who use them are the ones who understand the calculation well enough to know when their order no longer matches their reality — and who move quickly enough to file before more months are locked in at the wrong rate.
If your income changed, your parenting time shifted, or your order is approaching three years old without a review — your grounds to file may already exist. Colorado child support guidelines give you the formula. The only question is the filing date.
Colorado Child Support: Common Questions
+How long does a child support modification take in Colorado?
Most uncontested Colorado modifications resolve in 60 to 120 days from the filing date. If both parents agree on the new amount, a stipulated agreement can move faster — sometimes 30 to 45 days. Contested cases involving a magistrate hearing typically take 90 to 180 days depending on your county’s docket. The modification takes effect from the date you filed, not from when the judge signs the new order.
+Can I modify child support in Colorado if I lose my job?
Yes. A job loss that produces a 10% or greater change in the calculated support amount qualifies as a substantial change in circumstances under C.R.S. § 14-10-122. File as soon as possible — Colorado courts cannot reduce your payment before the date your motion was filed. Every month you wait at the old rate is overpayment the court cannot recover for you.
+Does Colorado automatically review child support every 3 years?
No. Colorado gives either parent the right to request a review after 36 months without a modification, but nothing happens automatically. You must file a motion to trigger the review. If your order is approaching — or has passed — the 36-month mark without a hearing, you can file without proving a specific change in circumstances. The court recalculates using current incomes and the current parenting schedule.
+How does Colorado calculate child support for 50/50 custody?
Equal or near-equal parenting time uses Worksheet B instead of Worksheet A. The income shares model still applies — both parents’ gross incomes are combined and the obligation split proportionally — but Worksheet B accounts for the direct costs each parent absorbs when the child spends substantial time in both homes. The result is typically lower than a standard Worksheet A calculation.
+What happens if my co-parent refuses to disclose income in Colorado?
Colorado requires both parents to exchange financial affidavits during a modification case. If your co-parent refuses, you can ask the court to compel disclosure. The court can also impute income — assign an earning figure based on prior employment, education, or demonstrated earning capacity — if a parent fails to cooperate. Refusing to disclose income in a Colorado family court proceeding can result in sanctions.