Colorado Child Support: A Parent's Guide

In short: Colorado's Income Shares schedule expands to a $40,000/month combined income cap effective March 1, 2026, up from $30,000. A modification request goes through an Income and Expense Affidavit process that can take up to six months, and enforcement can start with an income withholding order sent directly to the employer, no separate court order needed.

This is an educational overview written for parents, not lawyers. It isn't legal advice. For anything beyond general understanding, talk to a licensed Colorado family law attorney.

What Colorado generally provides

Under C.R.S. § 14-10-115, Colorado uses the Income Shares Model, estimating what the child would have received if both parents still lived together, then splitting that amount based on each parent's earnings.

Important terminology

• Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations: Colorado's statutory guideline table, combining both parents' adjusted gross income.
• Combined income cap: the ceiling on the schedule, rising from $30,000 to $40,000/month effective March 1, 2026 under HB 25-1159.
• Income and Expense Affidavit: the document required to initiate a modification request.

How the calculation works

Combining adjusted gross income

Colorado starts by combining both parents' adjusted gross incomes, looking up the total on the state's Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations, then dividing the resulting amount in proportion to each parent's share of that combined income.

What counts as gross income

Under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(5), gross income is broad: wages, salaries, tips, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, dividends, pensions, retirement benefits, royalties, rents, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains, severance pay, and unemployment benefits.

The 2026 income cap expansion

The guideline schedule covers combined monthly incomes up to $30,000 as of early 2026, expanding to $40,000 per month effective March 1, 2026 under HB 25-1159, a meaningful increase to the presumptive ceiling.

Additional adjustments

The calculation adjusts further for childcare costs, health insurance, extraordinary medical expenses, and the number of overnights each parent has with the children.

Requesting or defending a modification

A modification request requires submitting an Income and Expense Affidavit along with supporting documentation and the reason for the requested change. After review, the order can go up, down, or stay the same, and the process can take up to six months depending on how quickly the required information comes in. See the child support calculator and guideline finder for jurisdiction-specific calculation sources and guidance.

How enforcement works

If a noncustodial parent isn't paying, the custodial parent can file an income withholding order directly with the employer, without needing a separate court order first, a notably streamlined path compared to states requiring a court filing before withholding begins. Colorado Child Support Services (CSS) is the state agency assisting with broader enforcement, offering automatic wage deduction and other tools. If an employee's order is being modified, the employer must continue withholding under the existing terms until it receives the new or amended withholding order from CSS or the issuing agency.

Common questions

Will the March 2026 income cap increase automatically raise my support? No, only a fresh calculation or a new modification would apply the higher $40,000 cap; an existing order isn't automatically recalculated just because the schedule changed.

How quickly can income withholding start? Potentially quickly, since the custodial parent can file the withholding order directly with the employer without a separate court order, though an employer continues under the prior terms until formally notified of a change.

What if my co-parent isn't paying? Contact Colorado Child Support Services (CSS), or file an income withholding order directly with the employer if you have the underlying support order.

Practical considerations

Because a modification review can take up to six months, don't wait until a financial situation becomes urgent to submit the Income and Expense Affidavit, start the paperwork as soon as a real change (job loss, income shift) occurs. For the custody and parenting-time rules underlying the overnight adjustment in this calculation, see the Colorado custody guide.

Official Colorado resources

• C.R.S. § 14-10-115 (Child Support Guidelines)
• Colorado Child Support Services: Changing an Order

Related OnePage resources

• Child support calculator and guideline finder
• What is a parenting plan
• Custody schedule generator

Related Colorado pages

• Colorado hub
• Colorado custody guide