How to Use the Colorado Child Support Calculator
Enter what you know and press Calculate Estimate. The calculator follows C.R.S. 14-10-115 as published in the 2025 Colorado Revised Statutes, including the schedule of basic child support obligations and the parenting time credit table.
- Enter each parent's gross monthly income as Parent A and Parent B.
- Choose the number of children and the parent the children live with most of the time.
- Enter the overnights a year the children spend with the other parent.
- Add monthly child care (net of the federal child care tax credit) and the children's health insurance premium, and say which parent pays them.
Your numbers are sent with the form, not placed in the page address, and this site does not store them. This is a planning estimate. A Colorado court decides the actual amount.
Colorado Child Support Laws and Changes for 2026
Looking for new child support laws in Colorado for 2026? The statute we used is the 2025 edition of C.R.S. 14-10-115. It uses a parenting time credit table that gives each parent credit for every overnight, and it says shared physical care means each parent keeps the children at least one overnight a year. It also notes that the older rule for averaging overnights across several children is repealed effective March 1, 2026. The schedule we used runs to $40,000 of combined monthly income. Please compare with the current statute and court worksheet (JDF 1821) if the exact figures matter to you. This page will be updated if the law changes.
A change in the guidelines does not automatically change an existing order. A parent generally has to ask the court to modify it.
How Colorado Calculates Child Support
Colorado uses an income shares model. The steps follow the JDF 1821 worksheet:
- Work out each parent's monthly adjusted gross income (gross income, minus maintenance paid and support for other children).
- Add the incomes and find the basic combined obligation in the schedule. If the income is between two lines, the amount is interpolated.
- Divide it by each parent's share of combined income.
- Subtract each parent's parenting time credit: the basic obligation times the credit percentage for that parent's overnights.
- Add each parent's share of work-related child care, health insurance and extraordinary medical costs. A parent who pays one of these directly gets credit.
- The parent who owes more pays the difference, subject to the low-income rules below.
The result is a rebuttable presumption. A court can deviate if the guideline amount is inequitable, unjust or inappropriate, and it must explain why.
The Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations
The schedule in section 14-10-115(7)(b) runs in $50 steps of combined monthly gross income for one to six or more children. These are sample lines:
| Combined monthly gross income | One child | Two children | Three children |
|---|
| $1,000 | $213 | $324 | $391 |
| $2,000 | $401 | $611 | $739 |
| $3,000 | $582 | $886 | $1,071 |
| $4,000 | $762 | $1,161 | $1,403 |
| $5,000 | $934 | $1,404 | $1,685 |
| $6,000 | $1,060 | $1,599 | $1,916 |
| $8,000 | $1,209 | $1,808 | $2,147 |
| $10,000 | $1,350 | $2,001 | $2,352 |
| $15,000 | $1,767 | $2,597 | $3,026 |
| $20,000 | $2,152 | $3,136 | $3,622 |
| $30,000 | $2,776 | $4,102 | $4,810 |
| $40,000 | $3,398 | $4,992 | $5,817 |
For incomes between two lines the amounts are interpolated. Above the top of the schedule the court may use its discretion, but the presumptive obligation is not less than the amount at the highest level.
The Parenting Time Credit
Colorado's table in section 14-10-115(8)(h) gives each parent a credit percentage for the number of overnights, from 0% for none to 100% for all 365. The credit equals the basic combined obligation times that percentage, and it is subtracted from that parent's share. The amount a parent with shared parenting time owes cannot exceed what that parent would owe with no overnights. Sample entries:
| Overnights a year | Parenting time credit |
|---|
| 0 | 0% |
| 30 | 2.53% |
| 73 | 8.87% |
| 100 | 15.37% |
| 146 | 32.32% |
| 182 | 49.75% |
| 183 | 50.25% |
| 219 | 67.68% |
| 292 | 91.13% |
| 365 | 100% |
Low-Income Rules and the Self-Support Reserve
Section 14-10-115(7)(a) protects the paying parent's ability to support themselves. The self-support reserve is the state hourly minimum wage times 29 hours a week, times 50 weeks a year, divided by 12. At $15.16 an hour that is about $1,832 a month.
- $650 a month or less: the minimum order is $10 a month, regardless of the number of children.
- Above $650 and up to the reserve: the basic obligation is reduced to $50 for one child, $70 for two, $90 for three, $110 for four, $130 for five and $150 for six or more. With added costs, the order is capped at 10% of the paying parent's income.
- Above the reserve: the basic obligation is limited to a percentage of income above the reserve: 80% for one child, 85% for two, 89% for three, 92% for four, 94% for five and 95% for six or more.
- Above the reserve and up to full-time minimum wage: the order cannot exceed 20% of the paying parent's income.
Colorado Child Support Examples
In each example the children live mostly with Parent B. Amounts are monthly and come from this calculator.
Example 1: One child, no overnights with A
A earns $5,000 and B earns $3,000. The basic obligation for $8,000 and one child is $1,209, and A's 62.5% share is $755.63 a month.
Example 2: Two children with child care
A earns $6,000, B earns $4,000, and B pays $500 a month for child care. The basic obligation is $2,001 and A's 60% share is $1,200.60, plus $300 for child care. A pays $1,500.60 a month.
Example 3: 100 overnights with A
Same incomes and child care, with the children 100 nights a year with A. A's credit is 15.37%, or $307.55 of the basic obligation, leaving $893.05, plus the $300 child care share. A pays $1,193.05 a month.
Example 4: Nearly equal time
A earns $7,000 and B earns $3,000, with one child and 182 nights with A. The basic obligation is $1,350. A's share of $945 is reduced by a 49.75% credit ($671.63). A pays $273.38 a month.
Example 5: Low-income parent
A earns $1,500 and B earns $5,000, with two children. A's income is below the self-support reserve, so A's basic obligation is reduced to $70 and A pays $70 a month.
Example 6: Minimum order
A earns $600 a month, so the minimum order applies and A pays $10 a month.
These are illustrations produced from the statute, not court rulings.
What Counts as Income in Colorado
Colorado uses gross income from all sources, as described in section 14-10-115(5). That includes salary and wages, commissions and bonuses, self-employment income, and other income listed in the statute. A court can use potential income for a parent who is unemployed or underemployed. Maintenance paid is deducted from the paying parent's gross income and maintenance received is added to the recipient's, and support actually paid for other children reduces income by the amount the statute allows.
Frequently Asked Questions About Colorado Child Support
Is this the official Colorado child support calculator?
No. ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the State of Colorado or its courts. It applies C.R.S. 14-10-115. A court sets the actual amount.
How is child support calculated in Colorado?
Colorado adds the parents' gross incomes, finds the basic obligation in the schedule, splits it by income share, subtracts each parent's parenting time credit, adds child care and health insurance costs, and applies low-income rules.
Are there new child support guidelines in Colorado in 2026?
We used the 2025 edition of the statute, which uses a parenting time credit table. Please compare with the current statute and the JDF 1821 worksheet if the exact figures matter. This page will be updated if the law changes.
Does Colorado use gross or net income?
Gross income. The worksheet starts from monthly gross income before taxes and adjusts for maintenance and support of other children.
How do overnights affect child support in Colorado?
Each parent gets a parenting time credit percentage for their overnights. The credit is subtracted from that parent's share of the basic obligation, and the parent who owes more pays the difference.
What is the minimum child support order in Colorado?
$10 a month when the paying parent's monthly adjusted gross income is $650 or less, regardless of the number of children.
What is the self-support reserve in Colorado?
The state minimum wage times 29 hours a week times 50 weeks a year divided by 12. Lower-income parents get reduced obligations or caps based on it.
How are child care costs handled in Colorado?
Net child care costs, after the federal child care tax credit, are added to the basic obligation and divided by income share.
Can a Colorado order be modified?
Yes. A parent can ask the court to modify the order. This page does not cover the modification standard.
Does the Colorado calculator need my personal details or a login?
No. This site needs no login and does not store your numbers.
Official Colorado Child Support Resources
Published: October 14, 2026
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
Researched and reviewed by Eric John, founder and editor, using official state statutes and guidance. How we build and check our calculators · Corrections
