How it works · official guideline
How child support is calculated in Colorado
Colorado’s child support guidelines are a formula in state law (C.R.S. § 14-10-115): the parents' combined monthly adjusted gross income gives a basic obligation from the statutory schedule, each parent owes a share equal to their percentage of combined income, and the result is adjusted for overnights with each parent, child care and health insurance.[1]
Key facts: child support in Colorado
| Guideline model | Income shares[1] |
|---|---|
| Income counted | Gross income (adjusted for maintenance and support of other children)[1] |
| Minimum order | $10/month when obligor's adjusted gross income is $650 or less[1] |
| Low income | Self-support reserve = minimum wage × 29 hrs/week × 50 weeks ÷ 12; reduced orders $50–$150[1] |
| Official calculator | Family Law Software (child support and maintenance calculator provided through the Colorado Judicial Branch) |
| Guideline last checked | October 26, 2026 |
Colorado’s model
Income shares
Income shares: combined monthly adjusted gross income, then statutory schedule (C.R.S. § 14-10-115(7)(b)), split by each parent’s percentage, with a parenting-time credit.
Official calculator · Colorado Judicial Branch (software by Family Law Software)
Family Law Software (child support and maintenance calculator provided through the Colorado Judicial Branch)Link checked October 26, 2026
Why no calculator here? We publish a calculator only after it reproduces the state’s official numbers exactly. We haven’t matched Colorado’s yet, so use the official calculator for a number.
From the official text
The rules behind Colorado’s numbers
The guideline is C.R.S. § 14-10-115 as applied in the Support Worksheet, JDF 1821 (R: March 1, 2026), Colorado Judicial Branch. Open each rule to read the exact words.
- Income counted
Gross income (adjusted for maintenance and support of other children)
The worksheet starts from each parent’s monthly gross income before taxes and deductions, adjusted for maintenance and support of other children.[1]
Official text · Support Worksheet, JDF 1821
“Monthly Gross Income (before taxes, deductions, etc.)”
- Minimum order
$10/month when obligor’s adjusted gross income is $650 or less
If the paying parent’s monthly adjusted gross income is $650 or less, the recommended order is $10 a month regardless of the number of children.[1]
Official text · Support Worksheet, JDF 1821, § 5
“If the obligor’s monthly adjusted gross income is equal to or less than $650, the recommended child support order is $10 per month, regardless of the number of children.”
- Low income
Self-support reserve = minimum wage × 29 hrs/week × 50 weeks ÷ 12; reduced orders $50–$150
Between $650 and the self-support reserve, the basic obligation is reduced to $50 for one child, rising by $20 per child to $150 for six or more.[1]
Official text · Support Worksheet, JDF 1821, § 5 (citing C.R.S. § 14-10-115(3)(g.5))
““Self-Support Reserve” means an amount equal to the state hourly minimum wage multiplied by twenty-nine hours per week, multiplied by fifty weeks per year, divided by twelve months.”
- Income counted
Both parents' gross incomes, number of children, overnights, child care and insurance
The state child support agency describes the guidelines as a formula in state law that uses both parents' gross incomes, the number of children, overnights with each parent and ongoing costs such as day care and health insurance.[2]
Official text · Calculating Payments
“The child support guidelines considers several things to set an appropriate order amount, including the gross income of both parents, how many children are supported, how many nights the child(ren) stay with each parent, and other ongoing costs like daycare and health insurance.”
Guideline: C.R.S. § 14-10-115 as applied in the Support Worksheet, JDF 1821 (R: March 1, 2026), Colorado Judicial Branch, checked October 26, 2026.
Estimate and general information only — not legal advice. MediationList is a directory, not a law firm, and doesn’t endorse any mediator. Guidelines change; confirm with the official calculator (sources checked October 26, 2026). See also divorce laws in Colorado and child support in every state.
Sources
Colorado’s child support guideline, rules and official tools, read on the official sites, with the date we checked each.
- C.R.S. § 14-10-115 as applied in the Support Worksheet, JDF 1821 (R: March 1, 2026), Colorado Judicial Branch↩
- Calculating Payments (Colorado Department of Human Services, Child Support Services)↩
- Family Law Software (child support and maintenance calculator provided through the Colorado Judicial Branch)