Child Support by StateState guideline estimators

Colorado · income shares

Colorado child support calculator

Colorado child support is each parent’s share of a basic obligation from the 2026 schedule, reduced by a parenting time credit for every overnight; the parent with the larger amount pays the difference. With incomes of $6,000 and $4,000 a month, one child and 80 overnights with the higher earner, that is about $670.55 a month.

Child Support by State editorial teamUpdated 6 sources

C.R.S. § 14-10-115 · new guidelines since Mar 1, 2026

Colorado child support calculator

C.R.S. § 14-10-115 as reenacted for orders from March 1, 2026: interpolated schedule, parenting time credit from the first overnight, self-support reserve.

Parent A and Parent B are just labels. The parent whose worksheet amount is larger pays the difference.

Children in this case
Monthly gross incomeAll sources; self-employment net of ordinary expenses; overtime only if required by the job (§ 14-10-115(5)).
of 365
Health insurance, child care and other children
Child support or maintenance paid to othersMonthly amounts actually paid under earlier orders.
Other children living in this parent’s home75% of the schedule amount for them, on this parent’s income alone, is subtracted.
Work-related child careMonthly, after the federal child care credit, in the column of the parent who pays.
Health insurance premium for these childrenThe children’s portion, in the column of the parent who pays.

Example

Estimated guideline child support

$670.55per month

Parent B pays Parent A · about $155 a week

Worksheet

  1. 01Combined monthly adjusted gross income$10,000.00
  2. 02Basic obligation, 1 child (interpolated)$1,350.00
  3. 03Parent A: share 40.0%, minus 89.67% parenting time credit$55.78
  4. 04Parent B: share 60.0%, minus 10.33% parenting time credit$726.33
  5. 05Guideline child support$670.55

Estimate under C.R.S. § 14-10-115 (2026) and the JDF 1821 worksheet. The court can deviate with findings. The Judicial Branch links Family Law Software as its calculator.

Schedule § 14-10-115(7)(b), interpolated between $50 rows; above $40,000 the top row as a floor. Each parent’s share × (1 − their parenting time credit % from table (8)(h)); child care and the children’s insurance shared by income. Low income: self-support reserve $1,831.83 (2026 minimum wage $15.16 × 29 h × 50 weeks ÷ 12); $10 order at $650 or less; reduced amounts $50–$150; caps of 10% and 20% of income.

Try a common case:1 child · $6,000 + $4,000/mo2 children · $5,000 + $3,000/mo3 children · $9,000 + $5,000/moEqual time · 1 child · $6,000 + $4,000

How we checked it. Schedule (800 rows) and parenting time table (367 entries) identical in CRS 2026 and HB 25-1159; the two credits always sum to 100%.

Known limits. How the low-income rules combine with shared time is not spelled out in the statute.

Rules: New schedule since Mar. 1, 2026 · Last checked November 13, 2026 · Download the official table (CSV)

How the Colorado child support calculator works

This Colorado child support calculator follows C.R.S. § 14-10-115 as repealed and reenacted by HB 25-1159 for orders from March 1, 2026, and the single JDF 1821 worksheet that replaced Worksheets A and B.[1][2][3]

  1. Gross income from all sources; overtime counts only if the job requires it.
  2. Adjusted gross income: subtract support and maintenance paid under earlier orders and 75% of the schedule amount for other children living in the home.
  3. Basic obligation: the schedule amount for combined income, interpolated between $50 rows.
  4. Parenting time credit: each parent’s share is reduced by their credit percentage from the statutory table.
  5. Expenses: child care and the children’s insurance are shared by income; whoever pays more than their share is credited.
  6. Low-income checks for the paying parent, then the larger worksheet amount pays the difference.[1]

The 2026 schedule

The new schedule covers combined monthly adjusted gross income from $50 to $40,000; amounts between rows are interpolated, and above $40,000 support may not be less than the top amount.[1][2]

Selected rows of the § 14-10-115(7)(b) schedule (monthly, effective March 1, 2026)
Combined adjusted gross income1 child2 children3 children4 children
$2,000$401$611$739$825
$4,000$762$1,161$1,403$1,567
$6,000$1,060$1,599$1,916$2,140
$8,000$1,209$1,808$2,147$2,398
$10,000$1,350$2,001$2,352$2,628
$15,000$1,767$2,597$3,026$3,380
$20,000$2,152$3,136$3,622$4,046

Parenting time credit from the first overnight

Colorado no longer waits for 93 overnights: since March 1, 2026, each parent’s share is reduced by a credit percentage from a table that starts at the first overnight and reaches 50% at equal time.[1][2]

One child, gross incomes $6,000 (Parent B) and $4,000: credit and monthly support by Parent B’s overnights
Parent B’s overnightsParent B’s creditEstimated support
00.00%$810.00
525.27%$738.86
8010.33%$670.55
10015.37%$602.51
14632.32%$373.68
182.550.00%$135.00

The two parents’ credits always add up to 100%, so the net payment equals the basic obligation times the paying parent’s income share minus their credit percentage.[3]

Low-income rules and the self-support reserve

The self-support reserve is the state minimum wage × 29 hours × 50 weeks ÷ 12, which is $1,831.83 a month with the 2026 minimum wage of $15.16.[1][4]

  • Paying parent’s income of $650 or less: an order of $10 a month.
  • Above $650 up to the reserve: a reduced basic amount of $50 for one child to $150 for six, with the total capped at 10% of income.
  • Above the reserve: 80% to 95% of income above the reserve, if that is less than the schedule amount; up to full-time minimum-wage income, the total is capped at 20% of income.[1]

Expenses and deviations

Work-related child care (after the federal credit), the children’s share of health insurance, extraordinary medical costs and some school and transportation costs are divided by income share.[1] The court can deviate with findings, for example when actual parenting time differs from the order or when incomes are very unequal.

Official Colorado resources

The Judicial Branch publishes the JDF 1821 worksheet and links a free edition of Family Law Software as its calculator, and the Division of Child Support Services explains how payments are calculated.[5][6]

Utah and Arkansas still use a threshold for shared time (Utah child support calculator, Arkansas child support calculator), while Georgia and Minnesota also count every overnight (MN child support calculator).

An estimate, not an order. The court decides the amount. Not legal advice; see our legal disclaimer.

Frequently asked questions

What changed in Colorado child support in 2026?

From March 1, 2026: a new schedule up to $40,000 a month, a parenting time credit from the first overnight instead of the old 93-overnight shared care rule, and new low-income rules with a self-support reserve.

How much is child support in Colorado for one child?

At $10,000 of combined income the schedule gives $1,350 a month for one child, divided by income share and reduced by each parent’s parenting time credit.

What is the minimum child support in Colorado?

$10 a month when the paying parent’s income is $650 or less; reduced amounts of $50 to $150 apply up to the self-support reserve.

Does every overnight count in Colorado?

Yes, since March 1, 2026. The parenting time credit table starts at one overnight and reaches 50% at equal time.

Sources

  1. C.R.S. § 14-10-115, Child support guidelines (Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14) · Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services, CRS 2026
  2. HB 25-1159, Child support guidelines (Session Laws 2025, ch. 334) · Colorado General Assembly, approved May 31, 2025; effective March 1, 2026
  3. JDF 1821, Support Worksheet for Child and Spousal Support · Colorado Judicial Branch, revised March 1, 2026
  4. COMPS Order #40: Colorado minimum wage $15.16 in 2026 · Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, effective January 1, 2026
  5. Calculate Support Payments · Colorado Judicial Branch, checked November 13, 2026
  6. Calculating Payments · Colorado Division of Child Support Services, checked November 13, 2026