When divorcing couples in Colorado have children, the court must determine each parent’s responsibility to contribute toward the children’s expenses, based on their parenting time schedule or custody and visitation arrangement. Child support is an amount of monetary support one parent must pay the other to contribute toward the expenses of raising children. The state uses guidelines to arrive at a presumptive amount of child support based on the number of children, the amount of time that each parent has…

Colorado family courts always place the best interests of a child as their highest priority. With that in mind, judges give careful consideration to child support orders and issue them to prevent children from suffering a significant change in their lifestyles and to keep one parent from bearing the brunt of the burden of providing for the children of a marriage or partnership. For this reason, it’s challenging to fight a court order for back child support. When circumstances drastically…

Colorado family courts work on the principle that all decisions made are in the best interests of the child, including child support orders. Typically, the courts decide and enforce matters of child support within the state, but what happens when a parent with a child support order moves out of the jurisdiction and into another state, muddying the court’s ability to enforce payments? Whether the parent moves due to a legitimate work opportunity, to fulfill family obligations, or they move…

Family court in Colorado always focuses on the best interests of the child, including ensuring that responsible parties contribute to the financial support and well-being of their children. The courts look unfavorably upon those who become delinquent or fail to make their required child support payments. The balance of owed child support does not disappear and may, in fact, accrue interest if it remains unpaid. Whether you are a child support payer or the payee, it’s important to understand the…

Colorado family law includes basic child support guidelines to determine payment based on the combined income of the parents plus any required adjustments. While most states end child support payments at age 18, or when a child graduates from high school, some states require the paying parent to continue paying child support until age 19. Colorado is one of those states. Why does Child Support End at 19 in Colorado? Colorado law requires the paying parent to continue past age…