Colorado’s family courts prioritize a child’s best interests in all decisions, including upholding the fundamental understanding that parents have an obligation to support their children in addition to their protected parental rights. Because of rising costs of raising children, the state implemented changes to child support calculations in 2026. A professional child support attorney can help answer questions about the state’s changes in child support laws and how they impact your family.
In Colorado, “child custody” refers to which parent has decision-making authority for the child, while “parenting time” refers to physical custody of the child. When parents share custody, each parent must financially contribute to their child’s upbringing.
Colorado uses the Income Shares Model for calculating child support under Domestic Matters § 14-10-115. This model considers the total income of both parents and the parenting time allotted to each parent in the child custody agreement, or parenting time schedule. This schedule arises from the parents’ divorce settlement agreement in an uncontested divorce or an unmarried parents’ custody case, or through a judge’s decision in a disputed custody case.
Typically, the parent with more parenting time days receives child support from the parent with fewer parenting time days, but this may also depend on each parent’s income if there is a substantial discrepancy.
Prior to the update, the Colorado courts used two worksheets for child support calculations: worksheets A and B. Child Support Worksheet A applies when one parent has 92 or fewer parenting days per year, while Child Support Worksheet B applies when each parent has 93 or more parenting days per year.
The difference of one day under the previous worksheets dramatically changes the child support model, making one parent the primary parent even when both have nearly equal parenting time. Under the new guidelines, the courts use a single worksheet formula. This new model does the following:
The changes to Colorado’s child support calculation model do not impact existing child support orders. Instead, it applies only to cases filed after March 1, 2026, including both new child support orders and modification requests.
If you have a pending divorce in Denver or child custody case, understanding how the 2026 changes in child support laws impact your case is a crucial first step forward. Contact the Colorado child support attorneys at Ciancio Cianco Brown, P.C. to learn more about your parental rights and obligations under Colorado law.
