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Colorado child support after HB 25-1159: the 2026 schedule and the credit for every overnight

Colorado rewrote its child support math on March 1, 2026. The old rule gave no credit for parenting time until a parent reached 93 overnights a year, then switched to a separate shared-care worksheet. Under HB 25-1159 there is one worksheet, a new schedule that reaches $40,000 of combined income, and a statutory table that turns every single overnight into a credit.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on each parent's monthly adjusted gross income, C.R.S. 14-10-115
Current scheduleIn effect since March 1, 2026 (HB 25-1159); combined incomes up to $40,000 a month, interpolated between rows
Parenting timeCredit for every overnight from the Parenting Time Table in 14-10-115(8)(h); no 93-night threshold, no 1.5 multiplier
Low income$10 minimum order at $650 or less; reduced amounts up to the self-support reserve; a 20% cap up to full-time minimum wage
WorksheetJDF 1821 Support Worksheet, one form for every parenting arrangement
Support endsAt 19, or the end of the month after high school graduation if the child is still in school (not past 21 after re-enrolling)
ModificationSubstantial and continuing change; a recalculation under 10% different does not qualify

Line by line on the JDF 1821 Support Worksheet

Line 1 is gross income from almost any source: salaries, wages and reported tips, commissions, bonuses, self-employment and independent contractor income, dividends, interest, rents, royalties, pensions, Social Security, workers' compensation and unemployment. Maintenance received from the other parent is added and maintenance paid is subtracted, along with ordered child support paid for other children and an allowance for other children the parent is legally responsible for. The result is monthly adjusted gross income, and each parent's percentage of the combined total drives the rest of the form.

Line 4 is the basic combined obligation from the schedule in 14-10-115(7)(b), interpolated when income falls between rows. Each parent's share of it (line 5) is then reduced by a shared parenting time adjustment: the basic obligation times that parent's credit percentage from the statutory Parenting Time Table (lines 5a to 5c). Child care, health insurance and extraordinary expenses are added in section B and split by income share, with credit for what each parent pays directly. The parent with the larger amount on line 12 pays the difference, but never more than they would owe with no overnights at all.

Above $40,000 of combined monthly income, the judge has discretion, but the basic obligation can be no lower than the amount at the top of the schedule. For two children, the $40,000 row lists $4,992.

Worked example: Colorado

  1. Parent A's monthly adjusted gross income is $6,000 and Parent B's is $4,000, so line 2 shows $10,000 combined.
  2. The 2026 schedule lists $2,001 for two children at $10,000 (line 4).
  3. Line 5 splits it by income: Parent A 60% ($1,201), Parent B 40% ($800).
  4. With zero overnights, Parent A would owe the full share: $1,201 a month, or $14,412 a year, before child care and insurance.
  5. With 120 overnights a year, the table gives Parent A a 21.81% credit on the basic obligation, and Parent B's 78.19% credit wipes out Parent B's share. Parent A then pays about $764 a month, $436 less than with no overnights.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Figures are rounded to the dollar and leave out the insurance, childcare, and other adjustments your case may have. Try your own numbers in CoreParent's calculator, then confirm with the state's official calculator.

The Parenting Time Table: what each overnight is worth

The table in 14-10-115(8)(h) lists a credit percentage for every overnight count from 0 to 365. It rises slowly at first (73 overnights is 8.87%, 92 is 13.19%) and faster near the middle (146 overnights is 32.32%, 182.5 is exactly 50%), and the two parents' percentages always add up to 100%. When children have different schedules, the overnights are averaged across the children on the worksheet. Split care, where each parent has a different child most of the time, now runs through the same averaging instead of separate worksheets.

At exactly equal time each parent's credit is half the basic obligation, so the higher earner's payment shrinks to their share above 50%: about $200 a month in the example. CoreParent's calculator treats a parent whose credit is larger than their share as owing nothing on that line, which is what keeps every overnight meaningful; check the official worksheet for your own case. The old 1.5 multiplier and the separate shared-care and split-care worksheets are gone.

Child care, insurance, and extraordinary medical costs

Net child care costs for a parent's job, job search or education are added to the obligation and split by income. Net means actual cost minus the value of the federal child care tax credit, and the amount cannot exceed what quality licensed care would cost. The court must also provide for the children's medical needs, usually by ordering one or both parents to carry medical or dental coverage; only the children's portion of the premium goes on the worksheet, and a stepparent's coverage earns the same credit. Uninsured costs above $250 per child per year (copays, deductibles, prescriptions, orthodontia, therapy, vision care and the like) are extraordinary medical expenses shared by income, either as an ongoing worksheet line when they are consistent or by reimbursement when they are not.

Low-income steps and the self-support reserve

Colorado's self-support reserve equals the state hourly minimum wage times 29 hours a week times 50 weeks, divided by 12. If the paying parent's adjusted gross income is $650 a month or less, the order is a $10 minimum. Between $650 and 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, and with add-ons it is capped at 10% of income. Above the reserve, the obligation is limited to a percentage of income over the reserve (80% for one child up to 95% for six or more), and up to full-time minimum wage earnings the final order cannot exceed 20% of the parent's income. None of these steps can leave a parent with shared time owing more than they would with no overnights.

Emancipation at 19 and changing an order

For orders entered since July 1, 1997, support ends automatically when the last child turns 19, without anyone filing a motion. If the child is still in high school, support continues to the end of the month after graduation; a child who drops out and re-enrolls is covered again until graduation but not past 21. A concurrent enrollment program does not count as an equivalent program, so a child in one is emancipated after meeting the minimum high school graduation requirements. Marriage or active military duty emancipates a child, support can continue for a child with a disability, and parents can agree in writing to support beyond 19 or to college costs.

An order can be modified only for installments after the motion is filed and only on a substantial and continuing change; if the guidelines applied to current circumstances would change support by less than 10%, that is not enough. A missing medical support provision is its own ground. Through the county child support offices of Colorado Child Support Services, a parent can ask for a review in writing with an Income and Expense Affidavit, including when three years have passed since the last review; the process can take up to six months. Past-due support accrues interest at two percentage points above Colorado's statutory rate, compounded annually, though the court can disallow it for good cause.

Documents you will need

Colorado child support FAQ

What changed in Colorado child support in 2026?

HB 25-1159 took effect March 1, 2026: a new schedule up to $40,000 of combined income, a parenting time credit for every overnight from a statutory table (replacing the 93-overnight threshold and the 1.5 multiplier), a new self-support reserve tied to minimum wage, and one worksheet, JDF 1821.

Is the 93 overnight rule gone in Colorado?

Yes. Since March 1, 2026, every overnight earns credit. In our example, 120 overnights lowers Parent A's payment from $1,201 to about $764 a month.

How much is child support with 50/50 custody in Colorado?

With 182.5 overnights each, both parents get a 50% credit, so the higher earner pays roughly their income share above half of the basic obligation. With a 60/40 income split, that is about $200 a month in our example, before child care and insurance.

At what age does child support end in Colorado?

At 19, automatically, for orders since July 1997. If the child is still in high school, it runs to the end of the month after graduation, and support can continue past 19 for a child with a disability or by written agreement.

How much does income have to change to modify child support in Colorado?

The recalculated support must differ by at least 10% from the current order; a smaller change is not considered substantial and continuing. The new amount applies only from the date the motion is filed.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

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This is general educational information, not legal advice, and official figures change. Last verified: October 2026. Consult a licensed family-law attorney in Colorado.