By Genet T. Johnson, Esq., Founder, Johnson Law Group | Updated September 2026
Colorado changed how it calculates child support on March 1, 2026. Under the new formula, parenting-time credit begins with the first overnight rather than after a 92-overnight threshold. A parent who previously received nothing for regular time with their children now receives credit scaled to the nights they actually have.
That change comes from House Bill 25-1159, which rewrote C.R.S. § 14-10-115. If you already have a Colorado support order, it did not change on its own, but running your case under the current guidelines may give you grounds to ask the court for a modification.
What Changed on March 1, 2026?
Governor Polis signed HB 25-1159 in May 2025, and the calculation provisions took effect on March 1, 2026. The bill implemented recommendations from Colorado’s child support commission, and the full bill summary is available from the Colorado General Assembly.
Four changes matter most to the average family.
The Shared Parenting Time Threshold Was Eliminated
The old definition of shared physical care required each parent to keep the children for more than 92 overnights a year, so 93 was the first night that counted. The statute now defines shared physical care as each parent keeping the children for at least one overnight each year.
The Old Shared-Care Math Is Gone
Colorado previously multiplied the basic obligation by 1.5, then ran an offset based on each parent’s share of overnights.
The statute now takes the basic obligation from the schedule, divides it between the parents in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes, and then applies a parenting-time credit drawn from a table in subsection (8)(h).
The Income Schedule Was Extended
The guidelines now run to $40,000 in combined monthly adjusted gross income, up from $30,000.
Above the top of the schedule, the judge may use discretion, but the presumptive basic obligation cannot be lower than the amount based on the schedule’s highest income level.
A Self-Support Reserve Was Added
This is a formula rather than a fixed dollar amount: the state hourly minimum wage multiplied by 29 hours per week, multiplied by 50 weeks, divided by 12 months.
Colorado’s 2026 minimum wage is $15.16 per hour, which puts the reserve near $1,831.83 per month, and that figure moves each January as the minimum wage adjusts for inflation.
How Does the Overnight Credit Work Now?
The statute assigns a credit percentage to each overnight count in a table at subsection (8)(h). Each parent’s parenting-time credit is the total basic child support obligation multiplied by that parent’s percentage, and the credit is deducted from that parent’s share of the obligation.
How Much Is Each Overnight Worth?
The table shows how much the structure changed. A single overnight is worth 0.07 percent, and an even split at 182.5 overnights is worth exactly 50 percent.
Ninety-two overnights, the old cutoff, is worth 13.19 percent, and ninety-three is worth 13.45 percent, so what used to be a cliff is now a step of about a quarter of a percentage point.
The New Formula Has a Guardrail
The statute also builds in a guardrail worth knowing about. The amount a parent with shared physical care owes cannot exceed what that same parent would owe with no overnights.
Having more parenting time cannot increase your support obligation.
Different Overnight Schedules Can Affect the Calculation
When the children in a case have different overnight schedules from one another, the statute adds the overnights for each child and divides by the number of children.
That makes accurate record-keeping more important than it used to be, because the count now drives the math at every level rather than only at a single threshold.
Does the New Law Change My Existing Order?
No. The enactment of HB 25-1159 does not automatically change an existing support order.
The new guidelines apply to orders entered or modified on or after March 1, 2026, so a parent who wants the benefit of the new formula has to either reach agreement with the other parent or file a motion to modify.
When Can You Ask for a Modification?
A parent seeking modification generally must proceed under C.R.S. § 14-10-122, including its substantial-and-continuing-change standard.
The statute provides that a recalculation producing less than a ten percent change in the monthly amount is deemed not to be a substantial and continuing change of circumstances.
A change of ten percent or more can create a rebuttable presumption supporting modification, but it is not an automatic guarantee that the court will modify the order. Because the calculation now depends so heavily on an accurate overnight count and current income figures for both households, families weighing whether to file often find it worth getting a Johnson Law Group case-specific read on the numbers before committing to a motion — running both the old and new calculations side by side is usually the fastest way to know whether the ten percent threshold is realistically in reach.
When Does Modified Support Begin?
Two practical points follow.
What matters is your specific case recalculated under the current guidelines, not the fact that the law changed in the abstract.
Modified support runs from the date the motion is filed rather than from the date the new guidelines took effect.
Who Is Most Likely to See a Different Number?
Parents who had real parenting time but sat below the old cutoff tend to benefit most, particularly those in the 60 to 90 overnight range who previously received no credit for it.
Parents at or near an even split may also see movement, since removing the 1.5 multiplier changed the shared-care calculation across the board.
Higher-Income Parents
Higher earners between $30,000 and $40,000 in combined monthly income now fall inside the schedule for the first time.
Lower-Income Parents
Lower-income parents are affected by the self-support reserve, the $10 monthly minimum order, and the reduced low-income amounts that apply when an obligor’s adjusted gross income sits at or below the reserve but above $650 per month. For a sense of how another state recently handled a comparable guideline update, this overview of how Pennsylvania calculates child support in 2026 shows a similar pattern — a raised self-support reserve alongside an unchanged income cap.
What to Do Before You File
Start by counting overnights accurately for the past twelve months, using a calendar rather than an estimate.
Then gather current income documentation for both households, including pay stubs, recent tax returns, and figures for work-related child care and health insurance premiums.
Those inputs drive the calculation as much as the overnight count does.
Run the Numbers Before Deciding
Run the numbers before deciding anything. A modification reopens the full calculation, not only the piece that favors you, so a parent whose income has risen since the original order may find the new formula produces a higher obligation rather than a lower one. The judicial department publishes the official guideline worksheets, and most family law attorneys will model both scenarios during an initial consultation. For a broader look at how modification requests are typically evaluated once filed, see this overview of the role child support lawyers play in a modification.
What the Change Does Not Do
The new guidelines do not alter your parenting time schedule.
Parenting time and support are decided under different legal standards, so changing one does not automatically change the other.
Overnight counts do feed directly into the support calculation, but a support modification is not a route to more parenting time.
Emancipation Rules Remain in Place
The calculation changes also leave Colorado’s basic age-19 emancipation rule in place, along with the provision continuing support until the end of the month following high school graduation.
HB 25-1159 did make one separate change here: a concurrent enrollment program does not qualify as an equivalent program, and a child participating in one is emancipated once the child completes the local education provider’s minimum high school graduation requirements.
Existing Arrears Are Not Erased
Existing arrears are not erased because the formula changed.
If past-due support is part of your situation, address it directly rather than assuming a modification resolves it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to do anything if I like my current support order?
No. Nothing changes automatically, and no action is required if neither parent wants to revisit the order.
Can the other parent force a recalculation I don’t want?
Either parent can file a motion to modify, and the court will apply the substantial-and-continuing-change standard to whatever the recalculation produces — not just the outcome one side prefers.
Does this affect child support orders from other states?
No. HB 25-1159 only amends Colorado’s guideline statute; an order issued under another state’s guidelines is governed by that state’s law unless jurisdiction is properly transferred to Colorado.
Authorities & Sources
- House Bill 25-1159 (2025), enrolled version — Colorado General Assembly
- C.R.S. § 14-10-115 — Child Support Guidelines
- C.R.S. § 14-10-122 — Modification of Child Support Orders
Disclaimer
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Colorado child support guidelines are fact-specific, subject to periodic amendment, and applied differently depending on each family’s income, parenting schedule, and case history. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. Anyone considering a modification should consult a licensed Colorado family law attorney about their specific order and current figures.
