- October 28, 2024
- Child Support
When going through a divorce, you may want to create space between yourself and your spouse. However, it’s important not to allow your children to suffer through that predicament, and the state of Colorado confirms that stance. The state believes that every child should maintain roughly the same standard of living they enjoyed before their parents got divorced. This means that both parents should continue to provide financial support for their children, within their means, until those children are emancipated.
How much is child support in Colorado? That question is usually one of the main sticking points when a couple gets divorced. Determining how much money each parent should devote to child support can result in months or even years of conflict.
What Colorado Law Says About Child Support
Unfortunately, Colorado law does not definitively state how much child support should be in Colorado. It provides guidelines that judges and attorneys can use to determine a fair value during a divorce, but the final decision is in the hands of a judge who must use their judgment to set a value. Two different judges facing the same facts might come to different reasonable conclusions.
The main factor for determining child support in Colorado is the simplest. Child support should be calculated based on what is in the best interests of the children involved. Each parent needs to balance their interests with the interests of their children. The courts will typically prioritize the needs of the children when possible.
Colorado child support laws instruct the judge to use the following factors when determining how much child support is fair:
- The financial resources of the child
- How much money and income you possess
- How much money and income your ex-spouse possesses
- The physical, emotional, and educational needs of your children
- The standard of living your children enjoyed while you were still married.
Typically, child support is paid by the noncustodial parent to the custodial parent. However, that arrangement may be more complicated when the parents share custody. The key point to remember is that your children should maintain roughly the same standard of living as before, regardless of which parent they are living with.
Thus, even if you are the primary custodial parent, you may have to pay child support to your ex-spouse so they can maintain a reasonable standard of living for your children while they live with them. Effectively, when necessary, the courts try to balance the resources that both parents can spend to provide a comfortable lifestyle for their children.
The primary goal of the court system is to support the best interests of the children of divorced parents and to help them maintain the standard of living they enjoyed before the divorce.
What This Means for You
When you asked, “How much is child support in Colorado?” you were probably hoping for a more straightforward answer. Fortunately, there is another answer that you may find more comforting. As a general rule of thumb, you and your ex-spouse will be spending approximately as much on child costs as you did before the divorce. The courts aren’t trying to bleed you dry. They just don’t want your children to be significantly financially worse off because of your divorce.
Thus, if your combined income before the divorce was $120,000 and you were spending approximately $30,000 on expenses related to your children, after the divorce you and your ex-spouse should be paying roughly the same total yearly on costs related to your children. It will just be more structured now and enforced by the court system.
Are you considering divorce in Colorado? Contact Price Family Law at 720-615-1750 to discuss child support in Colorado with our experienced lawyers.
How a Family Law Attorney in Colorado Can Help You Get Fair Child Support for Your Children
Typically, if you are the primary custodial parent for your children after a divorce, you are spending more out of pocket on their expenses than your ex-spouse. For example, you feed them every night and pay for the electricity that they use while at your home. You are also more likely to be paying for miscellaneous expenses like new clothing or lunch fees at school. The courts will seek to balance that disparity when appropriate.
If you and your ex-spouse have an equal income, then your spouse should be paying an equal amount toward child expenses. However, if you have disparate incomes, the amount your spouse pays you should be a ratio based on your respective incomes.
Our law firm can help you identify all expenses related to your children and determine the income ratio between you and your ex-spouse. We know what types of costs are related to children and can often help you identify expenses that you might not even realize you are footing.
Similarly, our attorneys know how to identify the true income of each parent. Noncustodial parents may try to hide income through creative accounting or by failing to divulge. Our legal team recognizes these tactics and will gather evidence to present to a judge to get your children fair child support.
Child Support Modification
It’s also important to consider how circumstances change over time. Your children are likely to incur more expenses as they get older and get involved in more activities or learn to drive a car. If these expenses change significantly enough, you can petition the court to modify the child support order.
You can also request a modification if your ex-spouse’s income significantly increases. Our lawyers will help you identify whether any changes in expenses or income qualify for a modification of the child support order. If changes in circumstances support a modification, we will help you get the modification with minimal difficulty.
Talk to Child Support Lawyers in Colorado Today
One of the biggest obstacles many people face before a divorce is concern about their finances after severing their marriage. If you are raising children, this issue is even more pressing.
The family law lawyers at Price Family Law can help alleviate your concerns about your financial situation after divorce. Our experienced lawyers will help you get fair child support that protects your children. Contact us at 720-615-1750 to schedule a free consultation.
