How much child support can I get?

Laura E. Shapiro -

Going from a two-parent household to a one parent household can be a real challenge, especially financially. Children’s needs still have to be met, so Colorado requires the payment of child support.

If you are the custodial parent, you likely have a lot of questions about what this means for you. Such as:

How much can I collect?

When will support payments stop?

What if the payer refuses to make payments?

Zoomed in image of a dollar bill

How much can I collect?

There is a statutory formula in Colorado. The amount you can collect depends upon a number of factors. Some of these include:

  • The number of children requiring support;
  • Your income;
  • The other parent’s income;
  • Individual needs of each child;
  • The number of overnights each parent has.

In Colorado, both parents are responsible for providing for their children financially, so the court takes into account the gross income of both parents in addition to other sources of income when determining child support amount.

Duration of payments

State laws require parents to pay child support until their children reach 19 years of age unless earlier emancipated. Emancipation is defined by law.

Enforcement and getting maximum support

If you are not receiving payments from the non-custodial parent, there are enforcement options available to you. Your legal counsel can expand on this topic.

Some parents in Colorado are able to agree on child support arrangements without having to go to court. Others, however, depend on a judge to award support.

In either case, with the assistance of legal counsel, custodial parents can fight for the financial support that their children desperately need.

Laura E. Shapiro

Laura Shapiro is an award-winning Family Law Attorney with 40+ years of experience. Laura practices Family Law exclusively with her primary focus being divorce and child custody matters.

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