PROFESSIONAL CHILD SUPPORT ASSISTANCE IN TELLER COUNTY
Moran, Allen & Associates Family Law handles child support orders, modifications, and enforcement for Woodland Park and Teller County parents in the Fourth Judicial District. Call our Woodland Park office at (719) 686-7554 for a free consultation.
Key Takeaways
- Colorado calculates child support under statutory guidelines in C.R.S. § 14-10-115 using both parents' incomes, overnights, and child-related costs.
- The guidelines changed on March 1, 2026 under HB 25-1159. Calculators and articles published before that date may be wrong.
- Seasonal, self-employment, and tourism income common in Teller County require more documentation than a single pay stub.
- An existing order can be modified when the recalculated amount changes by at least 10 percent.
ON THIS PAGE
- How Colorado Calculates Child Support
- What Changed on March 1, 2026
- Income in Teller County
- Childcare, Health Insurance, and Extraordinary Expenses
- Why Overnights Matter
- Where Woodland Park Support Cases Are Filed
- Modifying a Support Order
- Enforcing a Support Order
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
HOW COLORADO CALCULATES CHILD SUPPORT
Colorado uses an income shares model. The guidelines in C.R.S. § 14-10-115 estimate what the parents would have spent on the child in an intact household, then divide that obligation between them in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes.
Both parents have a duty to support their children, regardless of marital status. The same statute governs support in a divorce, a legal separation, a parental responsibilities case between unmarried parents, and a later modification.
The calculation runs on one of two worksheets. Worksheet A applies when one parent has fewer than 93 overnights a year. Worksheet B applies when each parent has 93 or more overnights, and it reduces the obligation to reflect the costs each parent carries during their own time.
The Colorado Judicial Branch publishes a support calculator. It is only as good as its inputs. Wrong income, wrong overnights, or missing insurance and childcare figures produce a wrong number, and parents sometimes settle on that wrong number.
WHAT CHANGED ON MARCH 1, 2026
House Bill 25-1159, signed May 31, 2025 and effective March 1, 2026, revised Colorado's child support guidelines. Two changes matter to most Teller County families.
First, the guideline schedule now extends to a combined adjusted gross income of $40,000 per month, up from $30,000. Higher-earning households that previously fell above the schedule are now calculated inside it.
Second, the self-support reserve, the amount of income a low-earning parent keeps before support is calculated, is now tied to the state minimum wage rather than a fixed dollar figure. It adjusts as the minimum wage adjusts.
Orders entered before March 1, 2026 do not change automatically. A parent who believes the new guidelines would produce a materially different number can file to modify, subject to the 10 percent threshold discussed below. Any calculator or article you find online should show a date after March 1, 2026, or it is using the old schedule.
INCOME IN TELLER COUNTY
Gross income under the guidelines includes wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, overtime, self-employment income, rental income, and most other recurring sources. It is where most Woodland Park support disputes actually live.
Teller County incomes are often irregular. Construction and trades slow in winter. Tourism work concentrates in summer. Remote workers earn in one state and live in another. Small business owners report income after deductions that may or may not be legitimate for support purposes.
For a self-employed parent, the court looks at gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses. Depreciation, personal expenses run through the business, and aggressive deductions can be added back. Tax returns, profit and loss statements, and business bank records are the evidence that resolves the dispute.
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court can impute income based on what that parent could reasonably earn. The statute carves out exceptions, including a parent caring for a child under 24 months who is the subject of the case, and a parent enrolled in a qualifying education or training program.
CHILDCARE, HEALTH INSURANCE, AND EXTRAORDINARY EXPENSES
Three categories of cost are added to the basic obligation and divided between the parents by income share.
Work-related childcare includes daycare, before- and after-school care, and summer care needed so a parent can work or attend school. Woodland Park families often pay for care in Colorado Springs near a parent's workplace; the location does not matter, the receipts do.
Health insurance is counted at the cost of covering the child, not the whole family premium. Employer benefit statements that break out the child's portion are the cleanest evidence.
Extraordinary medical expenses are the uninsured costs above a threshold set by statute, including orthodontics, therapy, and treatment for chronic conditions. Extraordinary education and transportation costs can also be included when appropriate. Long drives over Ute Pass for parenting time are a transportation cost the court can consider.
WHY OVERNIGHTS MATTER
The overnight count is the second-largest driver of the support number after income. Crossing the 93-overnight line moves the case from Worksheet A to Worksheet B and can change the result significantly.
That creates a temptation to negotiate overnights for financial reasons. Courts recognize the tactic and it damages credibility. Build the schedule around the child and the realities of mountain travel, then calculate support from the schedule the child actually lives. Our Woodland Park child custody page covers how parenting time is decided.
WHERE WOODLAND PARK SUPPORT CASES ARE FILED
Support is decided inside a divorce, legal separation, or parental responsibilities case. For Woodland Park residents that case is usually filed in the Teller County Combined Court in Cripple Creek. Venue can lie in El Paso County when the other parent or the child's school is centered there.
Colorado Child Support Services, the state agency, can also establish and enforce support administratively. Agency cases move on the agency's schedule and rarely address the individualized income questions that Teller County families bring. Many parents use both: the agency for collection, private counsel for the calculation and any dispute.
MODIFYING A SUPPORT ORDER
A support order can be modified when there has been a substantial and continuing change in circumstances. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-122(1)(b), a change is presumed substantial when applying the guidelines to the current facts produces a number at least 10 percent different from the existing order.
Job loss, a raise, a change in overnights, a child aging out of daycare, and a change in insurance cost are the usual triggers. A modification is effective as of the date the motion is filed, not the date circumstances changed, so waiting has a cost. A parent who loses a job in January and files in June owes the full January amount for five months.
Do not reduce payments on your own. Until the court enters a new order, the old order controls and arrears accrue with interest. The Colorado Judicial Branch explains the modification process and forms.
ENFORCING A SUPPORT ORDER
When a parent does not pay, Colorado provides several remedies. An income assignment directs the employer to withhold support from wages. Contempt proceedings under C.R.C.P. 107 can result in fines, attorney fees, and in remedial contempt, incarceration until a purge amount is paid. Arrears accrue statutory interest, and Child Support Services can intercept tax refunds and suspend licenses.
Enforcement starts with a clean record. Keep the order, the payment ledger, bank records showing what was actually received, and every message about missed payments. Cash payments with no paper trail are the most common reason an enforcement case stalls.
If you are the parent accused of nonpayment, the answer is the same record in reverse: proof of what you paid, when, and how. If your income has dropped, file to modify rather than explain after the fact.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CHILD SUPPORT IN WOODLAND PARK
How Is Child Support Calculated in Colorado?
Under the income shares guidelines in C.R.S. § 14-10-115, using both parents' adjusted gross incomes, the number of overnights with each parent, work-related childcare, the child's health insurance cost, and extraordinary expenses. The guidelines were revised effective March 1, 2026.
Do I Still Need a Lawyer If We Agree on Parenting Time?
Parenting time is only one input. Income determination, especially for self-employed or seasonal earners, and the treatment of childcare and insurance costs are where agreed numbers most often turn out to be wrong.
Can Child Support Be Changed Later in Teller County?
Yes, when circumstances have changed substantially and continuously. A recalculation that moves the number by at least 10 percent is presumed to meet that standard. The change takes effect from the date the motion is filed.
What Documents Should I Bring to a Child Support Consultation?
Pay stubs, the last three years of tax returns, W-2s and 1099s, bank statements, childcare invoices, the health insurance premium breakdown for the child, records of extraordinary medical expenses, the current parenting plan, and any existing orders. Self-employed parents should bring business returns and profit and loss statements.
What If the Other Parent Is Hiding Income?
Discovery can reach bank records, business records, and third-party documents. Lifestyle evidence, deposits that exceed reported income, and expenses paid through a business all become relevant. This is the situation where representation changes the outcome most.
Does Child Support Cover College?
Generally no. Colorado support ends at age 19 unless the child is still in high school, in which case it continues until the end of the month after graduation, or unless the child is disabled. Parents can agree to fund college in a written agreement, but the court does not order it.
SOURCES
- Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 14, Domestic Matters (C.R.S. §§ 14-10-115, 14-10-122)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Calculate Support Payments
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Change Child Support
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Teller County Combined Court