The 411 on Child Support in Colorado

When it comes to matters involving children the controlling standard is "best interests of the child". This means the court will do whatever is in "the best interest of the child". The court will apply this standard in deciding parental responsibilities and parenting time. It should be noted that a domestic violence conviction by one party may have an impact on parenting time for that parent as there is a presumption -that may be rebutted- that a parent engaging in domestic violence is not in the best interest of the child. Parenting time plays a major role in deciding child support. Parenting time can be agreed upon by the parties and approved by the court or the court can determine parenting time based on the best interests of the child (usually after a recommendation by an independent court-appointed Child Family Investigator).

Child support comes down to how many overnights each parent has with the child, the income of the two parents (taking into consideration costs for healthcare, daycare, and other expenses for the child). In Colorado, there is a formula to calculate child support which can be done by each parent completing the Sworn Fnancial Affidavit and Child Support Worksheets. The resulting calculations will determine the amount of child support to be paid, if any, by either party.