In Colorado, Child Support is the right of the child. While a number of factors go into any determination of Child Support in your Colorado Family Law case, there is a basic recognition that both parents have a responsibility to provide for the financial needs of their children.
In a Dissolution of Marriage with Children case or an Allocation of Parental Responsibilities case, the Family Court will use the combined adjusted gross incomes of both parents to calculate the total income available to the children from both of their parents. Creating a proportional ration of incomes, a formula is used to calculate each parent’s expected contribution to the children’s financial needs.
Other factors can form a part of the calculation including each parent’s contributions toward their children’s health insurance premiums, work related child care expenses, and even a parent’s support obligations to children from another relationship. When the parenting time each parent has with the children is factored into the calculation, a child support amount is generated to be paid from one parent to another.
Parents can agree to deviate from the guideline child support amounts outlined at C.R.S. 14-10-115. The Court also has discretion to deviate upward or downward from the guideline amounts for good cause shown by either party, including parental hardship or a child’s extraordinary medical needs.
At Elevated Family Law, our Fort Collins Family Law Attorney is experienced in working with families on their Child Support cases. Contact us today for a free consultation.