09/09/2026
Colorado Child Support Formula Overhaul Prompts Order Reviews
A significant overhaul of Colorado's child support guidelines that took effect earlier this year is prompting divorced and separated parents to review their existing support orders, as the changes substantially alter how parenting time affects child support obligations. Thomas N. Scheffel & Associates, P.C., operating as TNS Associates, a Denver-based law firm, said the new formula represents one of the most substantial changes to the state's child support calculation method in years.
Effective March 1, 2026, Colorado eliminated the previous 92-overnight threshold that determined whether a parent qualified for a shared parenting-time adjustment credit under the prior child support worksheets. Under the earlier system, a parent needed to reach at least 93 overnights per year before any adjustment was applied to their support obligation, creating an artificial cutoff that often produced substantially different support obligations based on only one additional overnight. The revised guidelines under Colorado Revised Statutes Section 14-10-115 now apply a proportional adjustment beginning with a parent's first overnight, replacing the prior all-or-nothing structure with a sliding scale. The revisions were intended to better align child support calculations with the actual costs parents incur during parenting time while reducing disputes created by the former 93-overnight threshold.
TNS Associates said the change also consolidated the separate worksheets previously used for sole custody and shared custody arrangements into a single unified calculation, along with expanding the guideline schedule from a combined monthly adjusted gross income of $30,000 to $40,000, allowing more higher-income families to remain within the presumptive guideline calculation. The firm noted that these changes can affect support amounts even for families whose parenting time arrangements have not changed, since the underlying formula used to calculate the obligation has been revised.
“Parents who have an existing support order should not assume that order is unaffected just because their parenting schedule hasn't changed,” said Thomas N. Scheffel, founder of TNS Associates. “The formula itself has changed, and for some families that could mean their existing order may differ materially from what Colorado's current guidelines would require.”
The firm said that existing child support orders entered before March 1, 2026, remain enforceable under their original terms unless a party files a motion to modify. Although existing child support orders remain enforceable unless modified by the court, the revised guidelines may provide the basis for a modification in cases where recalculating support under the current statute results in the requisite change under Colorado law.
Families with parenting schedules near the former 93-overnight threshold, as well as those exercising parenting time below that level, may experience some of the most significant changes because the new formula provides proportional credit beginning with the first overnight. The firm noted that because the new formula applies proportional credit starting from the first overnight, parents who previously received no adjustment at all due to falling short of the 93-overnight requirement may now be entitled to a reduction, while other parents may see their obligations increase under the unified worksheet.
The firm's family law attorneys assist clients with a range of matters including divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting time disputes, and modification of existing support and custody orders. TNS Associates said it is offering reviews of existing child support orders for clients who want to understand how the revised guidelines may affect their current arrangement, and noted that running calculations under both the old and new formulas can help parents determine whether pursuing a modification is likely to justify the expense and time involved in returning to court.
TNS Associates has represented clients in the Denver area since 1983, with a practice spanning family law, estate planning, probate administration, corporate and general business law, employment law, tax law, real estate law, criminal law, and elder law. The firm's attorneys, of counsel attorneys, and paralegals work directly with clients to develop legal strategies tailored to each client's specific goals and circumstances.
More information about TNS Associates' family law services is available at https://tnslaw.com/family-law-denver/
Individuals interested in scheduling a consultation can visit:
https://tnslaw.com/contact-us/
