Denver Child Support Lawyer

A Denver Child Support Attorney Who Will Fight For Your Family

Child support matters can be stressful and emotional, impacting both your financial stability and your child’s well-being. At Philip Goldberg PC, we bring years of experience to families across Denver who are facing these difficult challenges. Whether you need support to provide for your child’s needs or you want to make sure you are not paying more than the law requires, our attorneys are here to protect your rights and guide you through the process.

As experienced Denver child support lawyers, we understand how courts calculate support, what factors they consider, and how to advocate for fair results. From establishing new orders to modifying existing ones or enforcing payments, we stand beside parents at every stage of the process.

If you are dealing with a child support issue, contact Philip Goldberg PC today to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help.

Contact us to schedule a consultation.

Denver, Colorado Child Support Guidelines

Child Support

In Denver and throughout Colorado, courts may order a parent to pay child support in divorce or legal separation cases, in parentage or allocation of parental responsibilities matters, or through the state Child Support Services process. Support can be ordered whether parents share joint parenting time or if one parent has primary custody.

The purpose of these guidelines is to make sure that children continue to receive the financial resources they need to grow and thrive, regardless of their parents’ living arrangements.

The guidelines are designed to provide consistent, fair results. When determining support, courts look at:

  • The needs of the child, including education, healthcare, and everyday living expenses
  • The amount of time the child spends with each parent
  • The financial circumstances of both parents, including income and ability to earn

While the guidelines provide a structured starting point, every case is unique. Small details, such as changes in income, shifts in parenting schedules, or unexpected expenses, can make a big difference in the outcome. Working with an experienced law firm and a Denver child support attorney can help you understand how the guidelines apply to your case and give you an advocate to present your financial picture accurately.

If you are facing a child support issue, whether it’s establishing, modifying, or enforcing an order, contact us to schedule a consultation.

How Is Child Support Determined in Denver, Colorado?

The court typically determines the child support obligation using a statutory formula. This formula is intended to balance financial responsibility between parents and provide for the child’s needs.

The child support formula includes:

  • Each parent’s gross monthly income
  • The number of overnights the child spends with each parent during the year

  • Child care costs

  • Healthcare costs and other medical expenses for the child
  • Any income earned by the child
  • Any extraordinary expenses incurred for the child
  • Other relevant factors unique to the family

Although the formula provides a presumptive number, courts may deviate from it if strictly applying the guidelines would be unfair or inappropriate. Judges must state their reasons for any deviation, which could include unusually high expenses or special circumstances.

Because small financial details can have a big impact on the agreement, it’s important to work with a Denver, Colorado child support attorney who can review your situation, advocate for accurate calculations, and protect your financial interests.

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How Does the Court Determine the Duration of Child Support?

In most cases, child support in Colorado lasts until the child turns 19. However, there are important exceptions:

  • Early termination may occur if a child marries, enters a civil union, enlists in the military before age 19, or is otherwise legally emancipated.
  • Extension past age 19 may be ordered if the child is still in high school (support continues through the end of the month after graduation and can extend up to age 21).
  • Support may also continue beyond 19 if the child has a mental or physical disability that prevents independent living.

Because family circumstances often change, parents sometimes need to request a modification to either shorten or extend support. A child support attorney can help you understand how long support is likely to last in your situation and guide you through the process of requesting a change when needed.

Denver Child Support Case FAQs

It depends on the custody support case and the reason for not working. A parent cannot get out of paying child support by refusing to work. If the parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court may calculate child support based on that parent’s potential income.

The court does not typically consider a parent voluntarily unemployed or underemployed if they are physically or mentally incapacitated, caring for a child under age 24 months, incarcerated for 180 days or more, or their employment is a good-faith career choice that is not intended to deprive the child of support and does not unreasonably reduce the support available to the child. A child support lawyer can help evaluate whether a parent’s employment status is likely to impact their child support calculation.

The court typically provides for the child’s current and future medical needs by ordering either parent or both parents to initiate medical or medical and dental insurance coverage for the child through currently effective medical or medical and dental insurance policies held by the parent or parents, purchase medical or medical and dental insurance for the child, or provide for the child’s current and future medical needs through some other manner.

In addition to insurance coverage, courts may also divide responsibility for out-of-pocket expenses such as co-pays, prescriptions, or specialized treatments. These costs are usually allocated between parents in proportion to their incomes. Because medical expenses can add up quickly, it is important to have a clear order that outlines each parent’s responsibilities. Your child support attorney can help make sure that both insurance coverage and uncovered medical costs are properly addressed in your support order.

No. Colorado law does not require the recipient parent to account for how they spend child support payments. The law presumes that payments go toward the child’s basic needs, such as food, clothing, housing, transportation, school expenses, and other essentials.

If you have concerns that support isn’t being used appropriately, speak with your child support attorney; they can explain what legal options exist and whether further court action is necessary.

If a parent refuses to pay child support, Colorado law provides child support enforcement mechanisms to assist the recipient in collecting delinquent payments and ensuring receipt of future payments. These mechanisms may include:

Income Assignment – The court orders the payer’s employer to direct child support payments directly to the recipient.

Contempt Proceedings – Colorado law provides for both remedial and punitive contempt. Under remedial contempt, the payer may purge the contempt by complying with the court’s orders. Under punitive contempt, the court may order sanctions and, in some circumstances, incarceration.

Judgment Remedies – Periodic child support payments become final judgments when left unpaid after the due date. The judgment gives the recipient the right to pursue collection proceedings against the payor, including interest on the past due payments.

Security – The recipient may request the court to order the payer to post security, bond, or other form of guarantee to secure payment of child support.

Additional Remedies – The county child support enforcement agencies work to protect the child’s right to receive support. These remedies may include intercepting funds from a variety of sources.

Child support lawyers help parents navigate the entire support process, all the way from setting a new order to modifying or enforcing an existing one. They explain how the guidelines apply to your situation, gather and organize the right financial documents, and prepare the support worksheets so income, parenting time, childcare, and medical costs are counted correctly. They also negotiate terms (like appropriate deviations from the statutory calculation or how uninsured medical expenses are split), represent you in mediation or court, and pursue enforcement if payments are missed. If circumstances change, such as a job loss, a new parenting schedule, or increased expenses, child support lawyers file and argue for a modification so your order matches your family’s current circumstances and the child’s needs.

Child Support Attorneys Ready For Your Case

The child support attorneys at Philip Goldberg PC have extensive experience litigating child support issues. If you are facing a child support issue, contact us to schedule a consultation.