Worked example: Alimony Child Support in Colorado

6 min read

Published April 15, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Example inputs

Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Alimony Child Support calculator.

Below is a worked example showing how DocketMath can calculate alimony and child support in Colorado (US-CO) using a jurisdiction-aware workflow. This example is for illustration only—not legal advice or a guarantee of how a court will rule in any specific case.

Scenario (Colorado)

We’ll model a divorce case in Colorado with these facts:

Filing date: 2025-01-15
County/venue: Not specified (DocketMath applies Colorado rules)
Children: 1 child

**Parent A (Payor)

Monthly gross income: $6,000
Parenting time: 80 overnights/year (roughly 22% of time)

**Parent B (Payee)

Monthly gross income: $3,600
Parenting time: 120 overnights/year (roughly 33% of time)

Child support guideline basis: uses Colorado’s guideline framework (income shares approach) as implemented in the tool.
Alimony intent: transitional/maintenance-style amount requested.
Alimony term constraint: none specified in the example (DocketMath supports duration/structure inputs; we’ll use a simple monthly amount).

Inputs to enter in DocketMath (Alimony + Child Support)

Use these example entries in the /tools/alimony-child-support calculator.

Child support inputs

Number of children: 1
Payor monthly gross income: 6,000
Payee monthly gross income: 3,600
Payor parenting time (overnights/year): 80
Payee parenting time (overnights/year): 120

Health insurance for the child

Monthly premium paid by payor: $0 (example keeps it simple)

Child care expenses

Monthly child care: $0

Alimony inputs

Request type (tool concept): Monthly alimony
Monthly alimony amount (starting assumption for the run): $600
Alimony start date (tool input): 2025-02-01
Alimony end date (tool input): 2026-02-01 (12 months)
Any alimony offset with child support: none entered (separate calculations in this example)

Note: In real cases, courts consider many additional variables (e.g., health insurance costs, childcare, deviation factors, and evidence of need). DocketMath helps structure the math using jurisdiction-aware rules—but your results depend heavily on the inputs you provide.

Example run

Let’s walk through an example DocketMath run and interpret the outputs.

Run the Alimony Child Support calculator using the example inputs above. Review the breakdown for intermediate steps (segments, adjustments, or rate changes) so you can see how each input moves the output. Save the result for reference and compare it to your actual scenario.

Step 1: Run the calculator with the example inputs

Open the tool here: /tools/alimony-child-support.

After entering the values above, DocketMath produces two main outputs:

Guideline child support (monthly)
Alimony schedule (monthly), then combined with child support totals for an overall view.

Step 2: What the combined output looks like (illustrative)

Assume the tool’s jurisdiction-aware implementation calculates:

Monthly guideline child support (Colorado): $1,050
Monthly alimony: $600
Total monthly support obligation (child + alimony): $1,650

Step 3: How the tool structures time-based results

Because we entered:

Alimony start: 2025-02-01
Alimony end: 2026-02-01

DocketMath will typically show a timeline like:

Feb 2025 through Jan 2026:
- Child support: $1,050/month
- Alimony: $600/month
- Total: $1,650/month
From Feb 2026 onward (alimony ended):
- Child support: $1,050/month
- Alimony: $0
- Total: $1,050/month

Step 4: Interpret the “shape” of the result

In this example:

Child support stays constant (because we didn’t change guideline inputs across time).
Alimony drops to zero after the end date, so the combined total decreases after the term.

A helpful way to think about it:

Period	Child support	Alimony	Total
Feb 2025 – Jan 2026	$1,050	$600	$1,650
Feb 2026+	$1,050	$0	$1,050

Warning: Parenting-time inputs can shift child support calculations. If your overnights estimate changes, the guideline child support number may change, which then changes the combined monthly total.

Sensitivity check

Now let’s stress-test the result with targeted “what if” variations. The goal is to show which inputs move the numbers the most in DocketMath.

To test sensitivity, change one high-impact input (like the rate, start date, or cap) and rerun the calculation. Compare the outputs side by side so you can see how small input shifts affect the result.

1) Parenting time change: 80 → 100 overnights/year for Parent A

In the baseline, Parent A had 80 overnights/year. Suppose it becomes 100 due to a revised schedule.

Expected effect in a guideline model

Parent A has more time with the child.
That generally reduces the imbalance used in guideline computations.
Result: child support often decreases (alimony in this example remains unchanged).

**Illustrative outcome (example only)

Child support: $950 (down from $1,050)
Alimony: still $600
New total: $1,550/month (instead of $1,650)

Checklist for this variation:

2) Income change: Payor income $6,000 → $6,500/month

Next, suppose Parent A’s gross monthly income increases from $6,000 to $6,500.

Expected effect

Higher payor income often increases the guideline child support obligation.
Alimony may also be affected in real life, but in DocketMath this depends on whether you model alimony as a fixed monthly amount versus another structure you update.

Illustrative outcome

Child support: $1,150 (up from $1,050)
Alimony: $600 (unchanged in this illustrative run)
New total: $1,750/month

Checklist:

Pitfall: Don’t change only one field and assume everything else is “already aligned.” If you update incomes, you may also need to revisit the alimony inputs (e.g., the monthly amount you entered, term, or structure).

3) Alimony term change: end date extended by 6 months

Finally, keep incomes and parenting time constant, but extend alimony from:

2026-02-01 → 2026-08-01 (adds 6 more months)