How to Modify Child Support in Colorado
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Colorado · Last updated September 21, 2026
In Colorado, a child support modification is a court order changing the amount of an existing child support order, and the state applies a clear numeric test: when the guideline is recalculated on current facts, a change of at least ten percent in the monthly amount due is deemed a substantial and continuing change (C.R.S. 14-10-122). Colorado sets support with an income shares guideline that combines both parents' adjusted gross incomes and their parenting time (C.R.S. 14-10-115), so a real change in income, work-related child care, or the parenting schedule can move the number past that ten percent line. You can seek a change in two ways. You can file a Motion to Modify Child Support (Form JDF 1403) with the district court that handles your case, or, if a county child support office manages your case, you can ask Colorado Child Support Services for a review and adjustment. A change applies only to installments that come due after you file your motion, so support that already came due cannot be reduced (C.R.S. 14-10-122). If it has been about three years since your last review, you can generally request one even without a large change. Keep paying your current order until the court changes it. Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Find out where you stand in Colorado
Where are you with changing your child support order?
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How do I modify child support in Colorado?
File a Motion to Modify Child Support (Form JDF 1403) with the district court that issued your order, or ask your county child support office for a review. You must show a substantial and continuing change; a recalculation of at least a ten percent change in the monthly amount qualifies (C.R.S. 14-10-122).
How much does support have to change to modify child support in Colorado?
Colorado uses a ten percent test. When the guideline is recalculated on current income and parenting time, a change of at least ten percent in the monthly amount due is deemed a substantial and continuing change (C.R.S. 14-10-122). A change under ten percent generally is not enough by itself.
How far back can a child support change go in Colorado?
A modification reaches only installments that come due after you file your motion, not earlier ones (C.R.S. 14-10-122). Support that already came due cannot be reduced, so filing promptly protects you. Keep paying the current order until a judge signs a new one.
Which court handles child support modifications in Colorado?
The district court in the county where your existing order sits handles modifications, usually on the domestic relations docket. If a county child support office manages your case, you can also ask Colorado Child Support Services for a review and adjustment without starting in court. Both use the state guideline.
Colorado child support modification at a glance
In Colorado, a child support modification is a court or agency changing the amount of an existing support order after circumstances change, and the state applies a numeric trigger. When the guideline in C.R.S. 14-10-115 is recalculated on current facts, a change of at least ten percent in the monthly amount due is deemed a substantial and continuing change (C.R.S. 14-10-122). Support uses an income shares model tied to both parents' adjusted gross incomes and parenting time. You file a Motion to Modify Child Support (Form JDF 1403) in the district court, or ask your county child support office and Colorado Child Support Services for a review and adjustment. A change reaches only installments that come due after you file, so support already due cannot be reduced (C.R.S. 14-10-122).
Lowering a Colorado order after a pay cut
Suppose a Colorado order was set two years ago and your hours were just cut, and a fresh guideline calculation shows the monthly amount would drop by more than ten percent, which Colorado deems a substantial and continuing change (C.R.S. 14-10-122). You complete Form JDF 1403, the Motion to Modify Child Support, attach a Sworn Financial Statement and a guideline worksheet, and file with the district court that issued your order. You serve the other parent, who has 21 days to respond. Because a change reaches only installments that come due after you file (C.R.S. 14-10-122), you file right away and keep paying the current amount until the court rules. The court recalculates support under C.R.S. 14-10-115 and signs a lower order effective from your filing date. Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Relevant Laws
C.R.S. 14-10-122 (modification of support; ten percent rule; effective date)
Provides that a recalculation of the guideline resulting in less than a ten percent change in the amount of support due per month is deemed not a substantial and continuing change, and that a child support order may be modified only as to installments accruing subsequent to the filing of the motion for modification.
C.R.S. 14-10-115 (child support guidelines)
Sets out Colorado's child support guidelines and schedule of basic child support obligations, calculating support from the parents' combined adjusted gross income and allocating it based on physical care arrangements, the formula a court applies when recalculating on a modification.
Colorado Judicial Branch Form JDF 1403 (Motion to Modify Child Support)
The statewide Judicial Branch form a parent files with the district court to ask the court to modify an existing child support order, filed under C.R.S. 14-10-122, with a written response due within 21 days of service.
Colorado Child Support Services: Changing an Order
The state child support (IV-D) agency page explaining how a parent asks a county child support office for a review and adjustment of an order, including the roughly three-year review interval and the income documents required.
Regional Variances
Colorado child support modification rules at a glance
Qualifying threshold
A recalculation of the guideline that produces at least a ten percent change in the monthly amount due is deemed a substantial and continuing change; less than ten percent is deemed not substantial and continuing (C.R.S. 14-10-122).
Where to file
The district court in the county where your existing order sits, usually the domestic relations docket. If a county child support office manages your case, you can ask Colorado Child Support Services for a review and adjustment.
Modification form
Form JDF 1403, the Motion to Modify Child Support, with a Sworn Financial Statement and a guideline worksheet. Forms are free through the Colorado Judicial Branch self-help forms site.
Retroactivity
A change reaches only installments that come due after you file your motion, not earlier ones (C.R.S. 14-10-122). Support that already came due cannot be reduced.
Periodic review
If a county child support office handles your case, you can generally request a review about every three years without showing a change, and sooner when a substantial and continuing change occurs.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Recalculate the guideline and check the ten percent line
Before you file days after startingRun the guideline in C.R.S. 14-10-115 on current income, parenting time, and child care, and compare it with your current order to see if the monthly amount changes by at least ten percent (C.R.S. 14-10-122). Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Gather proof of your changed circumstances
Before you file days after startingCollect current pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of the change (job loss, income change, child care, or a new parenting schedule) to support your motion and the new guideline figure.
Complete the Motion to Modify Child Support (JDF 1403)
As soon as your circumstances change days after startingFill out Form JDF 1403 asking to change child support, describe the changed circumstances, and attach a Sworn Financial Statement and a guideline worksheet. Use the free Colorado Judicial Branch self-help forms and instructions.
File with the district court
Promptly (the change dates back only to filing) days after startingFile your JDF 1403 with the district court clerk and pay the fee, or request a fee waiver. Because a change reaches only installments due after filing, file promptly (C.R.S. 14-10-122).
Serve the other parent
After filing, per court rules days after startingServe the other parent with your filed motion following the court's rules, then file proof of service. The other parent has 21 days after service to file a written response before the court decides.
Attend the hearing and get the new order
On your hearing date days after startingGo to any hearing with your income proof, let the court recalculate support under the guideline, and get the signed order effective back to your filing date. Keep paying the current order until then.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recalculate the guideline and check the ten percent line | Run the guideline in C.R.S. 14-10-115 on current income, parenting time, and child care, and compare it with your current order to see if the monthly amount changes by at least ten percent (C.R.S. 14-10-122). Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft. | - | Before you file |
| Gather proof of your changed circumstances | Collect current pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of the change (job loss, income change, child care, or a new parenting schedule) to support your motion and the new guideline figure. | - | Before you file |
| Complete the Motion to Modify Child Support (JDF 1403) | Fill out Form JDF 1403 asking to change child support, describe the changed circumstances, and attach a Sworn Financial Statement and a guideline worksheet. Use the free Colorado Judicial Branch self-help forms and instructions. | - | As soon as your circumstances change |
| File with the district court | File your JDF 1403 with the district court clerk and pay the fee, or request a fee waiver. Because a change reaches only installments due after filing, file promptly (C.R.S. 14-10-122). | - | Promptly (the change dates back only to filing) |
| Serve the other parent | Serve the other parent with your filed motion following the court's rules, then file proof of service. The other parent has 21 days after service to file a written response before the court decides. | - | After filing, per court rules |
| Attend the hearing and get the new order | Go to any hearing with your income proof, let the court recalculate support under the guideline, and get the signed order effective back to your filing date. Keep paying the current order until then. | - | On your hearing date |
Frequently Asked Questions
A real, involuntary income drop can support a modification if a fresh guideline calculation shows at least a ten percent change in the monthly amount (C.R.S. 14-10-122). You must still file a motion; support keeps accruing at the old rate until the court acts. Do not simply stop paying.
No. Either parent can file a Motion to Modify Child Support (Form JDF 1403) on their own, and the other parent is served and can respond within 21 days. If both parents agree on a new amount, they can submit a written stipulation for the court to review against the guideline.
After you file Form JDF 1403, timing depends on the county and whether the other parent contests it, often several weeks to a few months. A county agency review and adjustment can take up to six months. Because a change reaches only installments due after filing, file promptly (C.R.S. 14-10-122).
If a county child support office manages your case, you can ask Colorado Child Support Services for a review and adjustment. The agency reviews current incomes against the guideline and can seek a change through the court. After about three years, you can generally request a review even without a large change.
You can seek a change whenever a substantial and continuing change occurs, meaning at least a ten percent guideline change (C.R.S. 14-10-122). If a county child support office handles your case, you can generally request a review about every three years even without a change, under federal rules.
A modification reaches only installments that come due after you file your motion (C.R.S. 14-10-122). Support that already came due, called arrears, cannot be reduced or erased and continues to accrue interest. Keep paying your current order to avoid building arrears while your motion is pending.
You start with Form JDF 1403, the Motion to Modify Child Support, and attach a Sworn Financial Statement and a completed child support guideline worksheet showing the new amount. The Colorado Judicial Branch self-help forms site provides these forms and instructions at no charge.
Filing a Motion to Modify Child Support in district court carries a filing fee, but you can ask the court to waive it if you cannot afford it. A review and adjustment through your county child support office and Colorado Child Support Services does not charge you a separate court fee.
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