Child Support Colorado
About Child Support in Colorado
Whether you are going through a divorce with children or you are an unmarried parent, child support can become a reality for you. To determine child support, Colorado has specific laws that must be followed. These laws help the courts determine who owes child support and how much support is owed. The laws are in place to ensure that children get the support they need from both parents and to protect both the parents and the children in the case.
Situations
Any time parents aren’t together, child support can be ordered for one parent to send money to the other so both parents are contributing to the care of the child. The most common situations that require child support is when the parents get a divorce or when the child is born out of wedlock. Whenever the child doesn’t live with both parents at the same time, child support may be required to compensate the parent that is spending money to take care of the child.
Calculations
For child support, Colorado implements a specific formula that takes many factors into consideration. For the purpose of calculations, one parent is considered the custodial parent and the other is the non-custodial parent. The custodial parent is typically the one who has the child a greater amount of time. The calculations take the income of both parents into consideration, as well as any prior child or spousal support each person owes, the amount of daycare each parent pays and how much each parent pays for health insurance coverage. Based on these factors, the court will determine an amount, typically paid by the non-custodial parent.
Starting Support
Once you find yourself in a situation that requires child support, Colorado requires you to begin the process through the courts. If you are on government assistance, you will automatically be referred to Child Support Enforcement, or CSE, for no fee. However, if you file under any other circumstances, you must pay a $20 fee to start the process.
When you start the process, a paternity test may be required for the father if paternity hasn’t already been established. You will need to file an application for child support, giving CSE all of the information that is relevant to your case. CSE will review the application, make calculations and establish an order for support.
Payment Information
In regard to child support, Colorado has a process in place for making payments. It can be useful for the non-custodial parent to give the money directly to the custodial parent. However, not everyone is honest and this doesn’t work for everyone. Instead, in Colorado, parents must make payments to the Family Support Registry, or FSR. Payments can be made by check or money order. It is important to include your account number, name, court case number and amount on your checks to ensure it is credited to the right place. Other payment options include a direct withdrawal, payments by phone or by Western Union, which is useful if you live in a different state. FSR then pays the amount to the custodial parent, either by direct deposit or onto an FSR debit card.
Enforcement
While it seems that most parents would want to make sure their children have everything they need, this doesn’t always happen. Even with a child support order on file, some parents do fail to pay. Some do this by working under the table and others just flat out refuse to make payments. This is where CSE can help. If the payments stop, contact CSE to make sure there are no issues with the payments coming through from their end. If it is found that the non-custodial parent isn’t making payments as ordered, CSE can take action for failure to pay.
Some of the possible actions against the non-custodial parent include tax intercepts, wage garnishments, driver’s license suspension, passport denial, and credit bureau reporting. While some of these actions will get you your money, others simply cause harm to the non-payer and encourage him or her to make the payments as ordered.
If you are dealing with child support, Colorado has specific laws in place to protect everyone. Every child has the right to be supported by both his parents. Child support encourages that support, even if the child doesn’t live with one parent. Through careful calculations, CSE determines the right amount and makes the order. As long as the non-custodial parent makes payments, there are no legal issues to be concerned about. However, if the payments stop or are never started when ordered, CSE can take action to ensure the children get the money they deserve from the parent.