Usually not on their own. In Colorado, ordinary purchases and informal direct payments do not automatically reduce a court-ordered child support payment. What controls is the language of your order and the worksheet behind it, which is where childcare, health insurance, and extraordinary medical expenses are actually accounted for.
This surprises a lot of good parents. You bought the winter coat, covered the club fees, and paid the orthodontist, and it feels like that should count for something. It often does count, but only if it runs through the right channel, and the difference between those two paths is the difference between compliance and arrears.
What does base child support already cover?
Colorado uses an income shares model. Both parents’ adjusted gross incomes are combined, the schedule of basic child support obligations produces a figure, and each parent carries a share of that figure in proportion to income under the guidelines in C.R.S. 14-10-115. [1]
That basic obligation is meant to cover the everyday cost of raising a child: housing, food, clothing, transportation, and routine expenses. When you buy school clothes during your own parenting time, you are generally spending your own share, not prepaying the other parent’s.
The mechanics of the schedule, the parenting time credit, and the income calculation are covered in more depth on our page about Colorado child support calculation.
Do clothes, food, gifts, and ordinary purchases count?
As a rule, no. Buying clothing, groceries, toys, phones, or gifts for your child is not a credit against a support order, and neither is spending more than the other parent during your parenting time.
There is one narrow exception worth knowing. Some orders specifically say a parent will purchase a defined category of items in place of a portion of support.
If your order says that, the order controls. If it does not, assume ordinary purchases are separate from the support obligation.
Who pays uninsured medical and childcare costs?
These are handled as adjustments on top of the basic obligation. Work-related and education-related childcare costs, the health insurance premium attributable to the child, and extraordinary medical expenses are added to the basic obligation and shared between the parents in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes.
The medical-expense rules changed under House Bill 25-1159. Effective May 31, 2025, Colorado removed the former $250-per-child annual threshold for extraordinary medical expenses. Under the current statute, qualifying extraordinary medical expenses are divided between the parents in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes. [2]
A separate set of changes landed later. The amendments to the guideline schedule and the parenting time credit in subsections (3), (7), and (8) took effect March 1, 2026, so those calculation rules and the medical-expense rules have different start dates.
The statute also distinguishes between one-off costs and recurring ones. Ongoing extraordinary medical expenses may be added as an adjustment on the child support worksheet calculation only if the expenses are consistent and expected to continue, which is why irregular costs are usually handled as reimbursement requests instead.
One important limit. The calculation changes apply to child support orders entered or modified on or after March 1, 2026, and they do not automatically recalculate an order already in place. If your order predates that date, its terms govern until a court enters a new one.
The current definition of extraordinary medical expenses is also broader than most parents expect, and it expressly draws a line at the household level.
| Treated as extraordinary medical (shared by income share) | Treated as ordinary (already in the schedule) |
|---|---|
| Copayments, deductibles, and uninsured out-of-pocket costs | Over-the-counter medication |
| Prescription medication and professional medical care | Bandages and basic first aid supplies |
| Orthodontia, dental treatment, and vision care | Regular hygiene and health products |
| Physical therapy and asthma treatment | Minor everyday care items |
| Counseling or psychiatric therapy for behavioral or mental health disorders | Exception: minor items recommended by a treatment provider to manage a chronic condition are not ordinary |
Are sports, camps, tuition, and travel included?
Not automatically. Activity fees, club sports, summer camp, private tuition, and travel for parenting time are not part of the basic obligation and are not extraordinary medical expenses.
They get shared when an order or a written agreement says they are shared. That is why a parenting plan that names the activities, sets a spending cap, and requires advance agreement before enrollment prevents far more conflict than one that says the parents will “cooperate on extracurriculars.”
What if you pay the mortgage or a bill directly?
Paying the other household’s mortgage, rent, car payment, or utility bill is generous and it is not the same as paying support. Unless the order treats that payment as support or as an offset, the support obligation keeps accruing in full.
The safer structure is to say so in writing. An order or stipulation that identifies the exact payment, the amount, the duration, and whether it reduces the monthly support figure removes the argument entirely.
Can parents agree to credits for direct payments?
Parents can agree, but the agreement has to make it into the record to be reliable. This is where informal arrangements do the most damage.
Under C.R.S. 14-10-122, a modification of child support is effective as of the date the motion is filed, and in no instance may an order be retroactively modified prior to the date of filing, except where there has been a mutually agreed upon change of physical custody. [3] A parent who quietly paid expenses instead of support for two years cannot ask a court to rewrite those two years.
The same statute also treats a change producing less than a ten percent difference in the monthly amount as not a substantial and continuing change of circumstances. If you want the arrangement to be enforceable, put it in a stipulation and have it entered.
How do you request reimbursement the right way?
For extraordinary medical expenses that are not already built into the monthly worksheet, the statute sets out a request and response sequence. Missing these steps can cost you the reimbursement.
- Provide proof of the expense to the other parent within a reasonable time after you incur it.
- Do not let it sit. Absent extraordinary circumstances, failing to provide proof by July 1 of the year following the calendar year the expense was incurred waives the reimbursement.
- Give the other parent the statutory window. If they do not respond, reimburse, or reach a payment arrangement within forty-nine days after receiving the request, you may file a motion for judgment for that calendar year.
- State the specifics in the motion: the amount incurred, the amount sought, and when and how you made the request.
What should you keep?
- The order and the worksheet. Both documents, because the worksheet shows what was already credited.
- Dated receipts and explanation of benefits. For every medical expense you intend to seek reimbursement on.
- Proof of the request. The email or portal message sending proof to the other parent, with the date.
- Payment records. Bank or card records showing what you actually paid and when.
- Written agreements. Any text or email where the other parent agreed to an expense or a credit.
Frequently asked questions
Do clothes, sports, medical bills, and direct payments count toward child support in Colorado?
Usually not on their own. In Colorado, ordinary purchases and informal direct payments do not automatically reduce a court-ordered child support payment. What controls is the language of your order and the worksheet behind it.
Can I deduct what I buy for my child from my support payment?
No, unless your order says so. Clothing, groceries, phones, and gifts are treated as your own spending during your parenting time. Some orders do say a parent will purchase a defined category of items in place of part of the support payment, and there the order controls.
Who pays uninsured medical expenses for a child in Colorado?
Extraordinary medical expenses are added to the basic child support obligation and divided between the parents in proportion to their adjusted gross incomes. Effective May 31, 2025, Colorado removed the former $250 per child per calendar year threshold. Over-the-counter medication, bandages, and routine hygiene products remain ordinary expenses already built into the schedule.
Do sports fees, camps, and school tuition get shared automatically?
No. Activity fees, club sports, summer camp, private tuition, and travel for parenting time are not part of the basic obligation and are not extraordinary medical expenses. They are shared only when an order or a written agreement says so.
What if I pay the mortgage or another bill directly instead?
Paying the other household’s mortgage, rent, or utility bill is not the same as paying support. Unless your order treats that payment as support or as an offset, the obligation keeps accruing in full. Name the payment, the amount, and its effect on the monthly figure in the order if you intend otherwise.
Can parents agree that direct payments count as child support?
Parents can agree, but the agreement needs to be in the order or a court-approved stipulation to be reliable. Colorado law does not allow a support order to be modified retroactively before the date a motion to modify is filed, so a handshake arrangement can leave a paying parent with arrears.
Is there a deadline to request reimbursement for a medical expense?
Yes. Absent extraordinary circumstances, the reimbursement is waived if you do not provide proof to the other parent by July 1 of the year following the calendar year the expense was incurred. If they do not respond, reimburse, or reach a payment arrangement within forty-nine days after receiving the request, you may file a motion for judgment for that year.
Talk it through with Johnson Law Group
Before you offset anything against your support payment, get your order and worksheet reviewed. In most of these conversations the money was real and the paperwork was the problem, and that is a fixable problem if you catch it early.
Family law problems rarely resolve themselves, and the people who do best are usually the ones who got a clear read on their options early. Johnson Law Group handles Colorado family law matters from offices along the Front Range, and we will tell you plainly what the law does and does not allow in your situation.
Your case is handled by attorneys who work these issues every week, and you can review the background and credentials of our family law attorneys before you decide who to call.
We meet clients in person and by video, and you can find the closest of our offices when you are ready to schedule.
Schedule a no-pressure consultation. We will walk you through the process, explain what the court will look at, and give you a concrete next step.
This article is general information about Colorado law and is not legal advice. Outcomes depend on the specific facts of your case, the terms of your own orders, and the judge assigned to your matter. Speak with a Colorado family law attorney before acting.
Sources
[2] House Bill 25-1159 (Colo. 2025), ch. 334 – Amends C.R.S. 14-10-115; per section 13 of the act, the act took effect upon passage on May 31, 2025, except that 14-10-115 (3), (7), and (8) took effect March 1, 2026 | https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1159
[3] Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-10-122(1) – Modification effective from the date of filing; no retroactive modification before filing | https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-14/dissolution-of-marriage-parental-responsibilities/article-10/section-14-10-122/