Colorado Alimony Calculator
One of the first questions in a Colorado divorce is what support might look like. This calculator gives you a starting estimate of spousal maintenance, the term Colorado uses for alimony, based on the advisory guidelines in Colorado law.
Colorado’s advisory maintenance amount formula applies when the marriage lasted at least three years and the spouses’ combined annual adjusted gross income is $240,000 or less.[1] Within that range, it uses each spouse’s income and the length of the marriage to suggest an amount and a term for maintenance. The court can move beyond the guideline when income is higher, a marriage is shorter than three years, or a marriage runs beyond twenty years, so the number here is a starting point, not a ruling. A judge weighs the full statutory factors and your complete financial picture before setting a final order.
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Colorado Spousal Maintenance Calculator
Advisory Guideline Estimate
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Making the most of your spousal support estimate
A spousal maintenance estimate turns an open question into a number you can plan around. Before anything is filed, it helps you sketch a realistic post-divorce budget, judge whether a settlement offer is in a fair range, and see how support fits alongside property division and parenting costs.
It also makes your first conversation with an attorney more focused. You can bring your own figures and spend the time on the parts of your situation the guideline does not capture, such as income that is hard to document, a business or bonus structure, or a standard of living the formula does not reflect.
Talk With a Colorado Spousal Maintenance Attorney About Your Results
Johnson Law Group helps Colorado spouses understand where a maintenance figure comes from and what it means for the years ahead. Our family law attorneys can look at the facts of your marriage and explain how a court is likely to read them. You are welcome to meet with us at any of our offices or by video.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this estimate what a court will order?
No. The number is an advisory guideline figure, not a court order. A Colorado judge can order more, less, or nothing at all after weighing the full set of factors in your case. Treat the estimate as a starting point for planning and discussion.
Is alimony the same as spousal maintenance in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado law calls it spousal maintenance, while most people say alimony. They refer to the same thing: payments from one spouse to the other for support after a separation or divorce.
Does the guideline apply to every marriage?
No. The advisory formula applies to marriages of three to twenty years where the spouses’ combined annual adjusted gross income is $240,000 or less. Outside that range, a court still decides maintenance, but it relies on the broader statutory factors rather than the formula.
Is spousal maintenance taxable in Colorado?
For divorce or separation agreements executed after December 31, 2018, spousal maintenance is generally not tax-deductible for the paying spouse and not taxable income for the recipient under federal law. Colorado’s advisory maintenance calculations were also updated to account for that federal tax treatment. Earlier agreements, and some later modifications of earlier agreements, may be treated differently.
Can spousal maintenance change after the divorce?
Often, yes. Unless the parties agreed that it cannot be changed, either spouse can ask the court to modify maintenance when there is a substantial and continuing change in circumstances, such as a significant shift in income.
Sources:
[1] C.R.S. § 14-10-114 – Spousal Maintenance, Advisory Guidelines | https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-14/dissolution-of-marriage-parental-responsibilities/article-10/section-14-10-114/
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