Colorado Alimony Calculator 2026
Work out maintenance under the Colorado rule in C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) from both incomes and the length of the marriage. The result is the statutory starting point; a judge decides the actual order. Everything runs privately in your browser, with no sign-up.
Not legal advice — a court decides. Colorado's guideline is advisory: the judge must calculate it but is free to order a different amount and term.
Colorado Alimony Formula & Factors
Colorado has an advisory maintenance guideline in statute. C.R.S. § 14-10-114 applies when the marriage lasted at least three years and the spouses' combined adjusted gross income is no more than $240,000 a year. The guideline amount starts from 40% of the combined monthly adjusted gross income minus the lower earner's monthly adjusted gross income. For awards that are not deductible for federal income tax, that figure is then multiplied by 80% when combined income is $10,000 a month or less, and by 75% when it is more than $10,000 but not more than $20,000.
The guideline does not create a presumption. The statute says the court has discretion to set an award that is fair and equitable, after considering factors such as each spouse's financial resources, the lifestyle during the marriage, the property division, income and employability, the length of the marriage, temporary maintenance already paid, and age and health. Maintenance is awarded only if the spouse asking lacks sufficient property for reasonable needs and cannot support themselves through appropriate employment.
Adjusted gross income is gross income less pre-existing court-ordered child support and maintenance actually paid. Above the $240,000 ceiling the formula does not apply and the court decides from the factors.
Alimony Calculator Denver — What the 2nd Judicial District Uses
Denver's district court is Colorado's 2nd Judicial District, and it applies the same statewide statute as every other Colorado court: C.R.S. § 14-10-114. There is no separate Denver formula, so the guideline amount and term on this page are the same for a Denver case as for one filed anywhere else in the state.
What the Illustrative Estimate Is
When the Colorado rule does not cover your figures (combined adjusted gross income is above $240,000 a year), this page shows an illustration instead and says so in the result. The illustration uses the reference method recommended by a commission of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) in 2007: 30% of the payor's gross income minus 20% of the recipient's gross income, limited so that the recipient ends up with no more than 40% of the couple's combined gross income. The method is set out in Mary Kay Kisthardt's article in the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (vol. 21, 2008) and summarised by Maryland's highest court in Boemio v. Boemio (2010).
The AAML method is not Colorado law and Colorado courts are not bound by it. It lists its own reasons to depart from the result, such as a spouse caring for a young or disabled child, age or health, or a career given up for the other spouse. It was written when alimony was still tax-deductible for the payer, and it does not apply when combined gross income is above $1,000,000 a year. Treat the figure as a starting point for a conversation with a lawyer, not as a prediction.
Colorado Alimony Rules at a Glance
| Point | Colorado rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Starting figure | 40% of combined monthly adjusted gross income − lower earner's income | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b)(I)(A) |
| Combined income up to $10,000 a month | 80% of the starting figure | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b)(I)(B) |
| Combined income over $10,000, up to $20,000 | 75% of the starting figure | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b)(I)(C) |
| When the guideline applies | Marriage of at least 3 years; combined adjusted gross income up to $240,000 a year | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b), (3.5) |
| Advisory term | Table: 11 months at 3 years, 54 months at 10 years, 120 months at 20 years | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b)(II) |
| Over 20 years | Specified or indefinite term, not below the 20-year term without findings | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b)(II)(A) |
| Who decides | A judge, on the evidence in the case | C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) |
| Federal income tax | Not deductible by the payer and not income to the recipient for agreements executed after 2018 | IRS Topic No. 452 |
Worked Example: Colorado Alimony Calculator
Take adjusted gross incomes of $8,000 and $3,000 a month, $11,000 combined ($132,000 a year, under the $240,000 ceiling). 40% of $11,000 is $4,400; subtract the lower earner's $3,000 to get $1,400. Combined income is over $10,000 a month, so the figure is multiplied by 75%: $1,050 a month ($12,600 a year).
A 12-year marriage is 144 months. The statutory table gives an advisory term of 71 months, or 5 years 11 months.
These are the figures the calculator shows when the page first loads. A real order depends on evidence a calculator cannot see.
Colorado Alimony Duration Rules
The advisory term comes from a table in the statute, read by whole months of marriage. It starts at 11 months of maintenance for a 36-month marriage (31%) and rises month by month to half the length of the marriage at 12½ years, then stays at half up to 20 years (120 months of maintenance for a 240-month marriage). For a marriage longer than 20 years the court may order a specified term or an indefinite term, and may not go below the 20-year guideline term without specific findings.
The Colorado Judicial Branch prints the full table in its Spousal/Partner Maintenance Advisement with the guideline term table.
Is Alimony Taxable in Colorado?
For federal income tax, alimony or separate maintenance paid under a divorce or separation agreement executed after 2018 is not deductible by the payer and is not included in the recipient's income. Payments under an agreement executed before 2019 are generally still deductible by the payer and taxable to the recipient, unless the agreement was later modified and the modification expressly adopts the new rule (IRS Topic No. 452). Child support is never deductible and is not income.
This page does not cover Colorado state income tax. State rules are set separately and can differ from the federal rule, so check with the state tax agency or a tax adviser.
Modifying Colorado Alimony
Whether an order can be changed depends on its wording and on the type of support. In most cases either spouse can ask the court to modify periodic payments after a substantial change in circumstances, unless the decree or the spouses' agreement makes the support non-modifiable.
Read the order itself and C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) before relying on a general rule, and get advice from a family lawyer licensed in Colorado about your own case. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
Last updated: October 2026. Sources: C.R.S. § 14-10-114 (Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 14); Spousal/Partner Maintenance Advisement with the guideline term table (Colorado Judicial Branch); AAML Commission recommendations (Kisthardt, 21 J. Am. Acad. Matrim. Law. 61); IRS Topic No. 452.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is alimony calculated in Colorado?
Colorado judges must calculate the advisory guideline in C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) when the marriage lasted at least 3 years and combined adjusted gross income is $240,000 a year or less. It is 40% of combined monthly adjusted gross income minus the lower earner's income, multiplied by 80% (combined income up to $10,000 a month) or 75% (over $10,000 up to $20,000). The guideline is not presumptive; the court may order a different amount after weighing the statutory factors.
Does Colorado use a formula for alimony?
Yes, an advisory one. C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) gives a formula for the amount and a table for the term, for marriages of at least 3 years with combined adjusted gross income up to $240,000 a year. The statute says the guideline does not create a presumptive amount or term.
How long does Colorado alimony last?
The advisory term is read from a statutory table by months of marriage: 11 months for a 3-year marriage, rising to half the length of the marriage at 12½ years and staying at half up to 20 years. A 12-year marriage gives 71 months (5 years 11 months). After more than 20 years the court may order a specified or an indefinite term.
Can Colorado alimony be modified?
It depends on the order. In most cases either spouse can ask the court to modify periodic payments after a substantial change in circumstances, unless the decree or the spouses' agreement makes the support non-modifiable. Check the wording of your order and C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) before relying on a general rule.
Is alimony taxable in Colorado?
For federal income tax, alimony paid under a divorce or separation agreement executed after 2018 is not deductible by the payer and is not income to the recipient (IRS Topic No. 452). Agreements executed before 2019 generally keep the old treatment, deductible by the payer and taxable to the recipient, unless a later modification expressly adopts the new rule. This page does not cover Colorado state income tax, which is set separately.
Does the Colorado guideline apply if we earn more than $240,000 combined?
No. When combined annual adjusted gross income exceeds $240,000 the guideline formula does not apply and the court decides the amount from the statutory factors, although it may still consider the advisory guideline term (C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3.5)).