Reviewed August 2026
Spousal Support in Colorado
Colorado calls spousal support maintenance. A district court decides it during a dissolution of marriage case, under Colorado Revised Statutes § 14-10-114. Unlike many states, Colorado publishes an advisory guideline formula. Courts and attorneys often use it as a starting point for both the amount and the length of a maintenance award. The guideline applies when the parties' combined adjusted gross income falls below a statutory threshold and the marriage lasted at least three years. Under the guideline, the suggested monthly maintenance amount equals 40 percent of the couple's combined monthly adjusted gross income, minus the lower-earning spouse's own monthly adjusted gross income. The statute also includes a duration table. It ties the suggested length of maintenance to how many months the couple was married. The guideline is advisory, not mandatory. A judge can deviate from the suggested amount or duration after weighing the statutory factors. For marriages under three years, or combined incomes above the statutory income cap, the court relies on those factors alone instead of the formula.
Virdix's document-preparation product currently prepares divorce paperwork for California and Florida cases. This page explains how spousal support works under Colorado law for people researching before they file. It is not legal advice, and Virdix does not prepare or file Colorado paperwork. See how Virdix works for California divorces.
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The advisory guideline formula
C.R.S. § 14-10-114 sets out an advisory calculation for maintenance. It applies when combined adjusted gross income falls under the statute's income cap and the marriage lasted at least three years. The suggested monthly amount is 40 percent of the couple's combined monthly adjusted gross income, minus the lower-earning spouse's monthly adjusted gross income. The statute then caps the combined result, so the recipient's total income, including maintenance, generally does not exceed 40 percent of the couple's combined income.
The duration guideline
Alongside the amount formula, C.R.S. § 14-10-114 includes an advisory schedule. It ties suggested maintenance duration to the length of the marriage in months. Longer marriages produce a longer suggested term as a percentage of the marriage length. Very long marriages can support open-ended maintenance. Like the amount formula, this schedule is a guideline, and the court can depart from it based on the case's facts.
When the guideline does not apply
The formula only applies within specific income and marriage-length limits. For marriages under three years, or where combined adjusted gross income exceeds the statutory cap, the court sets maintenance using the statute's list of factors instead. These include each spouse's financial resources, the standard of living during the marriage, the distribution of marital property, each spouse's ability to become self-sufficient, and the marriage's duration.
Modification and termination
A maintenance order can be modified if either spouse shows a substantial and continuing change in circumstances that makes the existing terms unfair. Colorado law generally ends maintenance when either party dies or the recipient remarries. A similar termination or modification can apply if the recipient enters a marriage-like cohabiting relationship, depending on the terms of the specific order or decree.
Sources: Colorado Revised Statutes Title 14 (official PDF, includes § 14-10-114 maintenance guideline), Colorado Judicial Branch - maintenance forms, IRS Tax Topic 452, Alimony and Separate Maintenance
Not independently confirmed
- The current statutory combined-income threshold for the guideline formula changes periodically; confirm the exact current dollar figure in the linked title 14 PDF or with the district court before relying on it.
Spousal Support in Colorado: frequently asked questions
What is alimony called in Colorado?+
Colorado statute calls it maintenance, not alimony. Colorado Revised Statutes § 14-10-114 governs it, and the district court decides it during a dissolution of marriage case.
Does Colorado have a formula for calculating maintenance?+
Yes, an advisory one. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-114, for marriages of at least three years with combined income under the statutory cap, the guideline amount is 40 percent of combined monthly adjusted gross income minus the lower earner's monthly adjusted gross income, subject to an overall cap on the recipient's total income.
Is the Colorado maintenance formula mandatory?+
No. The formula and its duration schedule are advisory. A judge can order a different amount or duration after weighing the statutory factors. The formula does not apply at all to marriages under three years, or when combined income exceeds the statute's income threshold.
How is maintenance duration decided in Colorado?+
C.R.S. § 14-10-114 includes an advisory duration schedule. It ties a suggested length of maintenance to the number of months the marriage lasted, and longer marriages support longer suggested terms. Courts can depart from the schedule based on the case's specific facts.
Does remarriage end maintenance in Colorado?+
Yes, generally. Colorado law ends maintenance when the recipient remarries or either spouse dies. A marriage-like cohabiting relationship can also end or modify maintenance, depending on the order's terms.
Is maintenance taxable in Colorado?+
For divorces finalized after December 31, 2018, federal law no longer lets the paying spouse deduct maintenance, and the recipient does not report it as taxable income, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Agreements executed before 2019 generally keep the older tax treatment unless later modified.
This page is general information about spousal support in Colorado, not legal advice for your situation. Laws, fees, and procedures change over time; confirm current details with Colorado's own courts before relying on anything here. Virdix is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law in Colorado. Virdix does not prepare or file Colorado divorce paperwork. It is not a substitute for an attorney licensed in Colorado.
More Colorado divorce guides
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