WHEN DOES CHILD SUPPORT END IN COLORADO?
Child support in Colorado usually ends when the last or only child turns 19, not 18. For orders entered on or after July 1, 1997, support ends at that point without either parent filing a motion, unless an exception applies.
The exceptions matter, and they run in both directions. Support can continue past 19 for a child still in high school, for a child with a disability, or because the parents agreed in writing. It can also end before 19 if the child marries or goes on active military duty.
This page walks through each rule, including a 2025 change for students in concurrent enrollment programs, and explains how to end support formally so that payments and withholding stop on time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The General Rule: Age 19
- When Support Continues Past 19
- When Support Ends Before 19
- More Than One Child
- How to End Child Support Formally
- Do Not Just Stop Paying
- Parents Who Were Never Married
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
THE GENERAL RULE: AGE 19
The rule is in C.R.S. 14-10-115(13). For child support orders entered on or after July 1, 1997, emancipation occurs and child support terminates without either party filing a motion when the last or only child turns 19, unless one of the listed conditions applies.
The statute also includes the words "unless a court finds that a child is otherwise emancipated." A court can find that a child became emancipated in other circumstances. Until a court makes that finding, though, the order stays in effect.
Many parents expect support to end at 18. For child support, the Colorado statute sets 19.
WHEN SUPPORT CONTINUES PAST 19
Three situations keep support going after the child's 19th birthday. Each depends on facts that are easy to document, so gather them before the birthday arrives.
Still in High School or an Equivalent Program
If the child is still in high school or an equivalent program, support continues until the end of the month following graduation. A child who stops attending high school before graduating and later reenrolls is entitled to support again from reenrollment until the end of the month following graduation, but not beyond age 21.
The 2025 Concurrent Enrollment Rule
House Bill 25-1159, signed May 31, 2025, added two sentences to that rule. A concurrent enrollment program, as defined in C.R.S. 22-35-103, does not qualify as an equivalent program, and a child participating in concurrent enrollment is emancipated once the child completes the local education provider's minimum high school graduation requirements.
Concurrent enrollment lets high school students take college courses. Under the amendment, staying in such a program after meeting the minimum graduation requirements does not extend child support. Many older articles online predate this change.
A Child With a Disability
If the child is mentally or physically disabled, the court or the delegate child support enforcement unit may order child support, including payments for medical expenses or insurance or both, to continue beyond age 19. This is not automatic, so a parent who expects to ask for it should raise it before the obligation ends.
Our article on divorcing a disabled spouse in Colorado also covers support for an adult child with a disability.
A Written Agreement
Parents can agree in a written stipulation to continue child support beyond 19, or to pay for postsecondary education expenses such as college. If the court approves the agreement and makes it part of a decree of dissolution of marriage or legal separation, it is enforced like the rest of the decree.
Check your decree and any separation agreement for language like this before assuming support ends at 19.
WHEN SUPPORT ENDS BEFORE 19
The statute treats certain events as emancipation before 19:
- Marriage. A child who marries is considered emancipated as of the date of the marriage. If the marriage is annulled, dissolved or declared invalid, child support may be reinstated.
- Civil union. The Colorado Judicial Branch lists entering into a civil union alongside marriage as an emancipating event.
- Active military duty. A child who enters active military duty is considered emancipated.
- A court finding. A court can find that a child is otherwise emancipated based on the facts of the case.
Graduating from high school before 19 does not end support by itself under the statute. The high school rule extends support for a student who is still enrolled at 19; it does not shorten it for one who finishes early.
MORE THAN ONE CHILD
The automatic end at 19 applies when the last or only child reaches that age. When an older child emancipates and younger children remain, the order does not recalculate itself.
The emancipation of one child is a common reason to ask the court to modify support, using JDF 1403, Motion to Modify Child Support. A modification is generally effective only from the date the motion is filed, so filing promptly matters. Our article on modifying a Colorado child support order explains the process.
HOW TO END CHILD SUPPORT FORMALLY
Even where support ends by law, a court order confirming it keeps records clean. The Colorado Judicial Branch's End Child Support page lists the forms:
- JDF 1426, Instructions to File a Motion to Terminate Child Support
- JDF 1408, Motion to Terminate Child Support
- JDF 1409, Order to Terminate Child Support
The motion is filed through Colorado Courts E-Filing or with the court that issued the original order, and a copy is mailed to the other parent unless both parents signed a stipulation. The court may send the parents to mediation or set a hearing.
If payments go through the Family Support Registry, or Colorado Child Support Services handles your case, contact them as well so income withholding stops when the order ends.
DO NOT JUST STOP PAYING
Stopping payments because you believe support has ended is risky when the facts are disputed. Under C.R.S. 14-10-122, each payment that comes due and is not paid becomes a final money judgment.
If you are wrong about an exception, for example because the child is still in high school or your decree contains an agreement to pay longer, the missed payments can be enforced against you. That can include wage withholding and contempt proceedings, which our article on contempt of court in Colorado Springs explains. Ending support by agreement or court order removes that risk.
PARENTS WHO WERE NEVER MARRIED
When support was ordered in a parentage case rather than a divorce, it falls under C.R.S. 19-4-116. Support under that section generally continues until the child turns 19, and the court may continue it past 19 for a child who cannot care for themselves because of a mental or physical disability, or for another reason the court finds justifiable.
Our article on Colorado child custody laws for unmarried parents covers parentage cases in more detail.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
At what age does child support end in Colorado?
Usually 19. For orders entered on or after July 1, 1997, support ends without a motion when the last or only child turns 19, unless the child is still in high school, has a disability for which the court continues support, or the parents agreed in writing to continue it.
Does child support continue while my child finishes high school?
Yes. If the child is still in high school or an equivalent program at 19, support continues until the end of the month following graduation. A child who left and later reenrolled is covered until graduation, but not beyond age 21.
Does concurrent enrollment extend child support?
No. Under HB25-1159, a 2025 law, a concurrent enrollment program does not count as an equivalent program, and a child in one is emancipated once the child completes the local education provider's minimum high school graduation requirements.
Do I have to pay for college in Colorado?
Not unless the parents agreed to it. Under C.R.S. 14-10-115(13)(b), parents can agree in writing to pay postsecondary education expenses or to continue support past 19, and an agreement approved by the court and made part of the decree is enforceable.
What happens when one of several children turns 19?
The order does not adjust itself. A parent can file a motion to modify support, and the change is generally effective from the date the motion is filed.
Does joining the military end child support?
Yes. Under C.R.S. 14-10-115(13), a child who enters active military duty is considered emancipated. Confirm the end of support through the court or Colorado Child Support Services so payments and withholding stop.
TALK TO A COLORADO SPRINGS CHILD SUPPORT LAWYER
Whether support should end, continue or change often turns on details in your decree and your child's school records. Moran, Allen & Associates Family Law Attorneys works with parents in El Paso County and Teller County on ending and modifying support, through our Colorado Springs child support practice. For background, see our guide to child support in Colorado.
To talk through your situation, schedule a free consultation.
This article is general information about Colorado law as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. Statutes, court rules and forms change. Consult a licensed Colorado attorney about your situation.
SOURCES
- C.R.S. 14-10-115, Child support guidelines (subsection (13), emancipation)
- Colorado General Assembly, HB25-1159, Child Support Commission Recommendations (signed May 31, 2025)
- Colorado General Assembly, HB25-1159 enrolled text (amending C.R.S. 14-10-115(13)(a)(III))
- C.R.S. 14-10-122, Modification and termination of support
- C.R.S. 19-4-116, Support in parentage cases
- Colorado Judicial Branch, End Child Support
- Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 1403, Motion to Modify Child Support
- Colorado Child Support Services, Family Support Registry