Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Quaid are playing for keeps in a dispute regarding child support and spousal support for Kimberly and the kids. Kimberly filed for divorce last June and never got a temporary spousal or child support order. Dennis has been paying spousal and child support voluntarily for Kimberly’s and their twins’ living expenses, but a dispute has arisen. Kimberly doesn’t think Dennis is paying enough. Dennis thinks he is paying too much.
So, the issue will be thrown to the courts. It will be up to a judge to decide who is right ”“ and whoever is wrong will have to cut a check for the difference to the other. It’s a bit like Vegas ”“ high risk, high reward.
How Child Support & Spousal Maintenance Are Calculated In Colorado
In Colorado, determining child support payments is based on defined calculations. The state first looks at a parent’s gross monthly income prior to taxes and deductions, and then takes into consideration the amount of overnights each parent spends with the children. Usually, it is the parent who has less custody time with the child who pays child support, unless one party has significantly higher income.
As for spousal maintenance (also called spousal support or alimony), no spouse has an automatic right to this support. Whether someone will receive spousal maintenance will be determined by the courts based on whether that person lacks sufficient property to meet reasonable needs and is either unable to work or has child care responsibilities. Support is calculated based on the length of marriage, the health (mental and physical) of both parties, the standard of living the couple enjoyed, each party’s earning capacity and how marital property is divided.
If you’re curious to see what your Colorado support payments would look like, check out our spousal support and child support calculator app, available for free on iOS and Android devices.