Colorado maintenance guideline
How Colorado calculates the advisory maintenance amount.
Colorado Revised Statutes §14-10-114 applies an advisory guideline when the marriage lasted at least three years and the spouses' combined annual adjusted gross income does not exceed $240,000. The base calculation is 40% of combined monthly adjusted gross income minus the lower-income spouse's monthly adjusted gross income. [1]
Base amount = 40% of combined monthly adjusted gross income − lower earner's monthly adjusted gross income.
For maintenance that is not deductible by the payer and not taxable to the recipient, the statute applies 80% of that base when combined monthly adjusted gross income is $10,000 or less, and 75% when it is more than $10,000 but no more than $20,000. [1][2]
Colorado maintenance duration
Colorado uses a statutory table for advisory maintenance duration.
For marriages from three through 20 years, Colorado's duration table starts at 11 months of maintenance for a 36-month marriage and reaches 120 months for a 240-month marriage. For marriages longer than 20 years, a court may use a specified or indefinite term. The statutory table does not apply to temporary maintenance. [1][2]
Court discretion
Colorado courts consider more than the guideline calculation.
The court considers need, financial resources, ability to pay, marital lifestyle, property division, employment and earning history, marriage duration, age and health, contributions to the marriage, and other relevant factors. A 2025 amendment also added specified forms of domestic violence and abuse to the maintenance factors. [1][3]
Questions about Colorado maintenance calculations.
Is the Colorado maintenance formula mandatory?
No. Section 14-10-114 says the advisory guidelines do not create a presumptive amount or term. The court keeps discretion to decide whether maintenance is appropriate and what amount and term are fair. [1]
What happens if combined income is more than $240,000?
The statutory advisory amount formula does not apply above $240,000 of combined annual adjusted gross income. The court uses the statutory factors to determine the amount, although it may still consider the advisory term. [1]
Can a marriage shorter than three years qualify for maintenance?
Yes. Colorado law allows maintenance in some short-term marriages, but the ordinary advisory amount-and-term guideline does not automatically apply. The court must make case-specific findings. [1]
Colorado maintenance sources and calculator limits
- 01Colorado Revised Statutes §14-10-114
- 02Colorado Judicial Branch FCF 425, revised October 14, 2025
- 03Colorado 2025 Session Law, SB25-116 maintenance-factor amendment
Public-source check: September 6, 2026. Current calculator rules release: 0.18.0. This calculator does not decide entitlement, determine statutory income, or replace court findings.