Colorado Parenting Time Calculator
Turn any schedule into overnights, percentages, and the credit that drives support
Why Overnights Are the Number That Matters
Parenting schedules get described in shorthand — every other weekend, week on week off, 5-2-2-5 — but the legal system counts them in one unit: overnights per year. That single figure determines the parenting time credit in the child support calculation, and it is what a court, a parenting plan, and the support worksheet all work from.
This tool converts a schedule into overnights for each parent, the percentage split, and the exact credit percentage from the table in the child support statute. Adjust for summer blocks and holidays to see how a schedule really divides the year rather than how it looks on a calendar.
The 92-overnight cliff is gone
Until March 1, 2026, a parent with 92 overnights received no parenting time adjustment and a parent with 93 received a large one. That single night was worth real money, and it distorted negotiations. HB25-1159 replaced the threshold with a table covering every overnight from 0 to 365. Ninety-two overnights now earns a 13.19% credit and ninety-three earns 13.45% — a smooth step rather than a cliff. Parenting schedules can now be negotiated around the children rather than around a number.
Why Your Real Number May Differ
- Where children follow different schedules, Colorado adds each child’s overnights together and divides by the number of children to get a single figure.
- Split physical care, where each parent has primary care of different children, is calculated differently again.
- Holidays, school breaks and summer blocks often shift the real total well away from the base rotation, which is why they are separate inputs here.
- A parenting plan that looks equal on paper can divide the year unevenly once holidays are allocated.
- Parenting time is decided on the best interests of the child under C.R.S. § 14-10-124, not by working backwards from a support figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are overnights counted in Colorado?
An overnight is a night the child spends in that parent’s care. The total across the year, out of 365, produces the parenting time credit percentage from the table in C.R.S. § 14-10-115(8)(h). Where two or more children have different schedules, their overnights are added and divided by the number of children.
What is a standard parenting time schedule in Colorado?
There is no legally standard schedule. Common arrangements range from every other weekend, around 52 to 104 overnights a year, through to equal time arrangements such as week on week off or 5-2-2-5 at roughly 182 overnights each. What matters is the best interests of the children.
Does 50/50 parenting time mean no child support?
No. Equal parenting time gives each parent an equal credit, but support is still driven by the difference in incomes. A parent earning substantially more will usually still pay support with an equal schedule.
Is 92 overnights still important in Colorado?
Not any more. Before March 1, 2026 it was the threshold for a shared physical care adjustment. That threshold no longer exists; every overnight now counts proportionally.
Can a parenting schedule be changed?
Yes, though the standard depends on what you are changing. Adjustments to the schedule are decided on the best interests of the child, while changing which parent the child primarily lives with carries a higher standard.
Ready to Talk Through Your Numbers?
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