How to End Child Support in Colorado: When It Stops and What to File

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. GoFile is not a law firm. Using our platform or reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice for your specific situation, consult a licensed Colorado attorney.

In this article:

• When Child Support Ends in Colorado
• The High School Exception (and the Age-21 Ceiling)
• What to File: The Termination Form Bundle
• The Step Most People Miss: Stopping Wage Withholding
• What Termination Costs
• Common Questions About Ending Child Support in Colorado

Last Updated: June 2026

Child support in Colorado doesn’t end by itself. Even when the last child turns 19 and the obligation has technically run its course, the court order stays active until someone files the paperwork to close it out. That means payments can keep coming out of a paycheck, arrears can keep accruing, and both parents stay tethered to an order that no longer reflects reality.

The filing itself is one of the more straightforward processes in Colorado family law. The form bundle is deliberately small — two forms, no financial statement, no child support worksheet. But the simplicity of the paperwork hides a procedural step that catches nearly everyone off guard: the court order alone does not stop wage withholding. There’s one more form after that.

Here’s what the termination process looks like from start to finish.

When Child Support Ends in Colorado

Under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(13)(a), for child support orders entered on or after July 1, 1997, a child is considered emancipated — and the support obligation terminates — when any of these events occurs:

The child turns 19. This is the default. Colorado’s emancipation age is 19, not 18. Many parents assume the obligation ends at 18 or at high school graduation. It doesn’t, unless one of the exceptions below applies first.

The child marries or enters a civil union. The child is considered emancipated as of the date of the marriage or civil union. If that marriage is later annulled, dissolved, or declared invalid, the court may reinstate child support for the remaining period until age 19.

The child enters active military duty. Active duty in any branch of the armed forces triggers emancipation. Reserve or National Guard service on a part-time basis does not.

The child moves out and is self-supporting. If the child leaves the family residence and is capable of providing for their own care and support, a court may determine that emancipation has occurred. The parent asserting emancipation carries the burden of proving it.

A court determines emancipation. Outside the automatic triggers above, either parent can ask the court to declare the child emancipated based on the circumstances.

Two exceptions can extend support past age 19. First, if the child is mentally or physically disabled, the court (or delegate child support enforcement unit) may order continued support, including medical expenses and insurance coverage. Second, both parents can agree in writing to extend support beyond age 19 — this sometimes appears in the original divorce decree or separation agreement.

One detail that trips up parents with multiple children: the termination process applies when the last or only remaining child reaches emancipation. If a parent has a support order covering three children and the oldest turns 19, the order doesn’t partially terminate. The support amount may be eligible for modification under C.R.S. § 14-10-122, but that’s a modification filing (JDF 1403 or 1404), not a termination filing.

The High School Exception (and the Age-21 Ceiling)

The high school exception is the most common reason child support continues past 19. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(13)(a), if the child is still enrolled in high school or an equivalent program when they turn 19, support continues until the end of the month following graduation — but not beyond age 21.

There’s a wrinkle here that the statute addresses directly: if a child stops attending high school and then later reenrolls, the support obligation resumes upon reenrollment. It continues until the end of the month after graduation, again capped at age 21.

The practical effect is that a 19-year-old who drops out of high school in October triggers potential termination at that point. If the same child reenrolls the following September, the support obligation comes back. Neither the pause nor the restart happens automatically — the paying parent would still need to file the appropriate paperwork with the court.

What to File: The Termination Form Bundle

The forms required to terminate child support in Colorado are deliberately minimal. Per JDF 1426 (Instructions to File a Motion to Terminate Child Support, Rev. R7-13), the bundle consists of:

JDF 1408 — Motion to Terminate Child Support. This is the filing parent’s motion asking the court to end the support obligation. It includes a Certificate of Service section built into the form itself, so there’s no need for a separate service document. The JDF 1408 guide walks through each section.

JDF 1409 — Order to Terminate Child Support. This is a caption-only form — the filing parent fills in the case information at the top, and the court completes the rest after reviewing the motion.

That’s the entire bundle. What’s not in it matters just as much, because it contradicts what most people expect based on experience with modification filings.

The termination bundle does not include JDF 1111 (Sworn Financial Statement). It does not include a child support worksheet. It does not include JDF 1104 (Certificate of Compliance with Mandatory Financial Disclosures). None of those documents are required because termination isn’t a recalculation — it’s a binary question of whether the child has emancipated under the statute.

Both forms are available on the Colorado Judicial Branch website at coloradojudicial.gov/self-help.

Filing and service. The filing parent submits JDF 1408 and JDF 1409 to the court that issued the original child support order, pays the $105 filing fee (plus $12 if e-filing through CCE), and serves the other parent with a copy. The Certificate of Service section in JDF 1408 documents how and when service was completed.

DHS notification requirement. If the County Department of Human Services Office of Child Support Services is involved in the case — meaning they’ve been managing collections, enforcement, or payment routing — the filing parent must send them a copy of JDF 1408. The JDF 1426 instructions state this explicitly: “This is required.” Missing this step can delay processing and leave the DHS office continuing to enforce an order that’s been terminated.

Court review. Under C.R.C.P. 16.2(c), the court has 49 days from filing to act on the motion. The court may grant the termination on the pleadings (without a hearing) or schedule a hearing if questions remain — for example, if there’s a dispute about whether the child is actually emancipated or whether the high school exception applies.

The Step Most People Miss: Stopping Wage Withholding

Here’s the part that catches people off guard: the court granting your termination motion does not automatically stop wage withholding.

If child support has been collected through an income assignment — money deducted directly from the paying parent’s paycheck — that withholding continues until the employer receives a copy of the termination order. The JDF 1426 instructions state it plainly: “It is the responsibility of the Obligor to provided [sic] copies of the Order to Terminate Child Support to his/her employer to terminate the income assignment.”

The form for notifying the employer is JDF 84 (Notice to Terminate Income Assignment). It’s an administrative notice, not a court filing — there’s no filing fee and no court involvement. The paying parent delivers JDF 84 along with a copy of the court’s Order (JDF 1409) to their employer’s payroll department.

If payments have been routed through the Family Support Registry (FSR), a copy should also go to them at: Family Support Registry, P.O. Box 2171, Denver, CO 80201-2171.

Without this step, paychecks keep getting docked even after the court says the obligation is over. Getting that money returned typically requires working directly with the employer’s payroll department and potentially the FSR — a process that takes weeks to sort out.

What Termination Costs

The filing fees for child support termination are the same as for modification:

The filing fee is $105 for the Motion to Terminate (C.R.S. § 13-32-101(2)), with an additional $12 CCE e-filing fee if filing electronically. If the other parent files a response, the response fee is $146 (C.R.S. § 13-32-101(1)(b)) — though this applies only if it’s their first filing in the case.

Serving the other parent adds costs that vary by method. E-service through CCE costs $12. Service by mail through CCE varies by page count. Personal service through a process server or the Sheriff’s office typically runs $25–75 depending on the county.

A self-addressed stamped envelope for each party should be included with the filing unless the court is a mandatory e-filing court.

Fee waivers are available for parents who qualify. The process requires JDF 205 (Motion for Waiver of Filing Fees) and JDF 206 (Financial Affidavit), with eligibility generally based on income at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level. One limitation to know: fee waivers currently aren’t compatible with CCE e-filing. Parents who receive a fee waiver must file in person at the courthouse.

Common Questions About Ending Child Support in Colorado

Does child support stop automatically at 19?

The obligation terminates by operation of law when the last or only child reaches emancipation, but the income assignment and court order remain active until someone files the paperwork. Even when the statute says support “terminates without either party filing a motion,” the wage withholding mechanism doesn’t know that. Filing JDF 1408 creates a court order that gives the employer a legal basis to stop the deductions.

What if only one of my children turned 19?

The termination process is for when the last or only child emancipates. When one child in a multi-child order ages out, the appropriate process is a child support modification (using JDF 1403 or JDF 1404) to recalculate the support amount based on the remaining children — not a termination filing.

Can I file termination if my child dropped out of high school at 17?

The emancipation triggers under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(13)(a) include the child moving from the family residence and being capable of self-support. Dropping out of school alone doesn’t meet that standard — the parent seeking termination carries the burden of demonstrating that the child meets the statutory criteria for emancipation.

What about arrears — does termination cancel what’s owed?

Termination ends the future obligation. It does not eliminate any arrears (past-due amounts) that accumulated before termination. Those remain enforceable, and unpaid support accrues interest under C.R.S. § 14-14-106 at statutory rates that have changed over time. The guide to collecting child support arrears covers support judgments and the interest rules.

Do I need a lawyer for this?

Colorado’s self-help system is designed so that parents can file termination motions without an attorney. The form bundle is minimal (two forms), the legal question is typically straightforward (did the child turn 19 or meet another emancipation trigger?), and many termination motions are granted on the pleadings without a hearing. Where it gets more complex — a disabled child, a dispute about whether a 17-year-old is truly self-supporting, or significant arrears — is where an attorney consultation may be worth considering.

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The child support termination process in Colorado is one of the most mechanically straightforward filings in family law. Two forms, a $105 filing fee, and a 49-day court review window. The part worth circling twice is what happens after: delivering the termination order and JDF 84 to the employer so the wage withholding actually stops. That last step is the one the instructions mention but don’t emphasize — and it’s the one that costs real money if it gets overlooked.

For the official forms and instructions, visit the Colorado Judicial Branch’s End Child Support page.

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GoFile.ai is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We provide self-help document preparation services at your specific direction. If you need legal advice, please consult with a licensed Colorado attorney.