Colorado Child Support Worksheet A vs. Worksheet B: Which One Applies?

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The Short Answer — It Depends on When Your Order Was Entered

Colorado eliminated the two-worksheet system on March 1, 2026, when HB 25-1159 took effect. A single unified Child Support Worksheet — JDF 1821, revised March 2026 — replaced both the old Worksheet A (JDF 1820) and the old Worksheet B (the pre-2026 version of JDF 1821).

If your child support order was entered or modified before March 1, 2026, the court calculated your support amount using either Worksheet A or Worksheet B based on how many overnights each parent had. That order stays in place — under whichever worksheet was used — until the court enters a modified order.

If your order is entered or modified on or after March 1, 2026, the court uses the single unified worksheet. There is no Worksheet A or Worksheet B to choose between.

This post explains both systems, because which one applies depends entirely on the date of your current order.

The Legacy System — How Worksheet A and Worksheet B Worked

For decades, Colorado split child support calculations into two separate worksheets based on a single question: did both parents have at least 93 overnights per year with the children?

Worksheet A (JDF 1820) was labeled “Basic Child Support Obligation.” It applied when one parent had fewer than 93 overnights. Under Worksheet A, overnights below 93 had zero financial effect on the calculation — a parent with 10 overnights per year paid the same amount as a parent with 92. The worksheet took both parents’ incomes, looked up the basic child support obligation from the schedule, and allocated each parent’s share proportionally by income. The parent with fewer overnights paid their share to the other parent.

Worksheet B (the old JDF 1821) was labeled “Shared Physical Care.” It applied when both parents had 93 or more overnights. Under former C.R.S. § 14-10-115(3)(h), “shared physical care” was defined as each parent having the children for more than 92 overnights per year. Worksheet B multiplied the basic obligation by 1.5 and then allocated each parent’s share based on both income proportion and overnight percentage — under former C.R.S. § 14-10-115(8)(b).

The threshold came from the statute, but it never appeared on the forms themselves. Worksheet A was labeled “basic” and Worksheet B said “shared physical care” — labels that sounded like custody descriptions rather than overnight-count thresholds. The Worksheet B form did include a line that read “STOP HERE IF LINE 7 IS LESS THAN 93 FOR EITHER PARENT. IF SO, USE WORKSHEET A,” but by the time someone hit that instruction, they had already filled out the wrong form.

Parents regularly picked the wrong worksheet based on what “sounded right” about their arrangement. A parent with every-other-weekend and extended summers might look at “shared physical care” and think it applied because both parents were actively involved — even though the overnight count came in well below 93.

That confusion was baked into the system. The 93-overnight cutoff governed which worksheet applied, but neither form explained the math behind it in plain language.

What the 93-Overnight Cliff Meant Financially

The 93-overnight threshold was not just a paperwork distinction. Crossing it could change the support amount by hundreds of dollars per month.

Consider two parents with similar incomes — one earning about $5,400/month and the other about $5,800/month — and two children. Under the old system, with the higher-earning parent at roughly 85 overnights per year, Worksheet A applied. The higher-earning parent’s obligation might come out around $800–950/month.

Now change one thing: extend the parenting schedule so the higher-earning parent reaches 121 overnights. Under the old law, both parents now exceeded 93, so Worksheet B kicked in. The 1.5× multiplier changed the math entirely. Depending on the income split and the overnight percentages, Worksheet B could reduce the obligation to somewhere in the range of $0–100/month — a swing of $700 or more from the Worksheet A amount. The 4th Judicial District (El Paso County) saw cases where the difference between 92 and 93 overnights carried that kind of financial weight.

That cliff effect led to disputes over single overnights. It also meant that common parenting schedules landed on predictable sides of the line:

• Every-other-weekend (Friday and Saturday nights, 26 weekends): roughly 52 overnights → Worksheet A
• Every-other-weekend plus one weeknight: roughly 78 overnights → Worksheet A
• Every-other-weekend plus extended summer: roughly 80–90 overnights → Worksheet A, but close to the edge
• Week-on/week-off (50/50): roughly 182 overnights → Worksheet B

The further both parents were from 93, the less the worksheet distinction mattered in practice. The parents closest to the line — the ones with every-other-weekend-plus-summers schedules hovering in the 80s and 90s — felt the cliff most acutely.

What Replaced It — The Unified Worksheet Under HB 25-1159

Colorado’s HB 25-1159, signed into law on May 31, 2025, overhauled the child support calculation for all orders entered or modified on or after March 1, 2026. The two-worksheet system is gone.

In its place, one unified Child Support Worksheet — JDF 1821, revised March 2026 — applies to every case regardless of overnight count. The Judicial Branch eliminated JDF 1820 (Worksheet A) entirely and repurposed the JDF 1821 form number for the new unified worksheet.

Three structural changes define the new approach:

The 93-overnight threshold is eliminated. There is no cutoff that triggers a different formula. Every parenting arrangement uses the same worksheet.

A graduated Parenting Time Table replaces the binary. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(8)(h), the Parenting Time Table assigns a credit percentage starting from the first overnight. A parent with 50 overnights receives a credit. A parent with 93 receives a larger one. A parent with 150 receives a larger one still. The increase is gradual — there is no cliff.

The 1.5× multiplier is gone. Under the old Worksheet B, the basic obligation was multiplied by 1.5 before being allocated. The new system takes the basic obligation directly from the updated schedule — which now uses 2023 Betson-Rothbarth economic data rather than the 2010 data underlying the old schedule — and allocates each parent’s share by income proportion, then adjusts by each parent’s Parenting Time Table credit. No multiplier.

Using the same two-parent example from above — incomes of roughly $5,400 and $5,800, two children — the higher-earning parent’s move from 85 to 121 overnights under the new system produces a more gradual change in child support. The increased overnight count raises the Parenting Time Table credit percentage, which reduces the net obligation, but the reduction is incremental rather than a sudden drop at 93.

For the complete picture of everything that changed under HB 25-1159 — the updated schedule, self-support reserve, income cap adjustments, and transitional rules — see Colorado’s New Child Support Law (HB 25-1159): What Changed on March 1, 2026.

If Your Order Used Worksheet A or B

An order calculated on Worksheet A or Worksheet B before March 1, 2026 stays in effect until the court enters a modified order. How HB 25-1159 treats existing orders and pending cases is explained in the 2026 law guide.

For the step-by-step modification process, including forms and filing requirements, see How to Modify Child Support in Colorado. For a breakdown of what the process costs — filing fees, e-filing fees, service, and notary — see How Much Does It Cost to Modify Child Support in Colorado?.

How to Verify Which Worksheet Your Order Used

Your child support order should have a worksheet attached. Look for a document labeled “Worksheet A” (JDF 1820) or “Worksheet B” (the old JDF 1821). The worksheet was part of the court file when the judge signed the order.

If no worksheet is attached — which sometimes happens with older orders — check the overnight count in the parenting plan or separation agreement. If both parents had 93 or more overnights per year, the court used Worksheet B. If one parent had fewer than 93, it was Worksheet A.

For orders entered or modified on or after March 1, 2026, look for the unified JDF 1821 with a revision date of “R: March 2026.” This is the current worksheet.

The revision date matters because the Judicial Branch reused the JDF 1821 form number. The old version — revised July 2023 or earlier — was the shared-care Worksheet B. The new version — revised March 2026 — is the unified worksheet that replaced both A and B. A parent downloading JDF 1821 from a third-party form site may get the wrong version. The only reliable source for the current form is the Colorado Judicial Branch Self-Help Forms page.

FAQ — Worksheet A vs. Worksheet B

Does Colorado still use Worksheet A and Worksheet B?

No — for any child support order entered or modified on or after March 1, 2026. The two-worksheet system was replaced by a single unified Child Support Worksheet (JDF 1821, revised March 2026) under HB 25-1159. However, existing orders that were calculated before that date remain under whichever worksheet was originally used, unless and until someone files a modification.

Which worksheet was my old order calculated on?

Check the overnight count in your parenting plan. If both parents had 93 or more overnights per year, the court used Worksheet B (Shared Physical Care). If one parent had fewer than 93, it was Worksheet A (Basic). The worksheet attached to your order should also be labeled.

Can I get my order recalculated under the new law?

A modification requires filing a motion under C.R.S. § 14-10-122 and meeting the 10% threshold — the recalculated amount must differ from the current order by at least 10%. The change in law alone does not qualify as a changed circumstance. For the modification process, see How to Modify Child Support in Colorado. For details on the 10% threshold, see Colorado’s 10% Child Support Rule.

Where do I find the new unified worksheet?

The current JDF 1821 is available at coloradojudicial.gov/self-help-forms. Look for the version with a revision date of March 2026. As of this writing, the form is available as a .docx download. Third-party form sites may still serve the legacy Worksheet B version — always verify the revision date.

Does the 93-overnight rule still affect my existing order?

The worksheet type used in your existing order remains in effect until the order is modified. If your current support was calculated under Worksheet A, it stays under Worksheet A. If it was under Worksheet B, it stays under Worksheet B. The 93-overnight threshold no longer applies to new or modified orders entered on or after March 1, 2026.

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Colorado’s shift from two worksheets to one was designed to remove the financial cliff that a single overnight could create. For parents with existing orders, the old worksheet type still governs until the court enters a modified order. For anyone going through the modification process now, the unified worksheet applies.

For additional resources, see the Colorado Judicial Branch Self-Help Forms page, the full text of HB 25-1159, and the Judicial Branch’s guide to changing court orders. For a complete breakdown of the new law, see Colorado’s New Child Support Law (HB 25-1159): What Changed. For the step-by-step filing process, see How to Modify Child Support in Colorado. And if the parenting schedule itself is changing — which directly affects the overnight count used in any child support calculation — see How to Modify Parenting Time in Colorado.