Denver Spousal Support Lawyer

best denver spousal support lawyer

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Your Denver Spousal Support Case Starts With the Numbers

One spouse in your marriage earns more than the other, and you need to know what that gap means for your finances once the divorce is final. Will you be paying support to your ex for years, or learning to live on one income instead of two? Colorado gives judges a formula to estimate an answer, but the formula is only a starting point. How it actually gets applied depends on the details of your case.

Kinnett & Cordes focuses solely on family law. Our Denver spousal support lawyers help clients on both sides of spousal support (known in Colorado as spousal maintenance). Reach out and let’s map out what your numbers actually mean, before you agree to anything.

Exclusively Family Law

Avvo – 10.0/Superb – Danaé Kinnett and James Cordes

Denver Bar Association President 2025-26

Super Lawyers Top Rated Family Law Attorneys in Denver

Spousal Maintenance Matters We Handle in Denver

Spousal maintenance rarely looks the same in any two marriages. We help clients:

Request spousal maintenance as part of a Denver divorce
Contest or reduce a spousal maintenance claim
Resolve temporary maintenance while your divorce case is still pending
Determine maintenance in high-income, self-employed, or business-owner situations
Modify an existing maintenance order after a real change in circumstances
Enforce a maintenance order your ex has stopped paying

We represent clients on both sides of a maintenance claim throughout the Denver metro area, whether you are the higher earner protecting your future income or the spouse who scaled back a career to support the household.

Other Types of Adams County Family Law Cases We Handle

How Denver Courts Calculate Spousal Maintenance

Colorado gives judges a formula to start from when determining spousal support. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-114, the formula applies to marriages of at least three years where the spouses together earn $240,000 a year or less. The starting point is 40% of the couple’s combined monthly income, minus the lower earner’s monthly income. Because maintenance isn’t taxed today, the law then cuts that number by 20% (if the couple’s combined income is $10,000 a month or less) or 25% (if it’s higher). That final number is the guideline amount.

The formula doesn’t apply if the combined spousal income is over $240,000 a year.

How long maintenance lasts is tied to the length of the marriage itself. A three-year marriage points toward less than a year of support. A 20-year marriage can point toward ten years, or longer at a judge’s discretion.

None of this is automatic. The formula is only advisory, meaning a Denver judge can, and often does, move away from it once you show your specific income, debts, and household costs.

Statutory Factors Judges Consider When Deciding Spousal Support

When deciding whether to follow or adjust the advisory formula, a judge evaluates several specific statutory factors, including:

Financial Standing and Need: Both spouses’ income, available assets, marital property awards, and separate property resources.
Earning Capacity: The lower earner’s current employability, past job history, and time needed for education or vocational training.
Marital Lifestyle: The established standard of living during the marriage.
Marital Contributions: Economic and non-economic contributions, including homemaking and supporting the other’s career.
Personal Circumstances: Age, physical/mental health, obligations to dependent children, and temporary maintenance already paid during proceedings.

Under Colorado law, marital misconduct is strictly excluded.

Spousal Support Questions Denver Clients Ask Us Most

What happens at my first court date for a Denver spousal maintenance case?

Most spousal maintenance issues start at a temporary orders hearing, not a trial. The judge looks at both spouses’ current income and expenses and sets a temporary amount that holds until your case is fully resolved. Bring pay stubs, tax returns, and a monthly budget. This first number is not permanent, but it may shape negotiations later.

What court handles spousal maintenance cases in Denver?

The Denver District Court, Domestic Relations Division, decides spousal maintenance cases in Denver at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock Street.

How long does spousal maintenance last in Colorado?

Length is tied to how long you were married. Colorado’s guidelines start around 31% of the marriage length for a three-year marriage and rise toward 50% for marriages of 12.5 years or longer. Marriages over 20 years can qualify for indefinite maintenance. A judge still has discretion to depart from these numbers based on your specific case.

Can spousal maintenance be changed after the divorce is final?

Yes, but only if you can show a substantial and continuing change in circumstances, such as a significant income change, job loss, or retirement. A temporary dip in income or a voluntary pay cut usually is not enough on its own. We can review your situation and tell you honestly whether a modification is worth pursuing.

Does moving in with a new partner affect spousal maintenance?

It can. Cohabitation with a new partner is one of the more common grounds Denver spouses use to try to end maintenance early, but Colorado courts require real proof of a shared household and shared finances, not just a romantic relationship. If you are the one receiving support, how you handle this matters.

Will I have to pay taxes on spousal maintenance I receive in Colorado?

No. Since 2019, spousal maintenance in Colorado is not taxable income for the person receiving it, and the paying spouse cannot deduct it. That change is built into the guideline formula itself.

What does it cost to hire a Denver spousal support lawyer?

It depends on whether your case settles through negotiation or goes to a contested hearing, and how complicated your income situation is. We can give you a realistic estimate once we understand your income, your spouse’s income, and what is actually in dispute. Contact us for a consultation to get real numbers, not a guess.

Talk to a Denver Spousal Support Lawyer Before You Agree to Anything

Whatever your income situation looks like, you deserve real numbers before you sign a settlement or agree to a temporary order. Kinnett & Cordes handles family law exclusively. Contact us to schedule a confidential consultation and find out where your case stands before anything becomes permanent.