Child Support FAQ and Forms

Here are some common child support forms you might need. These forms help with things like applying for support, asking for changes, or giving important information. Knowing about these forms can help you move through the child support process more easily.

• Application for Child Support
• Review and Adjustment Request (Affidavit of Income)(PDF, 810KB)
• Pay by Phone Authorization
• Affidavit of Arrears(PDF, 213KB)
• Affidavit of Paternity(PDF, 1MB)
• Child Care Verification(PDF, 152KB)
• Non Disclosure Request(PDF, 84KB)

Upon request, the county will make reasonable accommodations for alternative access to the listed documents. Please submit your request via Weld County Accommodation Request Form, email ADACoordinator@weld.gov, or by calling Human Resources at (970) 400-4234.

Here are some common terms used in the child support process.

• Arrearage: Child support that is more than a month overdue.
• Custodial Party (CP): The parent or person who mainly takes care of the children. Also called the Recipient, Custodial Parent, Obligee, or Payee.
• Emancipation: The age when child support usually ends, as set by law.
• Family Support Registry (FSR): The system that handles receiving and sending child support payments, often used by Child Support Services and private parties.
• Income Assignment (IA): A document sent to the paying parent’s employer to take child support directly from their paycheck. Also called an Order to Withhold (OTW) or Income Withholding Order (IWO).
• Non-Custodial Party (NCP): The parent who does not have the children most of the time. Also called the Non-Custodial Parent, Obligor, or Payor.
• Non-Disclosure of Information (NDI): A request to the court to keep personal contact information private if sharing it could put the parent or children in danger.
• Notary: A state official who confirms your identity and witnesses your signature on documents. We can notarize your child support documents for free if you bring proper ID.
• Office of Dispute Resolution (ODR) Referral: A service to help parents work out parenting issues and responsibilities after separating. It starts when both parents request it through Child Support Services.
• Paternity Test: A DNA test to confirm who the biological father of a child is.
• Review and Adjustment: A process to update child support based on current income of both parents. Also called a modification.
• Termination of Parental Rights: A court decision that ends a parent’s legal rights and, in some cases, future child support obligations.
• Unfunded Disbursement (UD): When child support is sent to the receiving parent, but the payment from the paying parent doesn’t clear (e.g., a bounced check). The paying parent still owes the support, and the State recovers the money from future payments.
• Unreimbursed Public Assistance (UPA): Public funds, like TANF or Colorado Works, that were given to support the child but haven’t been repaid by the paying parent. 

Office of Child Support Services Glossary of Common Child Support Terms.

Child Support Services helps make sure current child support orders are paid. Their goal is to ensure monthly payments are made by working with everyone involved. If needed, Child Support Services can take steps to enforce payments.

More on Enforcing Support Orders.

Child Support Services does not oversee custody and parenting time issues. After parentage is determined, a parent has the right to petition the court for parenting time/visitation and/or custody.

You may want to talk to a private lawyer or get help from the Colorado Judicial Branch Self-Help Resources for Family Cases. 

To open a child support case, you can apply online with the Application for Child Support form, or pick up a paper application at any Human Services location.

More information available at the Open or Close a Child Support Case page.

To get a certified copy of a court order, contact the clerk of the court that issued the order. 

Search for Weld County Court locations.

To change the amount of a support order, you need to request a review of your case. Fill out the Review and Adjustment Request Form(PDF, 810KB).

Information on how to submit your request can be found on the I Have a Child Support Order page.

To close your child support case, contact our office at(970) 400-6499or emailchildsupport@weld.gov.

To view your case online, go to the Family Support Registry. You can also call them at  (800) 374-6558.

The Family Support Registry offers several easy ways for you to submit child support payments. A list of payment options can be found on the Colorado Child Support payment portal.

Payment Kiosk Location:
822 7th Street, Greeley, CO 80631, in the lobby.
 Hours Available: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., 
Service Fee: Yes, for credit card payments. No fee for cash payments. 
If you need help with the kiosk, visit Child Support Services in Suite 600.

In Colorado, child support ends when a child is emancipated. A child is considered emancipated when they:

• Turn 19
• Get married
• Join the military
• The court decides the child is emancipated based on other circumstances.

Child support can continue past age 19 if:

• Both parents agree in writing.
• The child has a physical or mental disability, and the court orders continued support.
• The child is still in high school or a similar program, support continues until the end of the month after graduation, but not beyond age 21.

When a child becomes emancipated, we stop collecting current child support, but we still collect any overdue support (arrears).

The age of emancipation can be different in other states, and you can find this information on the Federal Child Support Intergovernmental Referral Guide.

Your court order decides whether you need to pay support. If it says you must pay, it’s your responsibility to make sure the full amount is paid. If your employer is sending the payments for you through a wage withholding order, it doesn’t change your responsibility to make sure the full support amount is paid each month. We check different databases for job information, but we rely on you to tell us where you’re working to help support your children.

Either parent can ask for a paternity test if it hasn’t been decided yet. If either parent isn’t sure, a test should be done to confirm if the alleged father is the biological father. In some cases, like with civil unions or domestic partnerships, extra evidence might be needed.

Child Support Services only offers paternity testing in these cases:

• When parentage has not been decided yet
• When setting up a child support order
• If the court asks Child Support Services to do the testing

If you need a paternity test and are not starting an enforcement case, call the Parentage Hotline at (303) 866-6430.

In Colorado, you can dispute a birth certificate if you question who the father is. This usually happens if someone thinks they’re not the biological father or if another man says he is the father. Steps to challenge paternity are available on Colorado Judicial Court Parentage.

If you don’t know where a parent lives, it can be hard to set up or enforce a support order. Child Support Services can help try to find them. We can use local, state, and federal information to help find where a missing parent lives or works. You may also be able to help by searching on social media sites like Facebook or other online locator resources.

More information on Finding a Non-Custodial Parent.