Colorado Divorce Decisions blog
Can I get a mortgage with alimony and child support in Colorado?
You can get a mortgage with alimony and child support in Colorado when the decree orders the payments, you have 6 months of history and the payments run at least 3 more years. A worked example on a $90,000 salary shows the math.
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Yes. You can get a mortgage with alimony and child support income in Colorado when the decree orders the payments, you have received them for 6 months and they continue at least 3 years after you close. Colorado calls alimony maintenance. Lenders add support you receive to your income and count support you pay as a debt in your debt-to-income ratio. On a $90,000 salary, $1,500 a month of maintenance moves an example ratio from 48.7 percent to 40.6 percent.
What does the decree have to say for a lender to count support?
The lender reads three things in your decree: the dollar amount, the payment schedule and the end date. Support without a court order does not count, because the lender has nothing to verify. Support with an order counts once the history and continuance rules below are met.
Start with how maintenance works in Colorado and child support and housing. Then read mortgage qualification after divorce for the full paperwork list.
How long must I receive support before a lender counts it?
Lenders want a documented history of receiving the payments, and 6 months is the common floor. The history starts with your first payment, so support that began under temporary orders counts from that date. Support that starts at the decree starts its clock at the decree.
- History: 6 months of deposits, shown on bank statements or on the state's payment records for court-ordered support.
- Continuance: the decree shows the payments run at least 3 years after your closing date.
- Documents: the decree, temporary orders and 6 months of statements.
Read the Colorado divorce process to see when temporary orders start the clock.
How does support I pay change my debt-to-income ratio?
Support you pay is a monthly debt. The lender adds it to your housing payment, your car loan and your student loans, and divides the total by your gross monthly income. A $1,500 maintenance payment reduces the housing payment you qualify for by about $1,500 a month.
A contingent liability on the old mortgage is excluded when the decree assigns the loan to your ex and the lender verifies the assignment. Without a court order, the lender wants 12 months of on-time payments by your ex. The refinance deadline page and the quitclaim deed page explain why a deed does not release you from the loan.
What does the math look like on a $90,000 salary plus $1,500 a month?
This example uses a $90,000 salary, which is $7,500 gross a month, and $1,500 a month of maintenance you receive. The housing payment is $3,000 a month: about a $400,000 loan at a 6.5 percent example rate, plus taxes, insurance and HOA. Other debts are a $400 car payment and a $250 student loan. The example limit is 45 percent; your lender sets the real limit on your loan.
| Line | Salary only | Salary plus maintenance received | Salary, maintenance paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross monthly income | $7,500 | $9,000 | $7,500 |
| Housing payment | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Car and student loan | $650 | $650 | $650 |
| Support paid | $0 | $0 | $1,500 |
| Total monthly debt | $3,650 | $3,650 | $5,150 |
| Debt-to-income ratio | 48.7% | 40.6% | 68.7% |
| Against a 45% example limit | Over | Under | Over |
Salary alone lands 3.7 points over the example limit. Adding $1,500 of received maintenance puts the same buyer 4.4 points under it. That single line decides the file.
Run your own version before you shop. Take your gross monthly income, add support you receive that meets both rules, then add your housing payment, your debts and any support you pay. If the ratio lands over your lender's limit, three levers move it: a lower price, a larger down payment that shrinks the loan, or paying off a debt before you apply. Paying off the $400 car loan drops the salary-only ratio in the example from 48.7 percent to 43.3 percent.
What if my child support ends inside 3 years?
The lender drops it. Child support stops on the end date in your decree, which follows your youngest child's age. If that date falls fewer than 3 years after closing, the payments do not count as income. You qualify on your salary and any support that does run 3 years.
Maintenance follows the same rule. A 5-year maintenance term counts. A 2-year term does not. In numbers: child support of $800 a month that ends in 26 months adds nothing to your income, while $1,500 of maintenance with 5 years left adds all $1,500. Ask your attorney how long the decree runs before you sign, and confirm the wording with a Colorado divorce attorney. See divorce, kids and the house and staying in the house with the kids for how those dates affect housing.
Do I have to list support on my application?
No. You choose whether to list alimony or child support, and a lender cannot require it. If you leave it off, the lender cannot count it, and you qualify on your other income. List it when the file needs it.
If the payments are late, the lender sees a broken history. Six on-time months carry weight; three on-time months and three late ones raise questions. A consistent record is the asset you are building.
How does the Colorado maintenance formula affect what I qualify for?
The advisory formula sets maintenance for marriages of 3 to 20 years, and a judge or your agreement lands on the number in your decree. The 2026 worked example shows the formula step by step. Whatever the decree says is what the lender counts, so the wording of the decree is part of your mortgage plan.
Ask for three things in the decree: the amount, a term of at least 3 years and a payment method that leaves a deposit trail. Then send the lender the draft before the court signs it. A lender that reads the wording while it is still open can flag a problem; after signing, only a court changes it. Mediation versus litigation explains where that conversation happens, and how to afford a divorce in Colorado covers the cost.
Our lender partner is Mike Oswald, VP of Mortgage Lending at Rate, NMLS 261003, Equal Housing Lender. You are free to use any lender. See Mike Oswald at Rate, and run a mortgage pre-approval with your decree numbers. The financing page, the FHA and VA guide and the first-time buyer guide list the loan types and down payments.
Where to go next
- Mortgage after divorce
- Living on one income after divorce
- Buying a house on one income in Denver
- Women and divorce in Colorado
- The free buying after divorce guide
- Search every home for sale in Colorado
Talk to us before you sign anything
The Kenna Real Estate Group writes a Smart Pricing Report on the marital home if it is still unsold, runs a payment check with the lender using your decree and your support terms, and sets up a search on kennarealestate.com at the price that clears your ratio. Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Free and confidential. You do not need to be ready to buy.
Quick answers
Is alimony the same as maintenance in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado law calls alimony maintenance, and lenders use both words for the same payment. The decree's wording decides how the lender reads it.
Does support paid outside the decree count?
No. A lender counts support that a court order requires and that you can document. Cash handshake payments have no order behind them.
How much history does the lender want?
6 months of received payments is the common floor. Bank statements or the state's payment records show each deposit.
What if maintenance is set to end in 2 years?
The lender leaves it out, because it must continue at least 3 years after closing. You qualify on salary and any support that runs long enough.
Does the $1,500 I pay hurt my mortgage approval?
Yes. Paid support is a monthly debt, and the lender adds it to your ratio. In the example above it moves the ratio from 48.7 percent to 68.7 percent.
Do I have to tell the lender I receive support?
No. You choose whether to list it, and a lender cannot require it. Leave it off and the lender cannot count it.
Can the group check my numbers before I apply?
Yes. We run a payment check with the lender using your decree and your support terms. Call or text 303-955-4220.
Plain-language education from a Colorado real estate group, not legal, tax or financial advice. Numbers are as of September 2026. Disclaimer.
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Divorce Decisions™: Colorado divorce workshops and education. Real estate services provided by The Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC. Not legal, tax, lending or financial advice.