Thinking about changing jobs when you pay or receive alimony can make your stomach drop. A promotion, layoff, medical issue, or the end of military service might feel exciting or terrifying on its own, and adding court-ordered support on top of that can make every decision feel risky. You may be trying to figure out if a new paycheck will change what you owe or what you depend on each month, and what happens if you guess wrong.
In Colorado Springs, career and income changes are common, especially with the mix of military, government, and private employers across Southern Colorado. Colorado law does allow alimony, called spousal maintenance, to be reviewed in some situations, but not every career move will justify changing a court order. Understanding how judges in our local courts look at income changes can help you plan your next step instead of reacting in a panic after the fact.
At The Gasper Law Group, we work with people across Colorado Springs and Southern Colorado who are trying to balance career decisions with alimony obligations, including many servicemembers and military spouses near local military installations. We know how Colorado’s “substantial and continuing change in circumstances” standard plays out in real life, not just on paper. The sections below walk through what actually matters to the court when your income, or your former spouse’s income, changes and how to protect yourself before you make big moves.
How Colorado Springs Courts Look At Alimony And Income Changes
Colorado uses the term “spousal maintenance” for what most people call alimony. Maintenance is usually set in a divorce or legal separation order based on both parties’ incomes, needs, and financial resources at that time. Many people assume that once the judge signs that order, the numbers are locked in stone, or that the amount automatically changes whenever a paycheck changes. In reality, the answer depends on how the order was written and what has changed since.
Some maintenance orders in Colorado are written as modifiable, which means a court can review and potentially change the amount or duration if certain conditions are met. Other orders are written as contractual, non-modifiable maintenance, often as part of a negotiated settlement. Those non-modifiable orders are very difficult, and sometimes practically impossible, to change later, even if income changes a lot. One of the first things we do in a consultation is read your existing order or agreement closely so you are not planning around the wrong assumption.
For modifiable maintenance, Colorado law uses a substantial and continuing change in circumstances standard. In plain terms, the change usually has to be big enough and long lasting enough that keeping the old order would be unfair. A temporary dip in overtime or a short period between jobs often does not reach that level. Judges in El Paso County typically look at several months of income history, and they compare what you earn now to what you were earning when maintenance was last set, not just to one unusually good or bad month.
Another point many people miss is that only the court can change the maintenance amount or duration. Informal deals, for example agreeing by text to pay less for a few months, do not replace the written order. If a dispute comes up later, the court will usually enforce the original amount, and any discounts you gave informally may just be treated as unpaid arrears. This is why we focus on getting any new agreement written up properly and filed, or asking the court directly for a modification when needed.
Because we regularly appear in Colorado Springs courts on maintenance and support issues, we see how local judges apply these principles in real cases. That experience shapes how we advise clients about whether a career or income change is likely to meet the substantial and continuing threshold and what evidence will matter most if they decide to request a modification.
Not Every Career Change Lets You Lower Alimony In Colorado Springs
A common assumption for paying spouses is that if they earn less, they can just pay less. Courts in Colorado Springs do not look only at the new income number. Judges focus hard on why the income changed and whether the person is still earning what they reasonably could earn. That is where the difference between voluntary and involuntary income reductions becomes critical.
A voluntary reduction happens when someone chooses to leave a higher paying job or cut their hours for reasons the court may see as optional. For example, imagine a software engineer in Colorado Springs who leaves a stable job to start a small business that pays much less in the first few years. Or someone who leaves a full time professional role to work part time in a lower stress field. Those may be perfectly valid life choices, but a judge might decide that the person could still be earning their previous salary and refuse to reduce maintenance.
In those situations, courts often use imputed income. Imputed income is what the judge believes you could earn with your skills, education, and the local job market if you made reasonable efforts, not necessarily what you are actually bringing home right now. If a judge thinks you voluntarily stepped down from a higher paying job to a much lower paying position while you have a relatively recent maintenance order, the court may run the numbers as if you still earn your prior income. That can leave a payor shocked when their request to lower maintenance is denied.
Voluntary changes can also include going back to school full time, taking a lower paying job with a more flexible schedule, or cutting back work to travel. Judges understand that people want to improve their lives, but they also take seriously the commitment that was made when the maintenance order was entered. A court in Colorado Springs may decide that your desire for a new career or lifestyle does not outweigh your duty to continue paying support at the earlier level, especially if your former spouse still relies heavily on that income.
We regularly sit down with clients before they quit or change jobs to talk through how a judge is likely to see the move. That kind of conversation can prevent someone from unknowingly walking into a situation where their paycheck drops, but their court obligation does not, which can create a fast growing backlog of payments they cannot realistically make.
When Job Loss Or Pay Cuts Can Support An Alimony Modification
On the other side of the spectrum are situations where a payor truly has less income for reasons outside their control. Layoffs, company closures, industry downturns, and certain medical issues are all examples. In those cases, a request to modify maintenance in Colorado Springs may be more realistic, but it still is not automatic. The burden is on the person asking for the change to show what happened and how it affects their long term ability to pay.
Judges look for clear signs that the change is involuntary. A layoff letter, notice of restructuring, or evidence of a business shutting down carries more weight than a simple statement that work is slow. If you have developed a medical condition that limits your work hours or type of work, medical records and documentation about work restrictions can be very important. Courts will also compare pre change and post change pay stubs and tax returns to understand the size of the shift.
Even where job loss is clearly involuntary, courts in El Paso County usually want to see good faith efforts to find new work that is reasonably comparable. That can include job applications, interview records, communication with recruiters, and proof that you are not turning down suitable positions. If you quickly accept a new job that pays less, the court may ask whether the pay cut was unavoidable or whether you could have held out for something closer to your previous income.
The continuing piece of the standard matters here as well. A brief gap between jobs often will not be enough to justify a permanent maintenance change. On the other hand, a long term pay cut, for example moving from a full time position at a large Colorado Springs employer to a lower paying but stable role after months of searching, may give the court a stronger reason to adjust support. We help clients assemble the documentation that shows not just that income changed, but that the change is serious, involuntary, and not likely to bounce back soon.
Because we work regularly in Southern Colorado courts, we have a sense of what local judges consider persuasive when evaluating these situations. That kind of insight can shape both what you do in the months after a job loss and how you present your story when you ask the court to modify your order.
Military Transitions And Alimony In Southern Colorado
In Colorado Springs, many career changes are tied to military service. Separation from active duty, retirement, or shifting into the civilian workforce can all dramatically change a servicemember’s income picture. Those changes may involve base pay, housing allowances, special pays, and deployment related income, which makes alimony questions more complex than a simple salary change.
For example, a servicemember stationed in Southern Colorado may separate from active duty and move into a civilian job with a different mix of pay and benefits. Basic Allowance for Housing and other military specific income may go away, while civilian salary and private benefits come into play. If maintenance was originally set while you were on active duty, the court will often look closely at your total financial picture before and after separation to see whether the change in actual spending power is as large as it looks on paper.
Deployment can also skew perceptions of income. Someone might have received extra pay during deployment that temporarily boosted their income, and maintenance could have been calculated in part on those numbers. When deployment ends, those extras usually stop. Courts in Southern Colorado, which see many military cases, generally understand this, but they still need clear documentation, such as Leave and Earnings Statements, to sort out base pay from temporary bonuses and allowances.
Retirement from the military introduces another layer. Retired pay, potential disability pay, and new civilian work all have to be considered when evaluating maintenance. The court is interested in long term earning capacity and financial resources, not just the dip that can happen in the first months after separation while someone finds the right civilian role. That is why the timing of a modification request around retirement or separation matters, and why showing your post service plan can be as important as showing what changed.
Because The Gasper Law Group is located in Southern Colorado and works often with servicemembers and military spouses, we are familiar with how these transitions show up in court. We help clients translate military and civilian pay records into a clear picture that makes sense to a judge who has to decide whether a maintenance change is warranted.
How Your Former Spouse’s Career Change Can Affect Alimony
Career shifts do not just affect the person who pays maintenance. They also affect the spouse who receives it. Colorado courts calculate maintenance based on both parties’ incomes, needs, and abilities to support themselves. When either side’s income changes significantly on a long term basis, it can open the door to revisiting the order, either to reduce or potentially increase support.
If you are paying maintenance and your former spouse’s income rises sharply, for example because they moved into a higher paying field after gaining more experience or education, that increase may be part of an argument to lower what you pay. Courts often expect maintenance to help bridge the gap while a receiving spouse becomes more self supporting. Once that happens, continuing the same level of support might no longer be fair.
On the other hand, if you are receiving maintenance and your former spouse changes careers in a way that increases their earnings, you may be wondering if you can ask for more support. In some circumstances, a significant, ongoing increase in the payor’s income can justify a request to modify maintenance upward, especially if your own income has not risen much. As always, the court looks at the whole picture, including your efforts to work and cover your own needs.
There are also situations where the receiving spouse makes voluntary changes that reduce their income, such as leaving a job to stay home, turning down promotions, or staying in a lower paying role despite having the ability to move up. In those cases, the court may consider whether to impute income to the receiving spouse, just as it might for a paying spouse. If a judge believes the receiving spouse could earn more with reasonable efforts, that can limit how much maintenance they can continue to receive.
We often see both sides misunderstand how these dynamics work and assume that only the paying spouse’s earnings matter. In reality, judges in Colorado Springs look at both incomes, both sets of needs, and both parties’ choices about work. Our role is to help you understand how your own career decisions and your former spouse’s decisions might change the balance and what that means for maintenance going forward.
The Legal Process To Modify Alimony In Colorado Springs
Once you have a sense that your income or your former spouse’s income has changed in a serious, lasting way, the next question is how to actually ask for a modification. In Colorado Springs, the process usually starts with reviewing your current order or separation agreement. You need to know whether maintenance is labeled as modifiable, what the original assumptions were, and whether there are any specific terms that affect changes.
The next step is gathering documents that show the change. For a payor, that might include recent pay stubs, tax returns, termination or layoff notices, job search records, new employment contracts, or medical records if health affects ability to work. For a receiving spouse, it could include proof of new income, completion of training or education programs, or changes in living expenses. Judges in El Paso County typically want to see several months of information to understand whether a change is truly continuing.
To request a modification, someone usually files a motion to modify maintenance with the court that issued the original order. The other party must be formally served with that motion, and they have a chance to respond. Sometimes the two sides can reach an agreement after exchanging financial information, and they can submit a signed stipulation for the judge to approve. Other times, the court may set a hearing where each side presents evidence and testimony about what has changed.
One critical detail is timing. Courts generally only make maintenance changes retroactive to the date the motion was filed, not to the date income actually dropped or rose. If you lost your job early in the year but wait several months to file, you may still owe the full original amount for that earlier period. We see many people hurt by that delay. Filing promptly, even while you are still looking for new work, can protect you from building up arrears based on an amount you can no longer manage.
Throughout this process, clear communication with your attorney and the court is essential, especially if your work schedule is changing or you are relocating. At The Gasper Law Group, we use secure technology so clients across Southern Colorado can upload documents, review drafts, and stay updated even when their hours or locations are in flux. That kind of flexibility is especially helpful for clients balancing job searches, shift work, or deployments with ongoing court obligations.
Planning A Career Move When You Pay Or Receive Alimony
The best time to think about alimony and career changes is often before you submit your resignation, accept a new offer, or cut your hours. A little planning can reduce the risk that a judge will view your move as a voluntary income drop that does not justify changing maintenance. It can also help you decide whether to negotiate an adjustment with your former spouse or file a motion with the court in advance.
If you are paying maintenance, consider modeling your budget under your current order and under possible new income levels. Ask yourself whether you could still meet the existing payment if needed and for how long. Document your reasons for the career move, especially if it is driven by health, caregiving responsibilities, or clear changes in your industry. This kind of record can be valuable later if you need to show the court that your choice was reasonable, not simply a way to avoid paying support.
If you are receiving maintenance, think carefully about how a promotion, new job, or decision to step back from work might affect your long term financial picture. Gaining higher income can give you more independence but can also lead to a reduced need for maintenance. Stepping away from work might feel necessary in the short term but could make it harder to show that you are working toward self support, which is something courts in Colorado consider over time.
On both sides, it usually makes sense to talk with a family law attorney before you make big decisions. That conversation can help you understand how a judge in Colorado Springs is likely to view your planned move, what documents you should keep, and whether filing for a modification or negotiating a written adjustment with your former spouse is appropriate. At The Gasper Law Group, we offer low retainers and interest free payment plans, so even clients facing income uncertainty can get legal advice before changing jobs or schedules.
Planning ahead does not mean you have to put your career on hold indefinitely. It means you are making informed choices, with a clear sense of the legal and financial tradeoffs. That kind of clarity can be the difference between a manageable transition and an unexpected maintenance crisis.
Talk With A Colorado Springs Alimony Attorney Before You Change Jobs
Career changes are part of life, especially in a community like Colorado Springs where military service, government work, and private industry all intersect. When alimony is part of the equation, those changes carry extra weight. Understanding how Colorado law treats voluntary versus involuntary income changes, how long a shift must last to count as continuing, and what evidence local judges look for can help you protect yourself and your family as you move forward.
Every situation has its own mix of income sources, family needs, and court history. A brief conversation with a family law attorney who practices regularly in Southern Colorado can give you a clearer picture of what a promotion, layoff, separation from the military, or new career path might mean for your maintenance order. If you are considering a job change, or if your former spouse’s income has already changed, reach out to The Gasper Law Group to review your options before you adjust any payments on your own.
Call (719) 212-2448 to speak with our team about how a career change could impact alimony in Colorado Springs.