Colorado Paycheck Calculator

Your estimated take-home pay in Colorado for 2026 — federal tax plus Colorado withholding figured with the Department of Revenue's DR 1098 worksheet: a flat 4.40% on pay after the withholding allowance — $11,000 for married filing jointly, $5,500 otherwise.

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Method & sources: Federal withholding: IRS Publication 15-T (2026) percentage method · FICA rates: IRS Topic No. 751 · Social Security wage base $184,500 (SSA). Colorado: DR 1098 worksheet — flat 4.40% over the withholding allowance ($11,000 married filing jointly / qualifying surviving spouse, $5,500 otherwise; Form DR 0004 Line 2 replaces it) (Colorado Dept. of Revenue). Figures checked November 2026. Methodology & full sources

Quick answers

Worked examples, not your result — the figures below use the salaries and defaults stated in each example. Enter your own numbers in the calculator above for your figure.

All three assume a single filer with no pre-tax deductions and no Form DR 0004.

How this calculator works

Colorado publishes its withholding worksheet outright — Form DR 1098 — and this calculator uses it, step for step. The steps:

1. Start with gross pay for the period — your salary divided by the number of paychecks in the year, or your hourly rate times the hours in the paycheck.
2. Subtract pre-tax deductions for both sides. Colorado wages follow the federal wage definition, so a traditional 401(k) contribution comes out of wages before Colorado tax is figured, exactly as on the federal side.
3. Annualize and apply the IRS schedule. Your federal taxable pay is annualized, run through the Publication 15-T (2026) schedule for your filing status and W-4 entries, then divided back into paychecks.
4. Add FICA. Social Security is 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 for 2026; Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, plus 0.9% withholding on wages from one employer above $200,000.
5. Colorado tax — the DR 1098 worksheet. Annualize your Colorado wages, subtract the withholding allowance — $11,000 for married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse, $5,500 otherwise, or the amount on Form DR 0004 Line 2 if you filed one (including zero) — multiply by 4.40%, and divide by your pay periods, rounding to the cent. Add any Form DR 0004 Line 3 additional withholding. If you claim exemption on your W-4, the Colorado line is zero.
6. The remainder is your take-home pay — with no local income tax to add: Colorado levies none on wages.

The allowance is why Colorado's effective bite runs below its rate: about 3.79% of gross pay at $40,000, rising toward 4.40% as pay grows and the fixed allowance matters less.

Three examples, worked in full

Example 1 — $80,000 salary, paid every two weeks

Colorado's share comes to $3,278.08 over the year — about 4.10% of gross pay, under the 4.40% headline rate thanks to the allowance. It is also $595.66 a year less take-home than the same worker keeps in Kentucky: Kentucky's lower 3.5% rate outweighs Colorado's larger allowance at this salary.

Example 2 — $120,000 salary with a 401(k)

Paid every two weeks, single, contributing $300 a paycheck to a traditional 401(k):

Because Colorado follows the federal wage definition, the contribution escapes Colorado tax too. Without it, federal withholding would be $753.77 and Colorado's $193.77; contributing cuts the federal line by $71.23 and Colorado's by $13.20 a paycheck. The $300 of saving costs $215.57 of spendable pay — over a year, $80,578.94 of take-home plus $7,800 into the 401(k). FICA is figured on pay before the contribution: 401(k) deferrals do not escape Social Security and Medicare.

Example 3 — $30 an hour, paid weekly

At 40 hours a week all year that is $62,400 of gross pay and $48,332.44 of take-home.

What paychecks look like at other salaries

Colorado, single filer, no pre-tax deductions, no Form DR 0004, paid every two weeks:

Hourly workers

Colorado, single filer, 40 hours a week, paid weekly:

Colorado's minimum wage is $15.16 an hour in 2026 (Colorado Department of Labor and Employment) — at $15.16 for 40 hours, take-home comes to $487.29 a week on the assumptions above. Local rates run higher: Denver pays $19.29. See minimum wages by state for how floors compare.

Colorado pay rules worth knowing

One allowance, two numbers

Colorado's worksheet shelters a fixed dollar amount before the rate applies — and the amount turns entirely on filing status: $11,000 for married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse, $5,500 for everyone else, when only a W-4 is on file. There is no per-dependent amount and no separate standard deduction to track: the allowance is the whole shelter, and it is why a married couple filing jointly keeps more of the same salary than a single filer, even at the same flat rate.

The DR 0004 most people never file

On your first day at a Colorado job you will fill in a federal W-4 — and, usually, nothing for the state. Form DR 0004 is optional: its worksheet lets you build an allowance from your actual deductions, subtractions and other income, and its Line 3 adds extra withholding per paycheck. File one and the worksheet uses your Line 2 amount instead of the default — including zero, if that is what the worksheet says. One trap in the worksheet's own rules: filing a new W-4 revokes any earlier DR 0004, so a W-4 update silently returns you to the default allowance unless you file a fresh DR 0004 with it.

One allowance per person — the two-job trap

The allowance is built into the worksheet once per worker, per employer. Each of two spouses with one job gets it in full. But hold two jobs and both employers shelter $5,500 — $11,000 of shelter against a tax that allows $5,500 — and you can owe at filing time. The worksheet's own fix is Form DR 0004 Line 3: ask for extra withholding of up to $242 a year — exactly the doubled allowance times the 4.40% rate — spread across your paychecks.

No local income tax — the whole state story

Colorado levies no city or county income tax on wages, so the Colorado line in this calculator needs no second layer. That is the quiet difference from the other flat-tax states: a Pennsylvania worker still owes a local earned income tax, a Michigan worker may owe a city tax, and a Kentucky worker usually owes a local occupational tax — a Colorado worker does not.

Bonuses — what the worksheet does not say

DR 1098 prescribes a method for period wages and states no separate supplemental rate. A bonus paid with your regular wages is simply part of that period's taxable wages in the worksheet. For a bonus paid separately, this calculator claims no flat state rate, because the Department publishes none in DR 1098 — the federal treatment of that same bonus is a separate question, see the Bonus Tax Calculator.

Local minimums above the state floor

Colorado's statewide minimum is $15.16 an hour in 2026, adjusted for inflation each January 1 under the state constitution — but cities and counties may set higher rates, and several do: Denver pays $19.29, Edgewater $18.17, and Boulder County's unincorporated areas $16.82. If you work in one of those places, the local rate is the one your paycheck must meet.

Sources

Federal withholding tables: IRS Publication 15-T (2026). FICA rates and the Social Security cap: IRS Topic No. 751 and the Social Security Administration's 2026 announcement. Colorado withholding: Form DR 1098, 2026 Colorado Withholding Worksheet for Employers (10/21/25) and the Colorado Wage Withholding Tax Guide, Colorado Department of Revenue. Minimum wage: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Labor Standards and Statistics (statewide $15.16 for 2026; Denver $19.29). See our methodology & sources page for the full list.

Related calculators

• Paycheck Calculator (all states) — the generic calculator with every covered state
• Paycheck calculators by state — all eighteen state calculators in one directory
• Take-Home Index — all eighteen states ranked at four salary levels
• Bonus Tax Calculator — how a bonus is really taxed
• Pay Raise Calculator — what a raise is actually worth after tax

Questions, answered

How much is $100,000 a year after taxes in Colorado?

For a single filer paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions and no Form DR 0004: $2,812.69 take-home per paycheck and $73,129.94 over a full year. Colorado takes $159.92 per paycheck, $4,157.92 over the year, under the Department of Revenue's DR 1098 worksheet.

What is Colorado's income tax rate in 2026?

A flat 4.40% of taxable wages, applied after the withholding allowance. Colorado has one rate for all incomes — no brackets — and no local income tax on wages.

How is Colorado withholding calculated?

This calculator uses the Department of Revenue's official worksheet (Form DR 1098, 2026): annualize your pay, subtract the withholding allowance — $11,000 for married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse, $5,500 otherwise, or the amount on Form DR 0004 Line 2 if you filed one — multiply by 4.40%, divide back into paychecks, and add any Form DR 0004 Line 3 additional withholding. DR 1098 states no rounding rule, so this calculator rounds the per-period result to the cent.

What is Colorado's withholding allowance in 2026?

$11,000 if you file married filing jointly or are a qualifying surviving spouse, $5,500 for every other filing status, when you have filed only a federal W-4. If you filed Colorado Form DR 0004, its Line 2 amount replaces the default — including zero. The allowance is per worker, per employer, not per job or per couple: two spouses each get it on their own wages, but a worker with two jobs gets it twice in the worksheet, which is why two-job workers can end up owing at tax time.

Do I need to file a Form DR 0004 in Colorado?

No — it is optional. A federal W-4 alone is enough: Colorado withholding runs on the W-4 filing status and the default allowance. File a DR 0004 only if you want a different allowance or extra withholding per paycheck. Note that filing a new W-4 revokes any earlier DR 0004, so re-file the DR 0004 if you still want it after a W-4 update.

Does Colorado tax 401(k) contributions?

No. Colorado wages follow the federal wage definition, so a pre-tax 401(k) contribution is excluded from Colorado wages just as on the federal side. In our $120,000 example, contributing $300 a paycheck cut federal withholding by $71.23 and Colorado withholding by $13.20 a paycheck.

Does Colorado have local taxes on wages?

No. Colorado levies no city or county income tax on wages, so the state line in this calculator is the whole state-and-local story.

Are bonuses taxed differently in Colorado?

The DR 1098 worksheet states no separate supplemental rate: a bonus paid with your regular wages is simply part of that period's taxable wages in the worksheet. This calculator therefore does not price a separately paid bonus at a flat state rate — the Department publishes no such rate in DR 1098. The federal side has its own flat supplemental rate — see the Bonus Tax Calculator.

I live in another state and work in Colorado. Do I owe Colorado withholding?

Generally yes on the Colorado work: Colorado wages include wages paid to a nonresident for services performed in Colorado, so your employer withholds Colorado tax on those wages. Your home state may tax the same wages too, usually with a credit for tax paid to Colorado — check your home state's rules.

What is Colorado's minimum wage in 2026?

$15.16 an hour statewide in 2026 (Colorado Department of Labor and Employment), with higher local rates — Denver pays $19.29. At $15.16 an hour for 40 hours a week, this calculator shows take-home pay of $487.29 a week for a single filer.

FigWage calculators are estimates for education, not tax advice. Your actual withholding can differ — a DR 0004 election, mid-year changes, or the state's wage-bracket tables can all move the number. Your pay stub and the IRS Withholding Estimator are the final word.