Colorado Paycheck Calculator

How the Colorado paycheck calculator works

It starts from your gross pay for the pay period (annual salary ÷ number of pay periods, or hourly rate × hours plus any overtime) and then subtracts:

• Pre-tax deductions you enter, such as 401(k) contributions or health insurance premiums
• Federal income tax, based on your Form W-4 and the IRS 2026 withholding method
• Social Security (6.2% of wages up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000)
• Colorado income tax, Colorado FAMLI and any local tax that applies to you

What is left is your estimated net (take-home) pay for the period, shown with a line-by-line breakdown.

Colorado income tax in 2026

Colorado's 2026 rate is 4.4% of Colorado taxable income, which begins with federal taxable income (wages minus the $16,100 federal standard deduction for a single filer). Employees use Form DR 0004 to adjust Colorado withholding; if you don't file one, your employer uses your federal W-4.

Other Colorado payroll deductions

FAMLI (Family and Medical Leave Insurance) costs 0.88% of wages in 2026, split evenly: you pay 0.44% and your employer pays 0.44% (businesses with fewer than 10 employees don't pay the employer half). The premium applies to wages up to the Social Security wage base.

Denver charges an employee occupational privilege tax of $5.75 a month if you earn at least $500 in a month for work in Denver. Aurora, Greenwood Village, Glendale and Sheridan have similar flat monthly taxes.

Example: $60,000 salary in Colorado (2026)

Assumptions: single filer, paid every two weeks, 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100), no other income, no pre-tax deductions and no extra withholding. Figures are annual estimates of tax owed; your employer's withholding can differ slightly.

Local or alternative amounts on the same $60,000 salary:

In this example about 19.7% of gross pay goes to taxes and payroll deductions. Enter your own numbers in the calculator for your estimate.

How to calculate your Colorado paycheck by hand

You can check the calculator with a pen and paper. Here is the same $60,000 single-filer example worked through for one biweekly paycheck:

1. Gross pay per check: $60,000.00 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69.
2. Pre-tax deductions: none in this example (401(k) and health premiums would be subtracted here, before income tax).
3. Federal income tax: $60,000.00 − $16,100 standard deduction = $43,900.00 taxable; 10%/12% brackets give $5,020.00 a year, or $193.08 per check.
4. Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08.
5. Medicare: 1.45% × $2,307.69 = $33.46.
6. Colorado income tax: $1,931.60 for the year (see the brackets below) = $74.29 per check.
7. Other Colorado payroll deductions: $264.00 a year = $10.15 per check.
8. Take-home pay: $2,307.69 − all of the above = $1,853.63 per check ($48,194.40 a year).

Your employer uses the IRS percentage method (Publication 15-T) on each paycheck, so withholding can differ from the annual tax by a few dollars a check; the difference is settled when you file your return.

Colorado income tax brackets for 2026

Colorado single-filer amounts for 2026: standard deduction $16,100.

Brackets are marginal: each rate only applies to the slice of income inside its band, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces your take-home pay.

Colorado salary after taxes: take-home pay at common salaries

Estimated 2026 take-home pay in Colorado for a single filer with the standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions:

Use these as quick reference points; the calculator above gives the figure for your exact pay, pay schedule and W-4.

Hourly wage after taxes in Colorado

For hourly workers, this table converts common Colorado wages into take-home pay for a full-time year (2,080 hours, no overtime):

How a 401(k) changes your Colorado take-home pay

Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable wages before federal and Colorado income tax is worked out. Social Security and Medicare are still charged on 401(k) deferrals.

Saving $3,600 only reduces take-home pay by about $3,010 – roughly $590 of the contribution is covered by lower income tax. Health, dental and vision premiums paid through a cafeteria (Section 125) plan usually reduce FICA as well, so they save even more; check how your state treats them.

Single vs married filing jointly

Filing status changes federal withholding a lot. With one earner, the married-filing-jointly brackets and the $32,200 standard deduction cut federal tax compared with single filing:

Colorado also has its own rules for married couples; choose 'Married filing jointly' in the calculator to apply them. If both spouses work, tick Step 2 on the federal W-4 (or use the IRS Withholding Estimator) to avoid under-withholding.

How a bonus is taxed in Colorado

Bonuses, commissions and other supplemental wages are usually withheld at a flat federal rate of 22% when they are paid separately from regular pay. On a $5,000 bonus that means:

22% is a withholding rate, not your final tax. If your real federal bracket is 12%, the extra comes back as a refund when you file; if it is 24% or higher, you may owe a little more.

Why your Colorado paycheck may not match this estimate

• Your W-4 choices (dependents, other income, extra withholding) change federal withholding. Colorado uses Form DR 0004 for state withholding – update it whenever your situation changes.
• Pre-tax benefits (401(k), HSA, health premiums) are taken out before tax and are not in the basic example.
• Bonuses and commissions are often withheld at the federal supplemental rate of 22%, so a bonus check can look heavily taxed even though the final tax is settled on your return.
• Social Security stops once your wages for the year pass $184,500; high earners see bigger checks late in the year.
• Colorado payroll items (Colorado FAMLI – employee share) have their own rates and caps, shown in the breakdown.

Your Colorado paycheck by pay frequency

Pay frequency changes the size of each check, not your yearly total. For the same $60,000 example:

Hourly pay, overtime and minimum wage in Colorado

• Colorado's minimum wage is $15.16 an hour in 2026; Denver's local minimum is higher.
• Colorado overtime is 1.5× pay after 40 hours in a week or after 12 hours in a day (or 12 consecutive hours), whichever gives more.
• At $15.16 an hour, a 40-hour week is $606.40 gross ($31,532.80 a year before taxes); each overtime hour at 1.5× pays $22.74.

TABOR refunds and your paycheck

Colorado sometimes lowers the rate or sends TABOR refunds when state revenue exceeds its constitutional limit. These adjustments are made on your annual return, not through payroll, so your paycheck uses the standard 4.4% rate.

Sources

1. IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf
2. Social Security Administration – Contribution and benefit base — ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html
3. Tax Foundation – State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2026
4. Colorado Department of Revenue – Withholding (DR 0004) — tax.colorado.gov
5. Colorado FAMLI – premiums — famli.colorado.gov
6. Denver – Occupational Privilege Tax — denvergov.org
7. U.S. Department of Labor – State minimum wage laws — dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state