How does Colorado work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?

The Department of Revenue's 2026 Colorado Withholding Worksheet for Employers, form DR 1098, multiplies the pay for the period by the pay periods in a year, subtracts a yearly allowance of $5,500 (or $11,000 if the Form W-4 says married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse), multiplies what is left by 4.40% and divides by the pay periods. For a $60,000 salary, that is $60,000 less $5,500, $54,500, times 4.40%, $2,398.00 a year, or $92.23 every two weeks. The Department's own DR 1098 Withholding Calculator takes the same steps and gives the same figure.

How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Colorado?

For a single employee paid every two weeks, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,835.69 a paycheck, or $47,728.00 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $2,397.98 of Colorado income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security, $869.96 of Medicare and $263.90 of paid family and medical leave premium.

How much is $20 an hour after tax in Colorado?

At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $650.65 take-home a week for a single employee. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $30.55 of Colorado income tax, $49.60 of Social Security, $11.60 of Medicare and $3.52 of FAMLI premium. Switch the calculator to hourly and type your own hours, including overtime.

Do I have to fill in the Colorado DR 0004?

No. The DR 0004 is optional. If you file only a Form W-4, the DR 1098 uses the filing status on it: $5,500 of allowance, or $11,000 for married filing jointly. If you file a DR 0004, your employer must use the amount you enter on line 2, even if it is zero. Table 1 on the form gives a standard allowance by the number of jobs: for one job it is $14,000 (single or married filing separately), $22,000 (head of household) or $30,000 (married filing jointly), falling with more jobs to $3,500, $5,500 and $7,500 for four or more. On the $60,000 example, a single worker with one job withholds $77.85 a paycheck with a DR 0004 against $92.23 without one. A new Form W-4 without a new DR 0004 cancels any DR 0004 you filed before.

What is Colorado FAMLI, and how much does it take from my paycheck?

FAMLI is Colorado's paid family and medical leave program. The 2026 premium is 0.88% of gross wages up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, split 0.44% from the employee and 0.44% from the employer. On a $60,000 salary the employee's share is $10.15 a paycheck, $263.90 a year, and the most anyone pays in 2026 is $811.80. An employer with nine or fewer employees sends in only the employees' 0.44% and owes no share of its own, and an employer may choose to pay the full amount as a perk. The premium is figured on the gross wages on the pay stub, so a 401(k) deferral does not lower it.

How does Colorado tax a bonus or overtime?

Colorado counts both as wages. The Wage Withholding Tax Guide lists bonuses and commissions among the pay subject to withholding, and the DR 1098 starts from the employee's total taxable wages for the pay period, including overtime. It has no separate rate for bonuses, so one paid with your regular pay is part of that paycheck's wages and is withheld at 4.40% of the annualized total after the allowance.

What does a 401(k), an HSA or a health plan do to my Colorado paycheck?

Colorado withholds on the wages that are subject to federal withholding, so a 401(k) deferral, health premiums through a cafeteria plan and HSA contributions through one all come out before Colorado income tax, as they do federally. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts Colorado withholding by $6.09 and take-home pay by only $115.75. A $100 HSA contribution a paycheck cuts Colorado withholding by $4.40. FAMLI is charged on the full gross pay either way.

Does this include Denver's occupational privilege tax?

No, this calculator takes only the state income tax, FAMLI and the federal taxes. Denver charges an occupational privilege tax of $5.75 a month, taken from an employee who earns at least $500 a month in Denver, and the employer pays a further $4.00 a month for each taxable employee. Your pay stub shows whether Denver's tax is taken.

Who pays unemployment tax in Colorado, and how much is it?

The employer does, to the Department of Labor and Employment. A new Colorado employer pays 3.05% in 2026 in most industries on the first $30,600 of each employee's pay; heavy construction pays 6.285%. That is $933.30 a year per employee at a $60,000 salary. The employer also pays its half of the FAMLI premium, $264.00 a year on that salary.

Colorado Paycheck Calculator

Last updated October 21, 2026FreeNo signupFormula shown

Enter your pay, how often you are paid, your Form W-4 filing status and, if you filed one, your Colorado DR 0004, and this Colorado paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. It follows the Department of Revenue's withholding worksheet, a flat 4.40% after a yearly allowance, adds the paid family and medical leave premium, and works out the employer's side of the bill under it.

State

Colorado

I'm paid

Yearly salary (USD)

Pay frequency

Filing status on Form W-4

Colorado withholding

Colorado Employee Withholding Certificate (DR 0004), line 2

A DR 0004 is optional. Without one, the employer uses $5,500, or $11,000 if married filing jointly. The other choices are Table 1 of the form.

Form W-4 steps 2 to 4

Step 2 box is checked

Two jobs with similar pay, or both spouses work.

Children under 17

Step 3: $2,200 each.

Other dependents

Step 3: $500 each.

Other income per year

Step 4(a).

Deductions per year

Step 4(b).

Extra withholding each paycheck (USD)

Step 4(c).

401(k), % of pay

2026 limit $24,500.

Health premiums per paycheck

Pre-tax.

HSA per paycheck

2026 limit $8,750.

Take-home pay per paycheck

$1,835.69

$2,307.69 gross · $472.00 withheld (20.5%)

Where this paycheck goes

Gross pay: $2,307.69
Federal income tax: - $193.08
Social Security6.2%: - $143.08
Medicare1.45%: - $33.46
Additional Medicare0.9%: - $0.00
Colorado income tax: - $92.23
Colorado paid family and medical leave (FAMLI)0.44%, up to $811.80 a year: - $10.15
401(k): - $0.00
Health premiums: - $0.00
HSA: - $0.00

Take-home pay$1,835.69

Over the year, 26 paychecks

Gross pay: $60,000
Taxes: - $12,272
Pre-tax deductions: - $0
Share kept: 79.5%

Take-home pay$47,728

Of every $100 of gross pay, $80 is take-home.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Colorado income tax$2,398 · 4%
Colorado paid family and medical leave (FAMLI)$264 · 0.4%
Take-home pay$47,728 · 79.5%

Take-home pay rises with every extra dollar of salary.

Gross payTake-home pay

This pay costs the employer $65,829 a year, $2,531.90 each pay period.

What the employer adds, per year

Employer Social Security6.2% to $184,500: $3,720
Employer Medicare1.45%: $870
Federal unemployment (FUTA)0.6% of the first $7,000: $42
Colorado unemployment3.05% of the first $30,600: $933
Colorado paid family and medical leave (FAMLI), employer share0.44% of the first $184,500: $264

Employer taxes$5,829

Total cost of the employee

Gross pay: $60,000
Employer taxes: + $5,829
Per pay period: $2,531.90

Per year$65,829

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Colorado withholds a flat 4.40% of pay after a yearly allowance of $5,500, or $11,000 for a married couple filing jointly.

Every Colorado employer must use the Department of Revenue's Colorado Withholding Worksheet for Employers, form DR 1098. It multiplies the pay for the period by the number of pay periods in a year, subtracts the allowance, multiplies what is left by 4.40% and divides by the pay periods. There are no brackets and no exemption count, and nothing on the Form W-4 matters except the filing status, which picks the allowance. An employee who gives the employer no W-4 is treated as single.

A $60,000 Colorado salary takes home $1,835.69 every two weeks.

The calculator opens on this case: a single employee with a standard Form W-4 and no DR 0004, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions.

Gross pay: $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69
Federal income tax: $193.08
Colorado income tax: ($60,000 − $5,500) × 4.40% = $2,398.00 a year, ÷ 26 = $92.23
Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08; Medicare: 1.45% = $33.46
Colorado FAMLI: 0.44% × $2,307.69 = $10.15
Take-home pay: $1,835.69 a paycheck, $47,728.00 a year

Of $60,000 gross, $47,728 reaches the bank account.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
Colorado income tax$2,398 · 4%
Colorado paid family and medical leave (FAMLI)$264 · 0.4%
Take-home pay$47,728 · 79.5%

Each paycheck: $1,835.69Kept: 79.5%

A single employee on a $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks, with no DR 0004. Invented example. Each tax is rounded to the cent in every paycheck, as payroll does.

Filing the optional DR 0004 with one job raises a single worker's allowance to $14,000, which cuts withholding by $14.38 a paycheck.

With more jobs the allowance on Table 1 of the form falls, because each job should carry part of it: a single worker with two jobs gets $7,000, which withholds $89.69, and with four or more jobs $3,500, which withholds $95.62. A married couple filing jointly goes from $82.92 without a DR 0004 to $50.77 with one for one job. Your employer must use the amount on line 2 of the form, even a zero.

The same $60,000 salary is withheld $92.23 a paycheck with no DR 0004 and $77.85 with one for a single worker.

Single, no DR 0004$92.23
Single, DR 0004 one job$77.85
Single, DR 0004 two jobs$89.69
Single, DR 0004 four jobs$95.62
Married, no DR 0004$82.92
Married, DR 0004 one job$50.77

Invented example: a $60,000 salary paid every two weeks. The DR 0004 amounts are Table 1 of the 2026 form.

Colorado takes 0.44% of your gross pay for paid family and medical leave, up to $811.80 a year.

The FAMLI premium for 2026 is 0.88% of wages up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, split between you and your employer. Your half is $10.15 on every paycheck of the $60,000 example. A salary of $250,000 reaches the cap in the 9th month and pays $811.80 for the year, the most anyone pays.

Together the contributions stop at $811.80 a year, once pay passes $184,500.

$30,000 a year$132.08 a year
$60,000 a year$263.90 a year
$100,000 a year$439.92 a year
$200,000 a year$811.80 a year

Colorado paid family and medical leave (FAMLI)

Invented salaries, single, paid every two weeks. Colorado paid family and medical leave (FAMLI) is 0.44% of the first $184,500.

A 401(k) and a health plan lower the wages Colorado taxes, but FAMLI is charged on gross pay.

Colorado withholds on the wages that are subject to federal withholding, so the amounts that skip federal income tax skip Colorado tax too. A 401(k) deferral of 6% on the $60,000 example is $138.46 a paycheck, and it lowers Colorado withholding by $6.09. Social Security, Medicare and FAMLI still apply to the whole paycheck.

A 6% 401(k) lowers federal tax by $16.62 and Colorado tax by $6.09 a paycheck.

Federal tax, no 401(k)$193.08
Federal tax, 6% 401(k)$176.46
Colorado tax, no 401(k)$92.23
Colorado tax, 6% 401(k)$86.14

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. 6% of pay is $138.46 a paycheck.

Hiring that employee costs $65,829 a year in Colorado.

On top of the $60,000, the employer matches Social Security and Medicare at 6.2% and 1.45%, which is $4,590, and pays its half of the FAMLI premium, $264.00. It pays federal unemployment tax of 0.6% on the first $7,000, which is $42; Colorado is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 credit reduction. A new Colorado employer pays unemployment tax at 3.05% on the first $30,600 of pay, which is $933.30 a year per employee.

On $60,000 of pay, the employer owes $5,829 more in taxes.

Employer Social Security$3,720
Employer Medicare$870
Colorado unemployment$933
Colorado paid family and medical leave (FAMLI), employer share$264
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42

An employee on a $60,000 salary. Colorado unemployment is the 2026 new-employer rate of 3.05% on the first $30,600.

Take-home pay in Colorado runs from $32,626 on $40,000 to $106,773 on $150,000.

For a single employee with no DR 0004, paid every two weeks. Switch the table to weekly pay if you are paid every week. To see how another flat-rate state compares, try the Illinois paycheck calculator.

Take-home pay in Colorado for a single employee on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions. Colorado taxes are its income tax and paid family and medical leave (FAMLI).
Salary	Federal tax	Social Security and Medicare	Colorado taxes	Take-home a year	Every two weeks
$40,000	$2,620	$3,060	$1,694	$32,626	$1,254.85
$50,000	$3,820	$3,825	$2,178	$40,177	$1,545.28
$60,000	$5,020	$4,590	$2,662	$47,728	$1,835.69
$75,000	$7,670	$5,738	$3,388	$58,204	$2,238.63
$100,000	$13,170	$7,650	$4,598	$74,582	$2,868.54
$150,000	$24,734	$11,475	$7,018	$106,773	$4,106.66

Methodology & sources

The formula this calculator uses is shown in full above, and every assumption is an input you control. There are no hidden industry presets. All math runs in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server. For the reasoning behind the formula and its edge cases, see:

Frequently asked questions

How does Colorado work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?: The Department of Revenue's 2026 Colorado Withholding Worksheet for Employers, form DR 1098, multiplies the pay for the period by the pay periods in a year, subtracts a yearly allowance of $5,500 (or $11,000 if the Form W-4 says married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse), multiplies what is left by 4.40% and divides by the pay periods. For a $60,000 salary, that is $60,000 less $5,500, $54,500, times 4.40%, $2,398.00 a year, or $92.23 every two weeks. The Department's own DR 1098 Withholding Calculator takes the same steps and gives the same figure.
How much is $60,000 a year after tax in Colorado?: For a single employee paid every two weeks, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,835.69 a paycheck, or $47,728.00 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $2,397.98 of Colorado income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security, $869.96 of Medicare and $263.90 of paid family and medical leave premium.
How much is $20 an hour after tax in Colorado?: At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $650.65 take-home a week for a single employee. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $30.55 of Colorado income tax, $49.60 of Social Security, $11.60 of Medicare and $3.52 of FAMLI premium. Switch the calculator to hourly and type your own hours, including overtime.
Do I have to fill in the Colorado DR 0004?: No. The DR 0004 is optional. If you file only a Form W-4, the DR 1098 uses the filing status on it: $5,500 of allowance, or $11,000 for married filing jointly. If you file a DR 0004, your employer must use the amount you enter on line 2, even if it is zero. Table 1 on the form gives a standard allowance by the number of jobs: for one job it is $14,000 (single or married filing separately), $22,000 (head of household) or $30,000 (married filing jointly), falling with more jobs to $3,500, $5,500 and $7,500 for four or more. On the $60,000 example, a single worker with one job withholds $77.85 a paycheck with a DR 0004 against $92.23 without one. A new Form W-4 without a new DR 0004 cancels any DR 0004 you filed before.
What is Colorado FAMLI, and how much does it take from my paycheck?: FAMLI is Colorado's paid family and medical leave program. The 2026 premium is 0.88% of gross wages up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500, split 0.44% from the employee and 0.44% from the employer. On a $60,000 salary the employee's share is $10.15 a paycheck, $263.90 a year, and the most anyone pays in 2026 is $811.80. An employer with nine or fewer employees sends in only the employees' 0.44% and owes no share of its own, and an employer may choose to pay the full amount as a perk. The premium is figured on the gross wages on the pay stub, so a 401(k) deferral does not lower it.
How does Colorado tax a bonus or overtime?: Colorado counts both as wages. The Wage Withholding Tax Guide lists bonuses and commissions among the pay subject to withholding, and the DR 1098 starts from the employee's total taxable wages for the pay period, including overtime. It has no separate rate for bonuses, so one paid with your regular pay is part of that paycheck's wages and is withheld at 4.40% of the annualized total after the allowance.
What does a 401(k), an HSA or a health plan do to my Colorado paycheck?: Colorado withholds on the wages that are subject to federal withholding, so a 401(k) deferral, health premiums through a cafeteria plan and HSA contributions through one all come out before Colorado income tax, as they do federally. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts Colorado withholding by $6.09 and take-home pay by only $115.75. A $100 HSA contribution a paycheck cuts Colorado withholding by $4.40. FAMLI is charged on the full gross pay either way.
Does this include Denver's occupational privilege tax?: No, this calculator takes only the state income tax, FAMLI and the federal taxes. Denver charges an occupational privilege tax of $5.75 a month, taken from an employee who earns at least $500 a month in Denver, and the employer pays a further $4.00 a month for each taxable employee. Your pay stub shows whether Denver's tax is taken.
Who pays unemployment tax in Colorado, and how much is it?: The employer does, to the Department of Labor and Employment. A new Colorado employer pays 3.05% in 2026 in most industries on the first $30,600 of each employee's pay; heavy construction pays 6.285%. That is $933.30 a year per employee at a $60,000 salary. The employer also pays its half of the FAMLI premium, $264.00 a year on that salary.

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