Colorado payroll · Updated November 6, 2026

Colorado paycheck calculator for 2026

See what comes out of a Colorado paycheck: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Colorado’s flat 4.4% income tax and the 0.44% FAMLI paid leave premium. Enter a salary, an hourly rate or one paycheck.

Calculate my take-home pay

Calculate your Colorado take-home pay

How you are paid

Annual salary$

Pay frequencyFiling status (W-4)

W-4 Step 2 box checkedTwo jobs, or both spouses work

W-4 Step 3 creditsDollar amount for the year$401(k) or 403(b)Pre-tax, per paycheck$Health, dental, FSAPre-tax, per paycheck$

Take-home pay per paycheck

$1,835.69

$47,728 a year

	Paycheck	Year
Gross pay	$2,307.69	$60,000
Federal income tax	-$193.08	-$5,020
Social Security (6.2%)	-$143.08	-$3,720
Medicare (1.45%)	-$33.46	-$870
Colorado income tax (4.4%)	-$92.23	-$2,398
FAMLI paid leave (0.44%)	-$10.15	-$264
Take-home pay	$1,835.69	$47,728

2026 estimate for one paycheck, using the IRS percentage method and Colorado’s withholding formula. Colorado uses the allowance from your W-4 filing status unless you file a DR 0004. Your employer's payroll may differ by a few cents to a few dollars. Not tax advice.

What comes out of a Colorado paycheck

2026. Federal from IRS Publication 15-T; Social Security and Medicare from IRS Topic 751. Colorado: DR 1098 (2026) and FAMLI Division.
Deduction	Rate	Applies to
Federal income tax	10% to 37%	Wages after the W-4 standard amount, by filing status
Social Security	6.2%	Wages up to $184,500 for 2026
Medicare	1.45%, plus 0.9% over $200,000	All wages, no cap
FAMLI paid leave (0.44%)	0.44%	Wages up to $184,500
Colorado income tax (4.4%)	4.4% flat	Wages minus a yearly allowance of $5,500, or $11,000 if married filing jointly

Example: $60,000 a year, paid every two weeks

Single filer, Form W-4 with no adjustments, no pre-tax deductions, 2026.
Line	Per paycheck	Year
Gross pay ($60,000 ÷ 26)	$2,307.69	$60,000
Federal income tax	−$193.08	−$5,020
Social Security (6.2%)	−$143.08	−$3,720
Medicare (1.45%)	−$33.46	−$870
FAMLI paid leave (0.44%)	−$10.15	−$264
Colorado income tax (4.4%)	−$92.23	−$2,398
Take-home pay	$1,835.69	$47,728

How Colorado withholding works

Colorado employers annualize your wages, subtract an allowance and withhold 4.4% of the rest, the method in the state’s 2026 DR 1098 worksheet. Without a Colorado form, the allowance comes from your federal W-4: $11,000 a year if married filing jointly, $5,500 otherwise. If you file Form DR 0004, your employer uses the amount on its line 2 instead, which can be anything from zero up; its worksheet suggests $14,000 for a single person with one job, $22,000 for a head of household and $30,000 for a married couple. Line 3 adds a fixed extra amount per paycheck.

Overtime pay stays in Colorado wages even when it is exempt from federal withholding. Colorado will not pay TABOR refunds for tax year 2026, according to the Legislative Council’s September 2026 forecast, and the 4.4% rate is unchanged for 2026.

FAMLI and the Denver occupational privilege tax

Colorado’s FAMLI paid family and medical leave premium is 0.88% of wages for 2026, split evenly: 0.44% from the employee, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base. It comes out of after-tax pay. Employers with nine or fewer employees pay no employer share, but still send the employee’s 0.44%.

If you earn at least $500 a month working in Denver, the city’s occupational privilege tax takes $5.75 a month from your pay, and your employer pays $4.00. Aurora repealed its version effective January 1, 2025. This calculator does not include the Denver tax.

Minimum wage in Colorado

The statewide minimum wage is $15.16 an hour for 2026. Denver’s citywide minimum is higher, at $19.29 an hour.

Your federal withholding and Form W-4

Federal withholding is separate from the state’s and depends on your Form W-4: your filing status, the Step 2 box if you have two jobs or both spouses work, and the Step 3 amount for children and other dependents. Pre-tax 401(k), 403(b) and cafeteria-plan health premiums come out before income tax is figured. If you are paid on a 1099 instead of a W-2, nothing is withheld; use the self-employment tax calculator and plan for estimated payments.

Questions

How much is taken out of a $60,000 paycheck in Colorado?

For a single person paid every two weeks with no W-4 adjustments, about $193.08 federal income tax, $143.08 Social Security, $33.46 Medicare and $92.23 Colorado income tax, $10.15 FAMLI paid leave (0.44%) come out of each $2,307.69 paycheck, leaving about $1,835.69.

What is the Colorado income tax rate for 2026?

A flat 4.4%, the same as 2025. Employers withhold it on wages after a yearly allowance of $5,500, or $11,000 for married filing jointly, unless you file Form DR 0004.

What is FAMLI on my Colorado paycheck?

Colorado’s paid family and medical leave premium. For 2026 the employee pays 0.44% of wages, up to $184,500, and the employer generally pays the other 0.44%.

Do I need to fill out Form DR 0004?

No, it is optional. Without it, Colorado withholding uses your federal W-4 filing status. Filing it lets you set a larger or smaller allowance, which changes how much Colorado tax is withheld.

Why is my paycheck different from this calculator?

Payroll systems round differently, and paychecks can include things this calculator leaves out: overtime, bonuses withheld at the flat supplemental rate, after-tax deductions, extra withholding on your W-4, or W-4 Step 4 adjustments.

Owe at tax time, or getting too much back?

We prepare federal returns for clients in every state and can tell you how to set your W-4 so next year comes out closer. We work remotely through a secure portal, by phone or video.

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Where these rules come from

USTAXX prepares tax returns and offers tax planning. We are not a CPA firm and do not represent clients before the IRS. This page is general information, not tax advice for your situation.