Finance calculators

Colorado Paycheck Calculator

Updated Sep 11, 2026 By Infinity Calculator
Rate Formulas Sources
Pay Details
Accepted range: $1,000 – $10,000,000.
$85,000
40 hrs/week
≈ $40.87/hr at 40 hrs/week
Hourly equivalent of your annual salary.
Filing & Dependent Details
$2,200 annual credit each (W-4 Step 3).
$500 annual credit each (W-4 Step 3).
Marital Status (State Withholding)
Used for the Colorado standard withholding allowance.
Colorado Withholding Elections
Colorado taxes income at a flat 4.40%; to adjust withholding per DR 0004, use State Allowances or Additional State Withholding below.
Denver: $5.75 per month employee share.
Colorado FAMLI employee share (0.44%) is withheld on wages up to the Social Security wage base and applied automatically.
Allowances & Additional Withholding
Pre-2020 W-4 style: each reduces annual federal taxable wages by $4,300.
Each reduces annual Colorado taxable wages by $4,000.
Additional state withholding allowances, $4,000 each per year.
Pre-Tax Deductions
Deduction Calculation Method Amount ($ or %) Per Paycheck
Pre-Tax Deductions Total $0.00
5.0% of gross pay — sets the 401(k) row to "% of Gross Pay".
Post-Tax Deductions
Deduction Name Calculation Method Amount ($ or %) Per Paycheck Remove
No post-tax deductions added.
Post-Tax Deductions Total $0.00
Tax Exemptions
Are you exempt from any taxes?
Your Estimated Bi-Weekly Take-Home Pay
$0.00
Gross $0.00 · Total taxes $0.00 · Deductions $0.00
Per Hour
$0.00
Per Week
$0.00
Per Month
$0.00
Per Year
$0.00
Take-Home Percentage
0.00%
Effective Total Tax Rate
0.00%
Detailed Paycheck Breakdown
Line ItemPer Paycheck% of Gross
Where Your Gross Pay Goes
Gross Pay Distribution
"What If" Scenarios
Step-by-Step Solution

Introduction

The Colorado Paycheck Calculator shows you how much money you really take home each payday. You enter your pay, and it does the math for taxes and deductions.

Your paycheck is smaller than your gross pay. Federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare all come out first. Colorado withholds state income tax at a flat 4.40%.1 Colorado also takes a small FAMLI premium for paid family and medical leave. If you work in a city like Denver or Glendale, a small local tax may come out too.

This tool works for both salary and hourly jobs. You can add overtime hours, pick your pay schedule, and enter things like health insurance, 401(k), HSA, or FSA. It also handles your filing status, kids, and other dependents.

You get your net pay per hour, week, month, and year. A chart and a full breakdown show where every dollar goes. Step-by-step math explains each number, so you can see how it all adds up. Use it to plan a budget, check a job offer, or see what a raise would really be worth.

How to use our Colorado Paycheck Calculator

Enter your pay, your tax filing details, and any deductions. The Colorado paycheck calculator shows your take-home pay per paycheck, week, month, and year, plus a full breakdown of federal, Colorado, FICA, and local taxes.

Salary or Hourly tab: Pick "Salary" if you earn a set yearly amount. Pick "Hourly" if you are paid by the hour.

Annual Salary: Type your yearly pay before taxes. You can also drag the salary slider to set it fast.

Hours Per Week: Drag the slider to how many hours you work each week. This sets your hourly rate and your per-hour take-home pay.

Hourly Wage: Type what you earn per hour before taxes.

Regular Hours Per Pay Period: Type the normal hours you work in one paycheck period. For a 40-hour week paid every two weeks, enter 80.

Overtime: Click the Overtime button to add your overtime rate and overtime hours per pay period. The rate starts at 1.5 times your wage.

Quick-Fill Colorado Job Roles: Click a job button to fill in the average hourly wage for that role in Colorado.

Pay Frequency: Choose how often you get paid, such as weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly.

Federal Filing Status: Pick the status on your W-4: Single, Married Filing Separately, Married Filing Jointly, or Head of Household.

Qualifying Children Under 17: Enter how many kids under 17 you claim. Each one cuts your federal tax by $2,200 a year on the 2026 Form W-4.2

Other Dependents: Enter other people you claim. Each one cuts your federal tax by $500 a year.2

Marital Status (State Withholding): Choose Single or Married. It follows your federal filing status and sets your Colorado withholding allowance. Without a DR 0004, employers use $11,000 for married filing jointly and $5,500 for everyone else.1

DR 0004 Colorado State Withholding: Leave this on Standard to use Colorado's flat 4.40% rate with the standard allowance.

Local Jurisdiction: Pick your city if it charges an occupational privilege tax, like Denver or Greenwood Village. Choose None if yours does not.

Federal Allowances: Enter allowances from an older W-4 form. Each one lowers your yearly federal taxable wages by $4,300.3

State Allowances: Colorado's DR 0004 lets you set a yearly dollar allowance.1 Each state allowance you enter here lowers your yearly Colorado taxable wages by $4,000, so you can use it to come close to a DR 0004 amount.

Additional State Allowances: Add any extra allowances. Each one adds another $4,000 to your yearly Colorado allowance here.

Additional Federal Withholding: Enter extra federal tax you want taken out of each paycheck.

Additional State Withholding: Enter extra Colorado tax you want taken out of each paycheck.

Additional Local Withholding: Enter extra local tax you want taken out of each paycheck.

Pre-Tax Deductions: Fill in health, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA, HSA, and other items taken out before taxes. For each row, choose a fixed dollar amount or a percent of gross pay.

401(k) Quick Slider: Drag it to set your 401(k) as a percent of your gross pay.

Post-Tax Deductions: Click "Add Deduction" to add items taken out after taxes, like a Roth 401(k) or union dues. Name it, then pick a dollar amount or a percent.

Tax Exemptions: Choose Yes if you are exempt from any tax, then flip the switch for federal, Colorado, local, Social Security, Medicare, or Colorado insurance taxes.

Calculate and Reset: Click Calculate to see your net pay, charts, "what if" scenarios, and step-by-step math. Click Reset to start over.

Understanding Your Colorado Paycheck

Your paycheck has two numbers that matter. Gross pay is what you earn before anything is taken out. Net pay, or take-home pay, is the money that actually lands in your bank account. The gap between them comes from taxes and deductions.

What Comes Out of a Colorado Paycheck

  • Federal income tax is based on your W-4: filing status, dependents, and any extra amount you ask your employer to hold back. Rates step up from 10% to 37% as income grows.12
  • Social Security is 6.2% of your wages, up to a yearly wage cap of $184,500 for 2026.4
  • Medicare is 1.45% of all wages, and employers withhold an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a calendar year.4
  • Colorado state income tax: Colorado withholding uses one flat 4.40% rate for everyone, no matter how much you make.1 There are no state tax brackets here.
  • Colorado FAMLI is the state's paid family and medical leave program. For 2026 the premium is 0.88% of wages, with 0.44% paid by the employee and 0.44% by the employer.5
  • Local occupational privilege tax (OPT): a few Colorado cities charge a small flat monthly fee. Denver withholds $5.75 a month from workers who earn at least $500 there in a calendar month.6 Glendale charges $5 a month to workers who earn more than $750 in a calendar month.7 Greenwood Village charges $2 a month once you earn $250 in a calendar month.8 Sheridan charges $3 a month.9 Aurora repealed its tax effective January 1, 2025.10

Colorado Form DR 0004

Colorado has its own withholding form, the DR 0004. You do not have to file it.1 If you skip it, your employer uses an allowance based on your W-4 filing status, $11,000 if married filing jointly or $5,500 otherwise, and then applies the 4.40% rate.1 Filing it lets you fine-tune your state withholding so you don't owe a big bill or overpay all year.

Pre-Tax vs. Post-Tax Deductions

Pre-tax deductions come out before taxes are figured, so they lower your taxable pay and cut your tax bill. Common ones are health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) contributions, HSAs, and FSAs. One note: 401(k) money still gets hit by Social Security and Medicare tax, but health premiums usually do not.

Post-tax deductions come out after taxes. Roth 401(k) money, union dues, wage garnishments, and charity gifts are typical examples. They shrink your take-home pay but save you nothing on taxes.

Pay Frequency

How often you get paid changes the size of each check, not your yearly total. Weekly means 52 checks, bi-weekly means 26, semi-monthly means 24, and monthly means 12. More checks means smaller ones.

Ways to Keep More of Your Pay

  • Put more into a 401(k), Roth IRA, HSA, or FSA to lower taxable income and build long-term savings.
  • Check your W-4 after a raise, marriage, new baby, or side job. A side gig adds self-employment tax.
  • Look at overtime rules. Colorado requires overtime at time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, or after 12 hours in a day or 12 hours in a row.11
  • Compare job offers by net pay, not gross. Benefits and city taxes change the real number.

These figures are estimates. Your real paystub may differ based on your employer's benefit plans, bonuses, and mid-year pay changes.

Formulas used

Gross pay per pay period
\text{Gross} = \begin{cases} \dfrac{\text{Annual Salary}}{n} & \text{salary mode}\\[6pt] (\text{Wage}\times \text{RegHours}) + (\text{OTRate}\times \text{OTHours}) & \text{hourly mode}\end{cases}
Taxable wages after pre-tax deductions (annualized)
\text{Taxable} = \text{Gross} - \text{PreTax},\qquad \text{AnnualTaxable} = \text{Taxable}\times n
Federal income tax withholding per paycheck 3
\text{Fed} = \frac{\Big(T\big((\text{AnnualTaxable} - \text{\$4,300}\,A_f - \text{Offset})^{+}\big) - \text{Credits}\Big)^{+}}{n} + \text{AddlFed}
Colorado state income tax withholding per paycheck 1
\text{CO} = \frac{4.40\% \times \left(\text{AnnualTaxable} - \text{Allow}\right)^{+}}{n} + \text{AddlState},\quad \text{Allow} = \begin{cases} \text{\$11,000} & \text{married} \\ \text{\$5,500} & \text{single} \end{cases} + \text{state allowances}
FICA taxes (Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare) 4
\text{SS} = \frac{6.2\% \times \min(\text{FICAAnnual},\,\text{\$184,500})}{n},\quad \text{Med} = 1.45\% \times \text{FICAGross},\quad \text{AddlMed} = \frac{0.9\% \times (\text{FICAAnnual} - \text{\$200,000})^{+}}{n}
Colorado FAMLI and local occupational privilege tax 5
\text{FAMLI} = \frac{0.44\% \times \min(\text{AnnualGross},\,\text{\$184,500})}{n},\qquad \text{Local} = \frac{\text{MonthlyOPT}\times 12}{n} + \text{AddlLocal}
Net take-home pay per paycheck
\text{Net} = \text{Gross} - \text{PreTax} - \text{TotalTaxes} - \text{PostTax}
Take-home percentage and effective tax rate
\text{TakeHome\%} = \frac{\text{Net}}{\text{Gross}}\times 100,\qquad \text{EffTaxRate} = \frac{\text{TotalTaxes}}{\text{Gross}}\times 100

Frequently asked questions

Does Colorado have city or county income tax?

No. Colorado cities do not charge an income tax. A few cities charge an occupational privilege tax (OPT) instead. That is a small flat monthly fee, not a percent of your pay. Denver charges workers $5.75 a month.6 Pick your city in the Local Jurisdiction menu, or choose None.

What is Colorado FAMLI and can I opt out?

FAMLI is Colorado's paid family and medical leave program. In 2026 workers pay 0.44% of wages and employers pay 0.44%.5 Most workers cannot opt out. Premiums are paid on wages up to the Social Security wage cap, which is $184,500 for 2026.5 The calculator adds it for you.

Why did my Social Security tax stop showing up later in the year?

Social Security tax only applies up to a yearly wage cap of $184,500.4 Once you pass it, that 6.2% stops for the rest of the year and your checks get bigger. Medicare has no cap. This tool spreads the cap evenly across your paychecks, so high earners may see a slightly different amount than their real stub.

Should I pick Salary or Hourly?

Pick Salary if your job pays a set yearly amount, no matter the hours. Pick Hourly if you get paid per hour and your check changes with your hours. Hourly mode also lets you add overtime hours and a quick-fill wage for common Colorado jobs.

Do I need to file Colorado Form DR 0004?

No, it is optional.1 If you skip it, your employer uses an allowance based on your W-4 filing status, $11,000 if married filing jointly or $5,500 otherwise, and then applies the 4.40% flat rate.1 File it only if you want to fine-tune your state withholding. In this tool, use State Allowances or Additional State Withholding to copy that effect.

What is the difference between pre-tax and post-tax deductions here?

Pre-tax items come out before taxes are figured, so they lower your tax bill. Health, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA, and HSA go here. Post-tax items come out after taxes, so they cut your take-home pay but save no tax. Roth 401(k), union dues, and garnishments go there.

Why does my 401(k) still get hit by Social Security and Medicare?

A traditional 401(k) lowers your income tax, but not your FICA tax. Federal law still counts that money as wages for Social Security and Medicare.13 Health, dental, and vision premiums are different. They usually lower both your income tax and your FICA tax. The calculator handles this split for you.

Why is my per-hour take-home pay different from my wage?

Your wage is gross pay. The Per Hour tile shows net pay after all taxes and deductions, divided by your yearly hours. In Salary mode, hours come from the Hours Per Week slider. In Hourly mode, they come from your regular plus overtime hours per period.

Does changing my pay frequency give me more money?

No. Your yearly pay stays the same. More paychecks just means each one is smaller. Weekly gives 52 checks, bi-weekly 26, semi-monthly 24, and monthly 12. Some taxes get rounded a bit differently, so per-check amounts can shift by pennies.

What does the Effective Total Tax Rate mean?

It is all your taxes added up, divided by your gross pay. It includes federal, Colorado, Social Security, Medicare, FAMLI, and local tax. It is lower than your top tax bracket because only your last dollars are taxed at that top rate.

When should I use the Tax Exemptions switches?

Only if you truly qualify. Most workers do not. Students on visas, some religious groups, and certain government workers may be exempt from parts of FICA. Some workers file exempt from federal withholding. If you are unsure, leave it on No so your estimate stays accurate.

Does this include my employer's costs?

No. It only shows what comes out of your check. Your employer separately pays state unemployment insurance, workers compensation, and its FAMLI share. It also pays a matching 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare.4 Those never lower your take-home pay.

Why does the child credit lower my paycheck tax so much?

Each qualifying child under 17 cuts your yearly federal tax by $2,200, and each other dependent by $500.2 The tool spreads that savings across every paycheck, so each check is bigger. Colorado's flat 4.40% tax does not change with dependents.

Sources

  1. DR 1098, 2026 Colorado Withholding Worksheet for Employers. Colorado Department of Revenue. 2025;Step 2; Frequently asked questions. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  2. Form W-4 (2026), Employee's Withholding Certificate. Internal Revenue Service. 2026;Step 3. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  3. Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods. Internal Revenue Service. 2026;Worksheet 1A; 2026 Percentage Method Tables. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  4. Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates. Internal Revenue Service. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  5. Premium and Benefits Calculator. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  6. Tax Guide Topic No. 61: Occupational Privilege Taxes (OPT or Head Tax). City and County of Denver. Imposition of the OPT taxes. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  7. Occupational Privilege Tax. City of Glendale, Colorado. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  8. Occupational Privilege Tax (OPT). City of Greenwood Village. Tax portions. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  9. Occupational Privilege Tax. City of Sheridan, Colorado. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  10. Occupational Privilege Tax. City of Aurora. Occupational Privilege Tax repeal. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  11. Colorado Wage & Hour Rights & Responsibilities: The COMPS Order Poster & Notice. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. 2026;Overtime (Rule 4). Accessed September 11, 2026.
  12. Revenue Procedure 2025-32. Internal Revenue Service. 2025;Section 2. Accessed September 11, 2026.
  13. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide. Internal Revenue Service. 2026;Special rules for various types of services and payments: deferred compensation. Accessed September 11, 2026.

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