Colorado takes a flat 4.4% of wages, but the amount your employer starts from is deliberately conservative. Unless you file the optional DR 0004, payroll only shields $5,500 a year ($11,000 if married filing jointly) from withholding, so most Coloradans get a state refund. A 0.44% FAMLI paid-leave premium also comes out of most paychecks.
2026 tax year, verified Sources
Estimated take-home this week
$917.84
from $1,153.85 gross. You keep 80%.
No local tax included. Some Colorado cities and counties tax wages; pick yours under “Where you work.”
2026 tax year, rules last verified November 12, 2026. An estimate, not tax advice. How we calculate
Each extra dollar you earn loses about 24¢ to taxes, but across all your pay the average is 20¢. A raise never lowers your take-home: only the dollars above a bracket line pay the higher rate.
| Annual pay | Effective | Marginal |
|---|---|---|
| $15,000 | 10.9% | 12.5% |
| $30,000 | 16.4% | 24.5% |
| $45,000 | 19.1% | 24.5% |
| $60,000 | 20.5% | 24.5% |
| $75,000 | 22.4% | 34.5% |
| $90,000 | 24.4% | 34.5% |
| $105,000 | 25.9% | 34.5% |
| $120,000 | 26.9% | 34.5% |
| $135,000 | 28.0% | 36.5% |
| $150,000 | 28.8% | 36.5% |
Same pay, W-4 and benefits; each state’s default withholding answers, no local taxes. Take-home per week:
Colorado uses the DR 1098 worksheet. Your employer multiplies this paycheck’s taxable wages by the number of paychecks in the year, subtracts an annual withholding allowance, takes 4.4% of what’s left and divides by the number of paychecks again.
The allowance comes from the filing status on your federal W-4: $11,000 for married filing jointly, $5,500 for everyone else, including head of household. If you file a DR 0004, your employer uses the Line 2 amount you wrote instead, even if it is zero.
Colorado starts from federal taxable wages, so traditional 401(k) deferrals and pre-tax health premiums lower your Colorado withholding the same way they lower federal withholding. Bonuses are simply added to the paycheck, which works out to the same flat rate.
If TABOR surplus rules temporarily lower the rate on your annual return, withholding doesn’t change; the difference comes back when you file.
| Item | 2026 amount |
|---|---|
| Income tax withholding rate | 4.4% |
| Annual allowance, W-4 single, head of household or married filing separately | $5,500 |
| Annual allowance, W-4 married filing jointly | $11,000 |
| DR 0004 Table 1 allowance, one job: single | $14,000 |
| DR 0004 Table 1 allowance, one job: head of household | $22,000 |
| DR 0004 Table 1 allowance, one job: married filing jointly | $30,000 |
| FAMLI premium, employee share (of 0.88% total) | 0.44% |
| FAMLI wage cap | $184,500 |
Allowances are subtracted from annualized wages. Without a DR 0004 your employer uses the W-4 amounts, not the larger DR 0004 Table 1 amounts.
Single filer, standard W-4, no benefits, paid weekly, default DR 0004 (optional; federal W-4 otherwise) answers. Colorado takes $43.75 of this check (4.4% of gross).
| Line | Per week | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,000.00 | $52,000.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$78.08 | −$4,060.16 |
| Social Security | −$62.00 | −$3,224.00 |
| Medicare | −$14.50 | −$754.00 |
| Colorado income tax | −$39.35 | −$2,046.20 |
| Colorado FAMLI premium | −$4.40 | −$228.80 |
| Take-home pay | $801.67 | $41,686.84 |
Single filer, standard W-4, no benefits, no local tax. Per-week amounts; annual totals account for the Social Security wage cap.
| Salary | Gross / week | Federal | FICA | Colorado | Take-home / week | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $576.92 | $27.31 | $44.14 | $23.27 | $482.20 | $25,074 |
| $40,000 | $769.23 | $50.38 | $58.84 | $32.57 | $627.44 | $32,627 |
| $50,000 | $961.54 | $73.46 | $73.56 | $41.88 | $772.64 | $40,177 |
| $60,000 | $1,153.85 | $96.54 | $88.27 | $51.20 | $917.84 | $47,728 |
| $75,000 | $1,442.31 | $147.50 | $110.33 | $65.16 | $1,119.32 | $58,205 |
| $100,000 | $1,923.08 | $253.27 | $147.11 | $88.42 | $1,434.28 | $74,583 |
| $150,000 | $2,884.62 | $475.65 | $220.68 | $134.96 | $2,053.33 | $106,773 |
Married filing jointly with two children on $100,000: $1,629.90 a week ($84,755 a year).
Colorado has no city income tax, but four cities charge an occupational privilege tax (OPT), a flat monthly “head tax” on people who work there, wherever they live. This calculator models all four. Aurora repealed its OPT on January 1, 2025, so Aurora paychecks no longer have it.
Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program is funded by a premium of 0.88% of wages in 2026. Employers can deduct up to half, 0.44%, from your paycheck on wages up to $184,500. Some employers pay the whole premium, and some local governments opted out.
Colorado has no reciprocal agreements. If you live in Colorado and work in another state, that state may withhold its own tax and Colorado gives a credit on your return; ask your employer to withhold Colorado tax too if the other state’s rate is lower.
With a single W-4 and no DR 0004, ($1,000 × 52 − $5,500) × 4.4% ÷ 52 = $39.35. FAMLI adds $4.40.
Payroll’s default allowance of $5,500 is far below what you can actually deduct. A single filer with one job who files a DR 0004 with $14,000 on Line 2 would have $32.15 withheld from that same $1,000 check instead of $39.35.
Denver’s occupational privilege tax is $5.75 a month for anyone who earns at least $500 in a month working in Denver, even if they live elsewhere. Spread across weekly paychecks it is about $1.33 per check. Cities with an OPT: Denver $5.75, Glendale $5.00, Greenwood Village $2.00, Sheridan $3.00.
Usually. Employers may deduct up to 0.44% of wages, and most do. It stops once your wages for the year pass $184,500.
Colorado has no separate bonus rate. The bonus is added to your wages for the period, and because the rate is flat, Colorado withholds 4.4% of it.
Colorado rules for the 2026 tax year, last verified November 12, 2026. Federal sources are on the methodology page.
Every state page has its own withholding formula, local taxes, payroll programs and worked examples. Compare all states.