2026 Colorado withholding
Colorado paycheck calculator
Colorado taxes wages at a flat 4.40% after an annual withholding allowance.
Take-home pay
per paycheck · $41,916.16 a year
- Gross pay
- $2,000.00
- Federal income tax
- −$156.15
- Social Security
- −$124.00
- Medicare
- −$29.00
- State income tax
- −$78.69
- Total withheld
- $387.84
19.4% of gross goes to taxes. 2026 rates. Estimate only — your employer's payroll may differ.
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What comes out
What a Colorado paycheck actually loses
- Colorado has a single flat rate of 4.40%.
- Before the rate is applied, an annual allowance is subtracted: $11,000 for married filing jointly or a qualifying surviving spouse, $5,500 otherwise.
- Employees can override that allowance with Colorado Form DR 0004. This calculator uses the default from the DR 1098 worksheet.
- Federal income tax and FICA still come out of every paycheck — see the breakdown above.
Worked example
$60,000 a year in Colorado
| Per year | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $60,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$5,020 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$4,590 |
| State income tax | −$2,398 |
| Take-home pay | $47,992 |
Filing single, paid every two weeks, no pre-tax deductions and no dependents. Change any of those and the number moves — use the calculator above for your own figures.
Common questions
Colorado, in plain terms
Does Colorado have a state income tax?
Yes. Colorado taxes wages at a flat 4.40%, applied after an allowance or standard deduction is subtracted from your annualised pay.
How much is taken out of a $60,000 salary in Colorado?
On a $60,000 salary paid every two weeks, roughly $12,008 a year is withheld — federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax — leaving about $47,992 in take-home pay. Your own figure depends on your W-4, pre-tax deductions and filing status.
How do I change how much is withheld in Colorado?
Federal withholding is set by your Form W-4. Colorado withholding is set separately by Form DR 0004, which you give to your employer. Updating either one changes your next paycheck, not past ones.
Why is my real paycheck different from this estimate?
Employers can use several IRS-approved withholding methods, and your pay stub may include deductions this calculator does not know about — union dues, garnishments, employer benefit splits, local taxes or a mid-year pay change. Treat this as an estimate and check it against your stub.
Sources for these rates
- 2026 Colorado Withholding Worksheet for Employers (DR 1098)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026) — federal percentage method
- IRS Publication 15 (2026) — Social Security and Medicare
Tax year 2026. Rates last checked 2026-08-20. Estimates only — not tax, payroll or financial advice, and not affiliated with the IRS or any state revenue department.