Colorado Paycheck Calculator

Colorado withholds a flat 4.40% of your annualized wages in 2026, after a deduction — either the amount you elect on state form DR 0004, or a default based on your federal filing status if you haven't filed one ($11,000/year for married filing jointly, $5,500/year otherwise).

Pay type

Leave blank to use the default ($11,000 married filing jointly, $5,500 otherwise). Enter 0 if you filed a DR 0004 claiming no deduction.

W-4 Steps 3–4: dependents, other income, deductions

$2,000 per qualifying child under 17.

Benefits & deductions (per paycheck)

Roth 401(k), garnishments, and other after-tax amounts.

Estimated take-home pay

$2,251per biweekly paycheck

$58,534 per year · 22.0% effective tax rate

Paycheck breakdown per pay period
Gross pay$2,884.62
Federal income tax−$295.00
Social Security−$178.85
Medicare−$41.83
Colorado state income tax−$117.62
Take-home pay$2,251.32
  • Colorado withholds a flat 4.40% of annualized wages after a deduction (DR 0004 Line 2, or a default based on federal filing status if no DR 0004 is on file), then prorated back to the pay period.

How Colorado taxes your paycheck in 2026

State income tax
Flat 4.40%
Default deduction (2026)
$11,000 MFJ / $5,500 other, or your DR 0004 amount
Local income tax
None statewide (some cities levy a small flat occupational tax, not on wages)

Colorado paycheck FAQs

What is Colorado Form DR 0004 and do I need one?

DR 0004 is Colorado's optional state withholding certificate. Without one, your employer withholds using a default deduction based on your federal W-4 filing status. Filing a DR 0004 lets you set a custom deduction amount (including zero) to better match your actual state tax liability.

Why is my Colorado withholding based on annualized wages?

The state's official worksheet multiplies your per-paycheck wages by your number of pay periods, applies the deduction and the 4.40% rate to that annual figure, then divides back to a per-paycheck amount — the same annualize-and-reprorate approach used by the IRS and most states with automated payroll systems.

Does Denver or another Colorado city tax my paycheck too?

A handful of Colorado cities, including Denver, Aurora, and Greenwood Village, charge a small flat occupational privilege tax (often just a few dollars a month), not a percentage of wages. It's not included in this calculator since it's a flat fee rather than income-based withholding.

Other state calculators

Tax data verified 2026-07-21 against the official source. See our methodology.