Colorado Paycheck Calculator (2026)
Estimate your Colorado take-home pay after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, Colorado's flat income tax and the FAMLI paid-leave premium.
Colorado flat income tax and FAMLI in 2026
Colorado taxes income at a single flat rate of 4.4%. The tax starts from your federal taxable income, so the federal standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married) lowers your Colorado tax as well.
Employees also pay half of the Colorado FAMLI premium, which funds paid family and medical leave. This calculator uses an employee share of 0.44% on wages up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500. Denver and some other cities charge a small occupational privilege tax that is not included.
Example take-home pay in Colorado
Single filer, no 401(k), paid every 2 weeks:
Colorado income tax brackets for 2026
These are the rates applied to your Colorado taxable income, which is your pay after the deductions and exemptions described above.
| Single filers | Rate | Married filing jointly | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over $0 | 4.4% | Over $0 | 4.4% |
Colorado take-home pay at different salaries
Estimated yearly figures for a single filer with no 401(k), using the same rules as the calculator above.
| Salary | Federal tax | Social Security + Medicare | Colorado taxes | Take-home / year | Every 2 weeks | Total tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,420 | $2,295 | $744 | $25,541 | $982 | 14.9% |
| $50,000 | $3,820 | $3,825 | $1,712 | $40,643 | $1,563 | 18.7% |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $5,738 | $2,922 | $58,671 | $2,257 | 21.8% |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $7,650 | $4,132 | $75,048 | $2,886 | 25% |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $11,475 | $6,552 | $107,239 | $4,125 | 28.5% |
How to keep more of your paycheck in Colorado
On a $60,000 salary, putting 5% ($3,000) into a traditional 401(k) reduces your yearly take-home pay by about $2,508 (roughly $96 less every 2 weeks). That is less than the full $3,000 because the contribution saves about $360 in federal income tax and about $132 in Colorado tax. The tax you avoid stays in your pocket instead of going to the government.
Filing status also matters. A married couple filing jointly with one $60,000 income takes home about $51,083 a year in Colorado, compared with $48,194 for a single filer, mostly because of the larger standard deduction and wider tax brackets.
How this calculator works
We subtract your 401(k) contribution and the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly), then apply the 2026 federal brackets (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32). Social Security is 6.2% up to $184,500 of pay, and Medicare is 1.45% (plus 0.9% on high pay). Colorado starts from federal taxable income, so the same standard deduction applies to the state tax. FAMLI is shown as a separate payroll line.
Colorado paycheck questions
What is the Colorado income tax rate?
A flat 4.4% of Colorado taxable income for 2026. The rate can be temporarily reduced in years when state revenue exceeds the TABOR limit.
What is FAMLI on my Colorado paycheck?
FAMLI is Colorado's paid family and medical leave insurance. The employee pays about half of the total premium.
Does Colorado tax 401(k) contributions?
Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce both your federal and Colorado taxable income.
Rates last updated: October 2026. This is an estimate and does not include credits, benefits or W-4 changes. Official source: Colorado Department of Revenue.