Hourly pay after taxes in Colorado
$20 an hour in Colorado comes to $1,301.32 every two weeks after federal and state taxes, before any local tax, for a single person working full time.
Updated for 2026Checked Oct 29, 2026 against IRS and Colorado Department of Revenue sourcesHow we check
Take-home pay by hourly wage, 2026
| Wage | Two weeks | Month | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.16 | $1,008.93 | $2,186 | $26,232 |
| $18.00 | $1,180.50 | $2,558 | $30,693 |
| $20.00 | $1,301.32 | $2,820 | $33,834 |
| $22.00 | $1,422.14 | $3,081 | $36,976 |
| $25.00 | $1,603.36 | $3,474 | $41,687 |
| $30.00 | $1,905.40 | $4,128 | $49,540 |
| $35.00 | $2,183.21 | $4,730 | $56,763 |
| $40.00 | $2,445.25 | $5,298 | $63,577 |
| $50.00 | $2,969.33 | $6,434 | $77,203 |
Every column after the wage is take-home pay. Each row assumes 40 hours a week all year, one paycheck every two weeks, single, no dependents, and no benefits taken out. The monthly and yearly columns are that paycheck times 26. Use the paycheck calculator for your own hours and deductions.
Four Colorado cities charge a flat monthly head tax that is not in these figures: Denver takes $5.75 a month from each worker paid at least $500 for work there, Glendale $5, Greenwood Village $2, and Sheridan $3. See Colorado's local tax rules, or try the paycheck calculator.
What comes out of an hourly paycheck
At $25 an hour, a two-week paycheck in Colorado starts at $2,000.00 and ends at $1,603.36.
| Federal income tax | $156.15 |
| Social Security | $124.00 |
| Medicare | $29.00 |
| Colorado income tax | $78.69 |
| Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) | $8.80 |
Colorado withholds a flat 4.4 percent of yearly wages above an allowance of $5,500, or $11,000 for married couples filing jointly. The state's paid family and medical leave program, FAMLI, adds a second line: 0.44 percent of wages, the worker's half of the 0.88 percent premium, on the first $184,500 of wages in 2026. Federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare come out beyond those two state lines.
No row in this table gets near the $184,500 limit, so the FAMLI line stays a fixed slice of every check.
What changes your number
A flat state rate means Colorado's income tax rises in step with your pay, and only the federal tax climbs by bracket. The $5,500 allowance is the one thing that bends the line: it protects a bigger share of a low wage than of a high one.
Because the leave premium is a set percentage until wages pass $184,500, a raise never changes how much of each dollar FAMLI takes. What can change your check is where you work. Four Colorado cities add a flat monthly head tax, described in the note under the table.
Hours matter too. At $20 an hour and 30 hours a week instead of 40, a two-week paycheck in Colorado comes to $999.28.
The minimum wage in Colorado
The minimum wage in Colorado is $15.16 an hour, and a full-time worker at $15.16 takes home about $2,186 a month. Colorado's rate is set each year by the state's pay standards order, and the poster tells employers to use the highest minimum that applies, since Denver and some other places set a higher one.
Sources and checks
Checked on Oct 29, 2026. Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, "2026 Colorado Withholding Worksheet for Employers," DR 1098 (10/21/25), line 2c, "Multiply line 2b by 4.40% (0.044)" (tax.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/DR_1098_Colorado_Withholding_Worksheet_for_Employees.pdf, fetched Oct 29, 2026); Colorado Wage Withholding Tax Guide (Revised January 2026).
Disability: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, FAMLI Division, "Premium and Benefits Calculator" page (famli.colorado.gov/individuals-and-families/how-famli-works/premium-and-benefits-calculator, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "The premiums in 2026 are set to 0.88% of the employee's wage, with 0.44% paid by the employer and 0.44% paid by the employee... Premiums are paid on wages up to the Federal Social Security Wage Cap, which is $184,500 for earnings in 2026."
Local taxes: Denver Department of Finance, Tax Guide Topic No. 61, "Occupational Privilege Taxes" (Revised 04/2026; denvergov.org/files/assets/public/v/2/finance/documents/treasury/tax-guides/taxguidetopic61_occupationalprivilegetaxes_1.pdf, fetched Oct 29, 2026); City of Glendale, "Occupational Privilege Tax" (glendale.co.us/355/Occupational-Privilege-Tax, fetched Oct 29, 2026); City of Greenwood Village, "Occupational Privilege Tax (OPT)" (www.greenwoodvillage.com/1220/Occupational-Privilege-Tax-OPT, fetched Oct 29, 2026); City of Sheridan, "Occupational Privilege Tax" (ci.sheridan.co.us/288/Occupational-Privilege-Tax, fetched Oct 29, 2026) and Sheridan Code of Ordinances, Chapter 62, Article VI (the $500 test; library.municode.com, fetched Oct 29, 2026); City of Aurora, "Taxes" (www.auroragov.org/business_services/taxes, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "The city of Aurora Occupational Privilege Tax will be repealed effective Jan. 1, 2025" (Ordinance 2022-77).
Minimum wage: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, "COMPS Order (Colorado Overtime & Minimum Pay Standards) Poster & Notice," effective 1/1/2026 (cdle.colorado.gov/sites/cdle/files/2026_comps_order_poster_english_%5Baccessible%5D.pdf, fetched Oct 29, 2026): "Colorado Minimum Wage: $15.16 per hour in 2026, updated yearly (COMPS Rule 3)"; "Tip credit: Can lower hourly pay up to $3.02 if tips (not service charges) aren't diverted to untipped staff", so the tipped cash wage is $15.16 minus $3.02, $12.14. The poster also says to "Use the highest minimum wage applicable" because some cities and counties (Denver among them) set higher local rates.
Federal withholding: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A and its "2026 Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems and Withholding on Periodic Payments of Pensions and Annuities," pages 10 to 12. Fetched directly from irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf and transcribed Oct 28, 2026.
Every figure above comes from the sources listed here. How we check our numbers.
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