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PayStub

Pay stub requirements in Colorado

Colorado writes its pay stub rule as a records rule. Every pay period the employer owes an itemized earnings statement carrying both names, the inclusive dates of the period, total hours worked, any credits claimed and tips, and the regular rates, gross wages, withholdings and net pay. From February 1, 2026 the records behind that statement also have to carry vacation and sick leave balances for the current benefit year. The state rate is $15.16 an hour in 2026, but four local governments sit above it, and the Denver rate of $19.29 is more than four dollars clear of the state floor.

Pay stub required
Yes, an itemized earnings statement
Electronic delivery
No rule on paper or electronic
Minimum wage (2026)
$15.16/hour, $12.14 with a tip credit
Pay frequency
Pay periods of a month at most, payday within 10 days

What Colorado law requires

  • An itemized earnings statement every pay period

    The statement carries the employee and employer names, the inclusive dates of the pay period, total hours worked in the period, a record of any credits claimed and of tips, and the regular rates of pay, gross wages earned, withholdings made and net amount paid. Failing to provide it costs $250 per employee per month.

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  • Leave balances joined the payroll records on February 1, 2026

    Behind the statement the employer keeps eight categories of record, and two of them are new this year: vacation or PTO hours accrued, used and still available in the current benefit year, and sick leave hours where those are tracked separately. Records are kept three years after the wages were due, and longer while a wage claim is pending.

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  • Ask once a month and the leave figures must be handed over

    The 2026 COMPS Order lets an employer keep vacation and PTO figures off the stub, but on request it must supply them in writing or electronically. Employees may ask no more than once a month unless the employer allows more often, and the employer chooses the system: a line on each pay stub, a self-service portal, or a letter.

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  • Pay periods and paydays both have a ceiling

    A pay period may run no longer than one calendar month or 30 days, whichever is longer, and the payday has to fall within 10 days of the close of that period. The employer also posts notice of the regular paydays and the time and place of payment, and posting it electronically counts if employees can easily reach it.

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  • The tip credit stops at $3.02 an hour

    An employer may offset up to $3.02 an hour against the wages of an employee who regularly receives at least $1.64 an hour in tips, which is what puts the tipped state rate at $12.14. Tips plus direct wages still have to reach the applicable minimum, and the employer makes up any shortfall.

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  • Four local minimum wages sit above the state figure

    Denver, Edgewater, the City of Boulder and the unincorporated part of Boulder County each set a rate of their own, and a local rate may not rise more than 15% above the previous year. Where a local rate applies it replaces the state floor, and the stub has to reflect the higher figure.

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Local rates above the Colorado minimum

  • Denver

    $19.29 an hour in 2026, $16.27 with the tip credit. Denver has set its own rate since January 1, 2020 and it is the highest in the state.

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  • Edgewater

    $18.17 an hour in 2026. Edgewater is the one place in Colorado allowed a tip credit larger than the state figure, $4.67, which puts its tipped rate at $13.50.

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  • City of Boulder

    $16.82 an hour in 2026, $13.80 with the tip credit. The city rate rises 8% a year through 2027 and by inflation after that.

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  • Boulder County, unincorporated areas only

    $16.82 an hour in 2026, $13.80 with the tip credit. The county rate does not reach its ten incorporated municipalities, so Lafayette, Longmont and Louisville stay on the state rate while Niwot, Eldorado Springs and Gunbarrel do not.

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What this generator calculates for Colorado

State withholding for Colorado is calculated, but the figure has not been reproduced against a control example from the state's guide. The document carries that caveat on its face.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Wage and hour law changes. Check the linked source before relying on any figure here, and treat this page as a starting point rather than legal advice.

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