Pay stub requirements in Colorado
Not verified
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
01 — The law
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.
CDLE INFO #3A — Timing of wage payments, and required record-keeping →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.
CDLE INFO #3A — Timing of wage payments, and required record-keeping →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.
Adopted 2026 COMPS Order #40, 7 CCR 1103-1 →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.
CDLE INFO #3A — Timing of wage payments, and required record-keeping →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.
CDLE INFO #1 — Key wage and hour rights: the 2026 COMPS and PAY CALC Orders →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.
CDLE INFO #19 — Local minimum wages →
02 — Local rates
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.
CDLE INFO #19 — Local minimum wages →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.
CDLE INFO #19 — Local minimum wages →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.
CDLE INFO #19 — Local minimum wages →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.
CDLE INFO #19 — Local minimum wages →
03 — What we calculate
What this generator calculates for Colorado
| Withholding line | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | irs.gov | Calculated |
| Social Security | ssa.gov | Calculated |
| Medicare | ssa.gov | Calculated |
| CO state income tax | tax.colorado.gov | Not verified |
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.
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
- What has to appear on a Colorado pay stub?
- Both names, the inclusive dates of the pay period, total hours worked, any credits claimed and tips received, and the regular rates of pay together with gross wages, withholdings and net pay. That is the whole statutory list, and anything beyond it is the employer choosing to say more.
- Does my Colorado pay stub have to show my vacation balance?
- Not on the stub itself. Since February 1, 2026 the employer has to keep the accrued, used and available figures in its records, and hand them to you in writing or electronically if you ask. You may make that request once a month, and more often if the employer allows it.
- Which Colorado minimum wage applies to me in 2026?
- The state rate is $15.16, but work performed in Denver pays at least $19.29, in Edgewater $18.17, and in the City of Boulder or the unincorporated part of Boulder County $16.82. The county rate skips its incorporated towns, so the address of the worksite decides which figure is yours.
- How long can my Colorado employer wait to pay me?
- A pay period may run up to one calendar month or 30 days, whichever is longer, and the payday has to land within 10 days of the end of that period. The employer posts the schedule in advance, so both the paydays and the place of payment should be known to you.
- What happens if my employer never gives me a pay stub?
- The Division of Labor Standards and Statistics can fine the employer $250 per employee per month for failing to provide pay statements, with further fines for failing to hand over records it asks for. You can send a written demand for wages and file a Labor Standards Complaint.
Sources
- CDLE INFO #3A — Timing of wage payments, and required record-keeping
- CDLE INFO #1 — Key wage and hour rights: the 2026 COMPS and PAY CALC Orders
- CDLE INFO #19 — Local minimum wages
- Adopted 2026 COMPS Order #40, 7 CCR 1103-1
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.