Free Colorado Paycheck Calculator
Published: 6 November 2026 · Updated: 6 November 2026
A single filer on $85,000 in Colorado keeps about $65,221.90 per year — $5,435.16 per month after 2026 federal tax, FICA, Colorado's flat 4.40% state tax and the FAMLI family-leave premium. One flat rate, no Denver city income tax, and a state tax base that already includes the federal standard deduction. Enter your salary below.
Colorado is flat, simple and quietly cheaper than it looks. One 4.40% rate on your federal taxable income — the $16,100 standard deduction is already out before the state rate lands — plus a small 0.44% FAMLI premium, and no city income tax anywhere in the state.
Researched by MixKhazana Team · Last updated 6 November 2026 · Data: Colorado Dept. of Revenue 2026 rate (4.40%), Colorado FAMLI 2026 premium, IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, SSA 2026 wage base
How to use
- Enter your annual gross salary in dollars.
- Choose your filing status — single or married filing jointly.
- Pick your pay frequency — monthly, biweekly, semi-monthly or weekly.
- Click Calculate My Colorado Paycheck for your take-home per paycheck, month and year.
How it works
Colorado is one of the flat-tax states, and its version has a quirk that makes it cheaper than the rate suggests: the state starts from your federal taxable income, not your gross pay. That means the $16,100 federal standard deduction (single, 2026) comes off before the 4.40% rate ever lands — Colorado effectively gives you the full federal deduction tax-free without ever writing a Colorado deduction into its own law. Compare it with our Texas paycheck calculator to see what zero state tax is worth, or with Illinois — the other famous flat-tax state, at 4.95% on federal adjusted gross income, a subtly different base.
The rate itself is voter-made, not legislature-made. Coloradans cut it twice at the ballot box: Proposition 116 lowered it from 4.63% to 4.55% for 2020, and Proposition 121 brought it to 4.40% starting in tax year 2022. TABOR — the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights — can cut it further for a single year when the state collects more revenue than its constitutional cap: the 2024 tax year actually ran at 4.25% for exactly that reason. But for 2026 there is no cut: on 8 September 2026 the State Controller certified that fiscal 2025-26 revenue fell $175.9 million short of the Referendum C cap, so the full 4.40% applies.
The formula is: Colorado tax = 4.40% × (salary − $16,100 single / $32,200 joint), and FAMLI = 0.44% × salary (up to $184,500). Federal tax uses the 2026 brackets with the standard deduction, Social Security is 6.2% up to the $184,500 wage base, and Medicare is 1.45% of all wages. FAMLI — Colorado's paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance — is the one line newcomers miss: the total 2026 premium is 0.88% of wages, split evenly between employer and employee, so your share is 0.44%, up to $811.80 a year. No Colorado city levies an income tax.
Worked example
Jordan, single, earns $85,000 in Denver and is paid monthly in 2026:
- Taxable income (federal): $85,000 − $16,100 = $68,900
- Federal tax: 10% × $12,400 = $1,240; 12% × $38,000 = $4,560; 22% × $18,500 = $4,070 → $9,870
- Social Security: 6.2% × $85,000 = $5,270; Medicare: 1.45% × $85,000 = $1,232.50
- Colorado tax: 4.40% × $68,900 = $3,031.60
- FAMLI: 0.44% × $85,000 = $374
- Denver city income tax: $0
- Take-home: $65,221.90/year — $5,435.16/month, about 76.7% of gross
Try a married filing jointly return in the widget: the standard deduction doubles to $32,200, so Colorado tax falls to 4.40% × ($85,000 − $32,200) = $2,323.20.
Figures used here
| Figure | 2026 value |
|---|---|
| Colorado flat rate | 4.40% (all income) |
| State tax base | Federal taxable income |
| Federal standard deduction (single / MFJ) | $16,100 / $32,200 |
| FAMLI total premium / employee share | 0.88% / 0.44% |
| FAMLI wage base (max employee share) | $184,500 ($811.80) |
| 2024 TABOR temporary rate | 4.25% (one year only) |
| Denver city income tax | $0 — none |
| Colorado state sales tax | 2.9% (lowest non-zero in US) |
Frequently asked questions
How much is an $85,000 salary after tax in Colorado in 2026?
On an $85,000 salary in Colorado in 2026, a single filer keeps about $65,221.90 per year — $5,435.16 per month. Deductions are federal tax of $9,870, FICA of $6,502.50, Colorado state tax of $3,031.60 and the FAMLI paid-family-leave premium of $374. Denver adds no city income tax. Enter your own salary in the calculator above for a personal estimate.
What is the Colorado state income tax rate in 2026?
Colorado charges a flat 4.40% income tax in 2026 — the same rate on every dollar of taxable income, whatever you earn. The rate has been 4.40% since tax year 2022, after voters cut it from 4.63% to 4.55% in 2020 (Proposition 116) and then to 4.40% in 2022 (Proposition 121). There is no separate Colorado standard deduction: the state starts from your federal taxable income, so the $16,100 federal standard deduction is already subtracted before the 4.40% applies.
What is FAMLI in Colorado?
FAMLI is Colorado's paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program. In 2026 the total premium is 0.88% of wages up to the $184,500 wage base, split evenly between employer and employee — so the employee share is 0.44% of wages, up to $811.80 a year. On an $85,000 salary that is $374 a year. FAMLI pays for up to 12 weeks of paid leave for a new child, a serious health condition or caring for a family member.
Did Colorado cut its income tax rate for 2026?
No. Under TABOR, Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a revenue surplus can trigger a temporary one-year rate cut — the 2024 tax year actually ran at 4.25% for exactly that reason. But on 8 September 2026 the State Controller certified that fiscal 2025-26 revenue fell $175.9 million short of the Referendum C cap, so there is no surplus, no refund and no rate cut for tax year 2026: the full 4.40% applies.
Does Denver have a city income tax?
No. No Colorado city — including Denver — levies a local income tax on wages. Your Colorado state line is the only state-level income tax on the stub, which is one reason the flat 4.40% is easy to compare with other states. Colorado does have local sales taxes, and its 2.9% state sales tax is the lowest non-zero state rate in the country.
Is Colorado better or worse than Texas for take-home pay?
Worse for workers: on $85,000, a Colorado single filer pays $3,031.60 in state tax plus $374 in FAMLI that a Texan never sees, leaving about $3,405.60 a year less than the same salary in Texas (before cost-of-living differences). Against California or New York, though, the flat 4.40% looks cheap at higher incomes — and unlike those states, Colorado has no local income tax and no brackets to climb.
What official sources are the 2026 Colorado figures based on?
The 4.40% flat rate and the federal-taxable-income starting point come from the Colorado Department of Revenue's 2026 individual income tax guidance, the FAMLI premium of 0.88% (0.44% employee share) from the Colorado FAMLI division's 2026 rate notice, the federal brackets and $16,100 standard deduction from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, and the $184,500 Social Security wage base from the SSA.