Final pay · CO

Colorado — Final Paycheck & Wage Rules

Statutory final-paycheck deadline, waiting-time penalty, overtime overlay, and PTO-payout rule for Colorado. Each row primary-source-cited.

Verification pendingLast verified May 8, 2026

We have not finished primary-source verification of Colorado statutes. Cells below show our schema; figures will populate once the reviewer signs off. Treat anything you see here as indeterminate until then. Federal floor (FLSA) still applies — see /federal.

Final paycheck — discharged

Same day

Verification pending — primary-source check in progress.

C.R.S. 8-4-109

Final paycheck — voluntary quit

Next regular payday

Verification pending — primary-source check in progress.

C.R.S. 8-4-109

Waiting-time penalty

Formula verification pending.

C.R.S. 8-4-109

Minimum wage (2026)

Regional rates

No single statewide figure — regional rates apply

Denver: verification pending
Edgewater: verification pending
Boulder County (unincorporated): verification pending

C.R.S. 8-6-101.5; 7 CCR 1103-1 (COMPS Order)

Overtime rules

40-hour workweek @ 1.5×

Plus daily overtime: over 12 hours/day @ 1.5×.

7 CCR 1103-1 (COMPS Order Rule 4)

PTO payout

mandatory

Vested PTO must be paid out

Accrued, unused vacation/PTO is treated as wages and must be paid out at termination. Forfeiture clauses ("use it or lose it") are unenforceable for vested time.

C.R.S. 8-4-101(14)(a)(III) (per 2020 PAY Act amendment) — Nieto v. Clark's Market 2021 CO Supreme Court ruling

Colorado Final-Paycheck Decoder

Enter your separation date + hourly rate. The decoder computes your statutory deadline and an estimated maximum waiting-time penalty.

Final-Paycheck Decoder

Privacy-first — your inputs never leave your browser

State, termination type, hours, willful-failure standard. Get your statutory deadline + waiting-time-penalty estimate with primary-source statute cite. Informational, not legal advice.

Your state

Termination type

Date of separation

Hourly rate (USD)For salaried, divide annual by 2,080Typical hours per day

Did your employer dispute the wages owed in good faith?In CA-class states, the waiting-time penalty applies only if the employer willfully fails to pay. A good-faith dispute over the amount may waive the penalty.

I'm not sureYes, they had a real disputeNo — they just didn't pay

If your wages are unpaid past the deadline

File a wage claim — start here

Federal: DOL Wage & Hour Division (1-866-487-9243). Free, no attorney needed.
State: CO state labor agency claim form. Often faster than federal for in-state employers.
Larger or willful claims: consult a licensed employment-law attorney. State-bar lawyer-referral services are the standard starting point. How to choose.

Some links above are referral-partner affiliate links once vetted; the federal and state government links are not. Lawyer referrals are subject to state-bar advertising rules in your jurisdiction.

Legal review

Pending

Reviewer credential verification in progress

We are retaining a US employment-law attorney to review every state page on this site before it leaves the dev preview. Once retained, the reviewer's name, bar number, state of admission, and signoff date will appear on every state page and on /about. Until then, treat statute citations as informational, not legal advice. Last data verification: May 8, 2026.

File a Colorado wage claim

Send a written demand to your employer with the amount owed, statute cite, and a 7-day deadline.
File with Colorado state labor agency (no attorney needed).
Or file federal: DOL Wage & Hour Division (1-866-487-9243).
Your civil-suit deadline (statute of limitations) in Colorado: 3 years from the date wages first became due.

Disclaimer: This page is informational and is not legal advice. Colorado statutes are amended over time; we re-verify quarterly and annually for January 1 minimum-wage updates. Specific applications depend on facts your employer may dispute. For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed Colorado employment-law attorney. WageTheftMap is a Desymphony portfolio property.