Colorado income tax rate for 2026
Colorado applies a single flat rate to your federal taxable income, so it relies on the federal standard deduction rather than a separate state one. There is no local income tax.
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| All federal taxable income | 4.4% |
2025 flat rate, applied to your federal taxable income. A TABOR surplus can temporarily lower the effective rate in some years. Colorado has no local income tax.
What $70,000 looks like after taxes in Colorado
Here is how a $70,000 salary breaks down for a single filer with no 401(k) or other pre-tax deductions. Enter your own pay and contributions above for an exact result.
| Gross salary | $70,000 |
| Federal income tax | $6,570 |
| Social Security + Medicare (FICA) | $5,355 |
| Colorado income tax | $2,372 |
| Total tax | $14,297 |
| Take-home pay | $55,703 |
That leaves about $55,703 in take-home pay, roughly 79.6% of gross, for an effective total tax rate near 20.4%. The flat 4.4% rate produces about $2,372 of Colorado tax, and a TABOR refund year can effectively lower that.
Colorado's flat 4.4% rate and TABOR refunds
Because Colorado taxes federal taxable income at one flat rate, the same federal standard deduction that lowers your IRS bill also lowers your Colorado bill. That keeps the math simple: 4.4% of whatever is left after the federal standard deduction and any pre-tax contributions.
Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) caps state revenue and refunds the surplus. In strong revenue years the state has temporarily trimmed the income-tax rate or issued flat refunds, so your effective rate can come in a touch below 4.4%. This estimate uses the standard 4.4%.
What shapes your Colorado take-home pay
Federal income tax and FICA come out of every U.S. paycheck the same way; the state layer is what makes a Colorado paycheck specific. Colorado applies a flat 4.4% rate to your federal taxable income, so it relies on the federal standard deduction rather than a separate state one. Colorado has no local income tax, and a TABOR surplus can temporarily lower the effective rate in some years.
Your take-home (net) pay is your gross minus federal tax, FICA, those Colorado taxes, and any pre-tax deductions. The calculator above applies them in order, so the figure you see reflects what actually reaches your account each payday.
The deductions, step by step
- Pre-tax deductions, traditional 401(k), HSA, and pre-tax health premiums come out first and lower your taxable income (your 401(k) still counts for Social Security and Medicare, though).
- Federal income tax, applied to income after the standard deduction using the 2026 progressive brackets for your filing status.
- FICA, Social Security at 6.2% (up to the annual wage base) plus Medicare at 1.45% on all wages, with an extra 0.9% on wages above $200,000.
- Colorado tax, Colorado applies a flat 4.4% rate to your federal taxable income, so it relies on the federal standard deduction rather than a separate state one. Colorado has no local income tax, and a TABOR surplus can temporarily lower the effective rate in some years.
Biweekly vs. monthly, does it change your taxes?
No. Your total annual tax depends on what you earn in a year, not how often you're paid. A biweekly schedule (26 checks) simply slices the same annual take-home into smaller, more frequent amounts than a monthly schedule (12 checks). Switch the pay-frequency selector above and you'll see the per-paycheck figure change while the annual totals stay put.
Make your estimate more accurate
- Set your real 401(k) percentage and HSA amount, pre-tax contributions can noticeably raise take-home-adjusted savings.
- Choose the filing status that matches your W-4; married filing jointly widens the brackets.
- Add your pre-tax health premium if your employer deducts it before taxes.
This is an estimate of annual tax liability, not exact per-paycheck withholding (which follows IRS Pub 15-T tables and your specific W-4). It uses 2026 federal and FICA figures and applies each state's latest published income-tax schedule (2025 for most states until 2026 rates are released); it doesn't model local city taxes, post-tax deductions, or tax credits. Treat the result as a close ballpark, and check your actual pay stub for the precise numbers.