CO · state labor law, 2026
Colorado labor laws: minimum wage, overtime, leave, final pay and breaks
In Colorado earned vacation can never be forfeited, overtime can start inside a single long shift, and rest breaks are paid by law.
Colorado and federal rules checked on official sources on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Minimum wage now
- $15.16/h
- statewide
- From January 1, 2027
- $15.71/h
- announced rate
- Tipped cash wage
- $12.14/h
- tips must make up the rest
- Overtime
- 12 h/day or 40 h/week
- state law
- Paid sick leave
- 1 h per 30 h
- cap 48 h a year
- Paid family leave
- 12 weeks
- Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)
Colorado treats earned vacation as wages that must be paid when a job ends, for any reason, and voids any policy that says otherwise. The state minimum wage is $15.16 an hour in 2026 and becomes $15.71 on January 1, 2027; Denver sets a higher local rate of $19.29, and Boulder, unincorporated Boulder County and Edgewater have their own. Overtime at time and a half applies after 40 hours a week, after 12 hours in a day or after any 12 consecutive hours, whichever pays more. A salaried professional must earn at least $57,784 a year in 2026 to be exempt. Workers accrue one hour of paid sick leave per 30 hours, up to 48 hours a year at any employer. FAMLI, the state insurance program, pays up to 12 weeks of family or medical leave with a weekly maximum of $1,448.02. A worker who is fired must be paid immediately.
Gross pay for this week in Colorado
$606
Time and a half after 12 hours in a day or after 40 hours in a week
| Minimum wage in Colorado now | $15.16 an hour |
| Your rate against it | At or above the minimum |
| Overtime: none this week | $0 |
| Paid sick leave earned in a year | 48 hours (cap reached) |
| Breaks owed in a 8-hour shift | 30 min meal, 2 x 10 min paid rest |
| Final paycheck if fired | immediately (if payroll unit is closed: within 6 hours of the start of its next regular workday, or 24 hours if off-site) |
| Unused vacation at the end | Accrued vacation must be paid out |
| Paid family leave | Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI), up to 12 weeks |
40 hours a week at $15.16. State rule applied. Minimum wage, overtime and leave rules have exceptions by employer size and industry. How this is calculated.
Vacation you earn is vacation you keep
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment is blunt about it: unused vacation must be paid when an employee separates, whether fired with or without cause or resigning with or without notice. Any agreement that forfeits earned pay is void and unenforceable, so "use it or lose it" clauses have no effect on time already accrued. A barista who leaves with 32 unused hours at $18 an hour is owed $576 on top of the last wages. The rule reaches every reason for leaving, so a dismissal for misconduct does not cancel the balance either.
Is your unused PTO paid out?
Colorado: payout
Must be paid
| Value of the balance | $880 |
| When it is due | immediately (if payroll unit is closed: within 6 hours of the start of its next regular workday, or 24 hours if off-site) |
Overtime inside a long shift
The COMPS Order adds a daily trigger at 12 hours, rarer than the 8-hour rule of a few western states but still unusual. Imagine a ski lift mechanic paid $22 an hour who works three 13-hour days during a storm. The week totals 39 hours, below the federal line, and federal law alone would pay $858. Colorado counts the thirteenth hour of each day as overtime, 3 hours in all, for $891. The third test, any 12 consecutive hours, catches shifts that cross midnight. On the salary side, the exempt floor of $57,784 works out to $1,111.23 a week, well above the federal $684, and it is reset every year.
Paid rest breaks and a meal after 5 hours
Every worker on a shift of more than 5 consecutive hours is entitled to an uninterrupted, duty-free meal period of 30 minutes, paid only when relief from duty is impractical. On top of that, the employer owes a paid 10-minute rest period for each 4 hours worked or major fraction of that time. The tool below counts what one shift carries.
Breaks owed for your shift
Meal break
30 minutes
| Paid rest breaks | 2 x 10 minutes |
| Meal rule | 30 min after 5 h |
| Rest rule | 10 min per 4 h |
Federal law requires no breaks, but short breaks given must be paid.
FAMLI: how the weekly benefit is figured
FAMLI replaces 90 percent of wages up to $804.46 a week, half the state average weekly wage, and 50 percent of the part above it, up to $1,448.02 since July 1, 2026. A worker whose average weekly wage is $1,200 would receive about $921.78 a week. Premiums are 0.88 percent of wages in 2026, split evenly between employer and employee unless the employer covers more. Leave lasts up to 12 weeks a year, with up to 16 when pregnancy or childbirth brings complications. Sick leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act sits beside it, at one hour per 30 worked and up to 48 hours, for every employer regardless of size.
Local wages and the final paycheck
Denver has already announced $19.84 for 2027; city minimum wages lists the other local rates. Minors who are not emancipated may be paid 15 percent below the state minimum. A fired or laid-off employee must be paid all wages at once, within hours if the payroll unit is closed, and someone who quits is paid by the next regular payday. The Division of Labor Standards and Statistics handles wage complaints and decides them on the records.
Colorado employment rules at a glance, 2026
Minimum wage schedule
| From | Who it covers | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Statewide (where no higher local minimum applies) | $15.16 | adjusted each January 1 for inflation (CPI-U) under the state constitution |
| January 1, 2027 | Statewide (where no higher local minimum applies) | $15.71 | officially announced by CDLE on August 13, 2026; tipped cash wage $12.69 |
Workers covered by both laws get the higher rate. Most unemancipated minors may be paid 15% below the Colorado minimum wage. Read the Colorado rule.
Cities and counties with their own minimum wage
| Place | Rate | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver (City and County) | $19.29 | January 1, 2026 | ordinance page |
| City of Boulder | $16.82 | January 1, 2026 | ordinance page |
| Boulder County (unincorporated areas only) | $16.82 | January 1, 2026 | ordinance page |
| City of Edgewater | $18.17 | January 1, 2026 | ordinance page |
Overtime
Time and a half after 12 hours in a day or after 40 hours in a week. Salaried white-collar employees must earn at least $1,111.23 a week to be exempt under state law ($57,784 per year in 2026 for executive/administrative/professional exemptions (COMPS Order), = $1,111.23/week), above the federal $684. time and a half after 40 hours per week, 12 hours per day, or 12 consecutive hours, whichever pays more source
Sick leave and family leave
Paid sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (up to 48 hours per benefit year, all employers regardless of size; separate public health emergency leave (not currently in effect)), all employers. Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA) source
Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI): up to 12 weeks, benefits payable since January 1, 2024, 90% of the first $804.46 of average weekly wage (half the state AWW of $1,608.91) plus 50% of the rest, up to the maximum, maximum $1,448.02 a week in 2026. included in FAMLI (medical leave within the same 12 weeks; up to 16 weeks with pregnancy or childbirth complications). source
Final paycheck and unused vacation
Fired or laid off: immediately (if payroll unit is closed: within 6 hours of the start of its next regular workday, or 24 hours if off-site). Quitting: by the next regular payday. Vacation: earned, unused vacation must be paid at separation for any reason; forfeiture policies are void. source vacation rule
Meal and rest breaks
Meal: uninterrupted, duty-free 30-minute meal period for shifts over 5 consecutive hours (paid on-duty meal if relief is impractical). Rest: paid 10-minute rest period for each 4 hours worked or major fraction. source
Unions and dismissal
Colorado has no right-to-work law, so a union contract may require a fee from the workers it covers. Employment is at will: either side may end it at any time, except for an illegal reason such as discrimination or retaliation, or against a contract.
Also worth knowing in Colorado
- Colorado has daily overtime: time and a half after 12 hours in a day or 12 consecutive hours, not just after 40 hours a week. source
- The 2027 state minimum wage will be $15.71 ($12.69 for tipped workers), announced August 13, 2026; Denver's will be $19.84. source
- FAMLI premiums are 0.88% of wages in 2026, split 50/50 between employer and employee by default; CDLE announced a lower 0.86% rate for 2027. source
- Unused earned vacation must always be paid out at separation; any policy forfeiting it is void. source