Colorado Final Paycheck Checker (2026)

How Colorado final paycheck timing works

Colorado splits its final-paycheck deadline sharply depending on who ends the job. If your employer fires or lays you off, your earned wages are due immediately on that same day, and the only exceptions are narrow: if the payroll unit is not running when you are let go, the employer gets until six hours into that unit’s next regular workday, or 24 hours if the payroll unit sits off the work site. If you quit or resign, the clock is far more relaxed and your final wages are simply due on your next regular payday. Colorado also gives you a real enforcement tool under C.R.S. §8-4-109: if you send a written demand and the employer still does not pay within 14 days, it owes a penalty on top of the wages. Since January 1, 2023, that penalty is the greater of two times the unpaid wages or $1,000, and it climbs to three times or $3,000 when the failure to pay is willful. Written demand is the trigger, so putting your request in writing is what unlocks the penalty.

This tool applies the Colorado rule to your last day worked. It is informational only and not legal advice — a "next regular payday" rule depends on your payroll schedule, and disputed amounts or deductions can change things. For the full rules, penalties, and citations, see the Colorado final paycheck reference.