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Employer checklist · Colorado · 2027

Colorado employer compliance checklist for 2027

Registration, new hires, pay rates, leave, breaks, insurance, final pay and year-end filing, in the order you meet them, each from the state's own pages.

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Sources checked:

Quick answer. Colorado: $30,600 SUTA wage base (2026); 1.53% new employer rate; new hires reported in 20 days; $15.71 minimum wage from January 1; paid sick leave required; meal breaks required; same-day final pay if fired. 15 of 19 checklist items are confirmed on official pages; 4 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.

Colorado 2027 employer checklist

1. Register for unemployment tax and withholdingBefore the first payroll.

2. Report new hires and check work eligibilityFor every hire, rehire and, where the state says so, contractor.

  • ConfirmedReport each new hire to the state

    Within 20 calendar days of the hire.

    • Who: New hires; a rehire is reported if the returning employee must complete a new W-4 or has been away for 60 consecutive days.
    • Independent contractors: yes, report them too. Colorado's child support program says independent contractors should be reported if they provide a Social Security number to the employer.
    • How: online. Online at the State Directory of New Hires website; the page lists no fax or mail option.

    Source: Official page, checked November 2026 · More: First hire checklist for Colorado

  • Not confirmedE-Verify for private employers

    Not confirmed — check Colorado Special Provisions (Fiscal Rule 3-3), revised 9/23/2019.

    More: E-Verify requirements by state

3. Set pay at the minimum wage: January 1 and mid-yearCheck every hourly and tipped rate against the floor.

4. Paid sick leaveAccrual, limits and notice.

  • ConfirmedPaid sick leave

    Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA). Yes: a statewide paid sick leave law covers private employers.

    • Accrual: 1 hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, starting on the first day of work.
    • Yearly limit: Up to 48 hours of paid leave a year; employers need not allow use of more than 48 hours in one benefit year.
    • Small employers: Covers all employers of any employees in the state, regardless of industry or size.
    • Carryover: Unused accrued leave, up to 48 hours a benefit year, rolls over to a later year.
    • Notice to employees: Employers must give employees individual written notices and also display posters on HFWA rights in a conspicuous and accessible place.
    • When it can be used: Employees may use accrued leave as soon as it accrues; no probationary period is allowed.

    Source: INFO #6B: Paid Sick Leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Colorado Division of Labor Standards and Statistics), checked November 2026 · More: Colorado paid sick leave

5. Meal and rest breaksAdults and workers under 18.

6. Workers' compensationCoverage, posters and proof.

7. Final payWhen someone leaves.

  • ConfirmedFinal pay when you let someone go

    Immediately when the employer ends the employment. If the payroll unit isn't open, within 6 hours of the start of its next regular workday; if payroll is off-site, within 24 hours.

    is due and payable immediately

    Source: CDLE: Colorado Wage Act, revised January 1, 2025 (for posting), checked November 2026 · More: Colorado final paycheck law

  • ConfirmedFinal pay when an employee quits

    On the next regular payday.

    upon the next regular payday
    • Unused vacation: If the employer provides paid vacation, all earned and determinable vacation pay must be paid at separation.
    • If it's late: If wages aren't paid within 14 days after a written demand or claim, the employer owes them plus the greater of 2 times the unpaid amount or $1,000; for a willful failure, the greater of 3 times or $3,000.

    Source: CDLE: Colorado Wage Act, revised January 1, 2025 (for posting), checked November 2026 · More: Colorado final paycheck law

  • ConfirmedFor a laid-off employee: the state's work search rule

    CDLE recommends at least 3 to 5 work-search activities a week; another section of the same page recommends at least 5. You report them when you request payment each week.

    Source: CDLE: Work search requirements, checked November 2026 · More: Colorado work search rules

8. Year-end W-2 and 1099 filingState copies, due in early 2027 for 2026 pay.

  • ConfirmedState copies of W-2s and 1099s

    The Department's annual reconciliation FAQ says to send only 1099 statements that list Colorado withholding.

    • W-2s: January 31
    • 1099s: January 31
    • Annual reconciliation: DR 1093, Annual Transmittal of State W-2 Forms, due January (the Department's page; its video names the January 31 deadline).
    • Electronic filing: Paper filing is described as 'not recommended' and is for filers with fewer than 10 employees or payees; everyone else uses Revenue Online.

    Source: Colorado DOR: Annual Reconciliation, Frequently Asked Questions, checked November 2026 · More: 1099 and W-2 deadline finder

Key dates for 2027

Only the dates our files state. A date on a weekend or holiday is flagged, not moved, unless the agency's page says it moves.

DateWhatSource
Friday, January 1, 2027
Minimum wage rises to $15.71 an hour
Sunday, January 31, 2027
Unemployment tax report and payment for the fourth quarter of 2026
Falls on a Sunday. This is the date as the agency states it; check its rule for weekend due dates (see step 1).
Sunday, January 31, 2027
W-2s and 1099s with Colorado withholding
Sunday, January 31, 2027 is a Sunday. The agency's page we opened doesn't say whether it moves to the next business day; file by the Friday before to be safe, or ask the agency.
Monday, February 1, 2027
Form W-2 Copy A (with W-3) to SSA, and employee copies (federal)
Monday, February 1, 2027
Form 1099-MISC copies to payees (federal)
Monday, February 1, 2027
Form 1099-NEC to the IRS and to each payee (federal)
Monday, March 1, 2027
Form 1099-MISC to the IRS on paper (federal)
Wednesday, March 31, 2027
Form 1099-MISC to the IRS electronically (federal)
Friday, April 30, 2027
Unemployment tax report and payment for the first quarter of 2027
Saturday, July 31, 2027
Unemployment tax report and payment for the second quarter of 2027
Falls on a Saturday. This is the date as the agency states it; check its rule for weekend due dates (see step 1).
Sunday, October 31, 2027
Unemployment tax report and payment for the third quarter of 2027
Falls on a Sunday. This is the date as the agency states it; check its rule for weekend due dates (see step 1).

Still to confirm

Colorado kit

Colorado Employer Compliance Kit 2027

This checklist as a printable document with every source link and check date, a 2027 deadline calendar, a start-here guide, and an Excel workbook with a deadline tracker and new-hire and pay-change checklists, all built from the same data as this page.

Get the kit, $19 Or the 2027 Employer Compliance Bundle (7 Kits), $59

General information, not legal, tax or payroll advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm or a payroll service. Nothing here guarantees compliance. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, and the agency's own page has the final word.

Common questions

What is the Colorado unemployment tax wage base for 2027?

Not confirmed in our data files. Check CDLE: UI Premiums and Wages FAQ (https://cdle.colorado.gov/employers/pay-premiums-and-report-wages/pay-premiums-and-report-wages-faq). The latest published base is $30,600 per employee in 2026.

How soon must a Colorado employer report a new hire?

Within 20 calendar days of the hire.

What is the Colorado minimum wage in 2027?

Rises to $15.71 an hour on Friday, January 1, 2027. CDLE, August 13, 2026: $15.71 per hour in 2027, a 3.6% increase; $12.69 for tipped workers.

Does Colorado require paid sick leave?

Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA). Yes: a statewide paid sick leave law covers private employers. Accrual: 1 hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, starting on the first day of work.

When is a final paycheck due in Colorado?

If the employer ends the job: Immediately when the employer ends the employment. If the payroll unit isn't open, within 6 hours of the start of its next regular workday; if payroll is off-site, within 24 hours. If the employee quits: On the next regular payday.

Does Colorado require state W-2 or 1099 filing?

The Department's annual reconciliation FAQ says to send only 1099 statements that list Colorado withholding. W-2s: January 31 1099s: January 31

Do Colorado employers need workers' comp?

Every business with employees, whatever the number, including part-time workers and family members.

Related: Employer compliance by state · 2027 changes for employers

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