Short answer. Fired or laid off: 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. Quit: On the next regular payday.
Colorado final pay at a glance
- Fired or laid off
- 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.
- Quit
- On the next regular payday.
- Law
- C.R.S. 8-4-109
- Agency
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics
In Colorado's words
Fired or laid off
"is due and payable immediately"
Quitting
"upon the next regular payday"
Example with dates
Suppose a Colorado employee's last day is Wednesday, November 4, 2026 and the weekly payroll's next payday is Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The final check would be due:
- Fired or laid off: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
- Quit: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Your own dates: open the calculator set to Colorado.
Unused vacation in Colorado
If the employer provides paid vacation, all earned and determinable vacation pay must be paid at separation.
Getting the check to a former Colorado employee
The check is made available at the work site, the employer's local office or the employee's last-known mailing address. A check left uncollected for 60 days must be mailed. After a written demand, payment goes by check to the address in the demand or by direct deposit the employee authorized.
If a Colorado final paycheck is 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.
Worth knowing in Colorado
Colorado ties its penalty to a written demand, so an employee owed final pay usually sends one before the 14-day clock runs. CDLE publishes a demand form.
Not stated on the Colorado pages we read: commissions.
Official Colorado sources
- CDLE: Colorado Wage Act, revised January 1, 2025 (for posting) (checked November 2026)
Colorado rules as published on the pages above, checked November 2026. General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. A union contract or written agreement can change the timing.
Colorado final paycheck questions
How soon is a final paycheck due after a firing in Colorado?
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. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics puts it as "is due and payable immediately."
When does an employee who quits in Colorado get the last check?
On the next regular payday. Notice doesn't change it on the page we checked.
Is unused vacation paid out at the end of a job in Colorado?
If the employer provides paid vacation, all earned and determinable vacation pay must be paid at separation.
Can a Colorado final paycheck be mailed or direct deposited?
The check is made available at the work site, the employer's local office or the employee's last-known mailing address. A check left uncollected for 60 days must be mailed. After a written demand, payment goes by check to the address in the demand or by direct deposit the employee authorized.
What does Colorado law say about a late final paycheck?
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.
All states: final paycheck laws by state · California · Connecticut