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Final Paycheck Laws in Colorado

In Colorado, a fired employee must be paid immediately, an employee who quits by the next regular payday, and earned vacation pay must be paid at separation.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Colorado at a glance

Deadline if fired
Immediately
If the payroll unit is closed, within 6 hours of its next workday, or 24 hours if the unit is off site.
Deadline if employee quits
Next regular payday
Accrued vacation paid out
Yes, earned vacation is paid at separation
Applies when the employer provides paid vacation; amount follows the terms of the agreement.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Colorado

When is a final paycheck due in Colorado if the employee is fired or laid off?

Deadline if fired in Colorado: Immediately. If the payroll unit is closed, within 6 hours of its next workday, or 24 hours if the unit is off site.

When is a final paycheck due in Colorado if the employee quits?

Deadline if employee quits in Colorado: Next regular payday.

Does Colorado law require employers to pay out accrued vacation when a job ends?

Yes, earned vacation is paid at separation. Accrued vacation paid out in Colorado: yes, earned vacation is paid at separation. Applies when the employer provides paid vacation; amount follows the terms of the agreement.

Where do the Colorado final paycheck laws come from?

The rules above come from Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-4-109 and Colo. Rev. Stat. 8-4-101(14)(a)(III). Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

Since January 1, 2023, an employer that does not pay within 14 days after a written demand owes an automatic penalty of the greater of 2 times the unpaid wages or $1,000, and more if the failure was willful.

What this means in practice

Note the exact last day of work and how the job ended, since the deadline often runs from that date and may differ for a firing, a layoff or a resignation. Some statutes also change the deadline when an employee quits without giving notice.

Read the employer's written vacation or paid time off policy and any employment contract. Where state law leaves vacation payout to the employer, the policy terms usually decide whether unused time is paid out or forfeited.

If a final paycheck is late or short, the state labor department usually accepts wage claims, often without a lawyer. Some statutes add penalties for late payment, such as extra daily wages, so keep pay stubs, timesheets and any written communication about the final pay.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.