Colorado tipped minimum wage (2026)
Colorado sets a tipped cash wage of $12.14/hr — above the federal $2.13 — with employers allowed to count up to $3.02/hr of your tips toward the $15.16/hr minimum.
How Colorado compares
At $12.14/hr, Colorado ranks 6th of the 47 states with a single published tipped cash wage. No other state pays tipped workers exactly $12.14/hr.
Tips have to cover 20% of your $15.16/hr minimum here. On a shift where they don't, the shortfall is your employer's to pay — but only if you can show what you actually made.
Thirty hours on the schedule guarantees $364.20 before tips, $300.30 more than the same week would guarantee under the federal $2.13 floor.
Nearest rates on either side: Arizona at $12.15 and Nevada at $12.00.
Cross a border and the base wage changes: Arizona ($12.15) pays more than Colorado. The widest gap is Arizona, $0.01/hr higher — $0.30 a week on a 30-hour schedule, for the same job.
What's different about tipped work in Colorado
Colorado's state tip credit is capped at $3.02, but since 2025 a city that raises its own minimum can widen that gap — so the tipped cash wage in Denver, Edgewater and Boulder County are now three different numbers computed three different ways.
Some Colorado cities require more than the state floor. Where a local ordinance is higher, it wins:
| City | Minimum wage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | $19.29 | Tipped cash wage $16.27. |
| Edgewater | $18.17 | Tipped cash wage $13.50 — a $4.67 tip credit, larger than the state's. |
| Boulder County | $16.82 | Tipped cash wage $13.80. |
Where it's heading: HB25-1208 let local governments set a tip credit larger than the state's $3.02 if their minimum wage is higher. Edgewater went first, pairing an $18.17 minimum with a $4.67 credit.
The number that actually matters
Official wage tables lean on reported pay and miss most cash tips, so your real hourly — cash plus card, minus tip-out — lives only in your own records. That's the number that tells you whether a shift was worth it, and the one you'll need at tax time.
Simulate a Colorado shift
Legal minimums are the floor. Enter a real shift — your actual hourly is what decides whether the night was worth it.
Example amounts to start. Enter your actual base wage and shift, including paid sidework time.
This is earnings before taxes and other payroll deductions, not cash paid out tonight. Include each tip once, even when card tips arrive later through payroll.
Use your actual base wage from your pay record. The starting value is only an example. This calculator does not determine the minimum wage required for your job.
Quick answers
What is the tipped minimum wage in Colorado?＋
Employers in Colorado must pay tipped workers a cash wage of at least $12.14/hr, and tips must bring total pay to at least $15.16/hr. Figures as of July 1, 2026 (US DOL).
Can my Colorado employer take a tip credit?＋
Yes, up to $3.02/hr — but only if your tips actually cover the gap. If they don't, the employer must make up the difference.
What if my tips don't reach the full minimum wage?＋
Federal law (FLSA) requires your employer to make up the difference whenever cash wage + tips falls below the applicable minimum wage for the pay period. Track every shift so you can prove a shortfall.
Do any Colorado cities require a higher wage?＋
Yes. Several Colorado cities set local minimums above the state floor: Denver ($19.29/hr), Edgewater ($18.17/hr), Boulder County ($16.82/hr). City ordinances override the state rate when they're higher, so check your specific location.
Source: U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division (July 1, 2026). Federal floor: $2.13 cash / $7.25 total. Not legal advice — local ordinances (city minimum wages) may set higher rates.
Compare with other states
Working out what a shift actually paid you? Run it through the tips-to-hourly calculator — base pay plus tips, minus tip-out, divided by the hours you really worked.
TipScan reads your checkout slip and computes your real hourly every shift — with Colorado's wage rules built in. Free, no ads.
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