Under Colorado overtime laws you earn after 40 hours in a workweek at 1.5 times the regular rate, and after 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours). The minimum wage is $15.16. This guide gives the exact colorado overtime laws rule with the date we verified it, the statute, and what to do next.
Rules verified against Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics on 2026-10-08; confirm the current rule with Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics or an attorney before you rely on it.
Colorado Overtime Laws at a Glance
| Minimum wage | $15.16 |
| Weekly overtime | After 40 hours in a workweek at 1.5 times the regular rate |
| Daily overtime | After 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours) |
| Rate | 1.5 times the regular rate (double time only where the row says so) |
| State overtime statute | Yes |
In This Colorado Overtime Laws Guide:
Colorado Overtime Laws: The Rules
After 40 hours in a workweek at 1.5 times the regular rate. After 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours). The overtime rate is one and a half times your regular rate of pay — the regular rate includes non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials, not just the base wage. The COMPS Order’s overtime rules apply to all private employers unless an exemption applies.
How to Calculate Overtime Under Colorado Overtime Laws
Take your total pay for the week, divide by the hours you worked to get the regular rate, and multiply the overtime hours by 1.5 times that rate. A worker paid $15.16 an hour who works 48 hours in a 40-hour state is owed 8 hours at time and a half.
Salary does not mean exempt: a salaried worker below the exemption tests still gets overtime on the hours over the threshold.
Colorado Overtime Laws at a Glance
Rules verified against Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics on 2026-10-08; confirm the current rule with Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics or an attorney before you rely on it. The statute row is where to check it yourself.
| Minimum wage | $15.16 |
| Weekly overtime | After 40 hours in a workweek at 1.5 times the regular rate |
| Daily overtime | After 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours) |
| Rate | 1.5 times the regular rate (double time only where the row says so) |
| State overtime statute | Yes |
Who Is Exempt From Colorado Overtime Laws
Colorado’s overtime order (the COMPS Order) exempts salaried executives and supervisors, administrative workers, professionals, outside salespeople, and certain highly technical computer workers. Each of these exemptions requires both the job duties test and Colorado’s own salary minimum. That salary minimum is higher than the federal one and is adjusted each year. If you are paid below the state minimum, you are generally owed overtime, whatever your job title.
Daily Overtime and Colorado Overtime Laws
Colorado is one of the few states with daily overtime: after 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours). Colorado’s overtime order says private employers may not give time off (“comp time”) instead of time-and-a-half pay for overtime hours. Overtime must be paid in wages.
Is Overtime Taxed Differently Under Colorado Overtime Laws?
No — overtime is ordinary wages and is taxed at the same income-tax rates as the rest of your pay; it can push more of your pay into a higher withholding bracket on one check, but the annual tax rate does not change. Tipped workers in Colorado earn overtime the same way as other workers.
The employer’s tip credit cannot grow when overtime starts, so the credit is subtracted from the full overtime rate. Tips stay the worker’s own and generally cannot be counted toward overtime pay beyond the allowed tip credit. Confirm how your overtime rate is calculated with the Division.
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How to Claim Unpaid Overtime Under Colorado Overtime Laws
A Colorado worker can file a wage complaint about unpaid overtime with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics, using the online wage complaint form on the Division’s site. Workers can also file with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division for overtime owed under federal law.
Colorado’s Wage Act limits how far back a claim can reach, and the window is longer for willful violations. Most claimants should file soon and confirm the exact window with the Division.
Other Colorado Overtime Laws Rules to Know
Colorado requires overtime by the week, by the workday, and after a long stretch of consecutive hours, so you can be owed overtime even in a week under the weekly limit. Each week or day is counted separately, and employers cannot average hours across two or more weeks or days. Agriculture, ski-area jobs, some health care jobs and some heavy-vehicle drivers have modified overtime rules under the COMPS Order.
Think you are owed overtime? The wage-claim agency takes the complaint for free.
Contact Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics
Colorado — the bottom line
- Colorado overtime laws start the premium after 40 hours in a workweek at 1.5 times the regular rate — count the week, not the day, except that after 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours).
- Under colorado overtime laws the rate is 1.5 times the regular rate, and the regular rate includes your bonuses and differentials.
- Colorado overtime laws are enforced by a free wage claim — you do not need a lawyer to recover unpaid overtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I get overtime under Colorado overtime laws?
After 40 hours in a workweek at 1.5 times the regular rate. After 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours).
What is the overtime rate in Colorado?
One and a half times your regular rate of pay, which includes non-discretionary bonuses and shift pay.
Does Colorado have daily overtime?
After 12 in a day (or 12 consecutive hours).
Can my employer give comp time instead of overtime pay in Colorado?
Colorado’s overtime order says private employers may not give time off (“comp time”) instead of time-and-a-half pay for overtime hours. Overtime must be paid in wages.
How do I claim unpaid overtime in Colorado?
A Colorado worker can file a wage complaint about unpaid overtime with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics, using the online wage complaint form on the Division’s site.
Official Colorado Sources & Resources
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics: https://cdle.colorado.gov/wage-and-hour-law
- Colorado statute (The COMPS Order’s overtime rules apply to all private employers unless an exemption applies.): https://leg.colorado.gov/colorado-revised-statutes
- Verified source: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division — state payday requirements: dol.gov
This colorado overtime laws guide was last verified against official Colorado sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current figure with the state agency or a licensed attorney.
More Colorado Workplace Rights Guides
- Colorado Break Laws: Meal and Rest Breaks
- Colorado Final Paycheck Law: Deadlines and Penalties
- Colorado Labor Laws: Every Rule in One Place
- Colorado Unemployment Benefits: How Much and How Long
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Disclaimer: This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. My Unemployment Rights is an independent educational resource, not a government agency and not a law firm. Final-paycheck deadlines, penalties and non compete rules change — every figure here carries the date we verified it. Confirm the current rule with your state labor department or a licensed attorney before you act.