The deadline, and what it depends on
When your employer ends the job, the deadline depends only on your last day. When you end it, it depends on how much notice you gave.
The 6-hour rule applies only when the payroll unit is not scheduled to be working that day; if that unit is off site, the employer gets 24 hours and must deliver the check to the work site, its local office or your last known mailing address. A second failure of the same kind within five years counts as willful on its own. A genuine short furlough is not a separation, so vacation is not paid out then.
If you were fired vs if you quit
- Fired or laid off: Immediately — final wages are due on your last day.
- You quit: By your next regularly scheduled payday. The date depends on your pay schedule, not on when you left.
Unused PTO — is it owed?
Yes. Colorado does not require employers to offer paid vacation, but vacation earned under an agreement counts as wages and must be paid out when you leave. Severance pay is not wages, so it cannot be claimed the same way. It is paid at your final rate of pay, as part of the same final paycheck and on the same deadline as your wages.
What happens if they are late
If the employer does not pay within 14 days after a written demand, a claim or a lawsuit reaches it, the penalty is automatic: the greater of twice the unpaid wages or $1,000 — or the greater of three times the wages or $3,000 where you show the refusal was willful (C.R.S. 8-4-109(3)).
How to file a claim in Colorado
File a Labor Standards Complaint with the Colorado Division of Labor Standards and Statistics; the administrative route covers unpaid wages up to $7,500 per employee. Court actions must be brought within 2 years, or 3 for a willful violation. Filing is free, and you do not need a lawyer.
- Ask in writing first. Email creates a dated record.
- Send a short demand letter naming the amount, the deadline, and any penalty that applies in Colorado.
- File the wage claim. Keep copies of pay stubs and your schedule — the time card calculator can total the unpaid hours for you.
Colorado final paycheck: common questions
Can they hold my last check until I return my equipment?
No. In Colorado your final wages are due by the deadline on this page whether or not you have returned a laptop, uniform or keys. Your employer can ask for the equipment back or pursue its cost separately, but federal law bars deductions for it that would cut your pay below minimum wage or eat into overtime.
Do I get paid for unused vacation?
Yes. Colorado does not require employers to offer paid vacation, but vacation earned under an agreement counts as wages and must be paid out when you leave. Severance pay is not wages, so it cannot be claimed the same way. It is paid at your final rate of pay, as part of the same final paycheck and on the same deadline as your wages.
What if I quit without notice?
No. Quitting without notice does not forfeit anything you earned in Colorado. Your final pay is due by your next regular payday, exactly as if you had given notice. Notice only changes the timing, and only where state law says so.
When is my final paycheck due in Colorado if I am fired?
Immediately — final wages are due on your last day. Everything you earned is due on that deadline, along with any unused vacation your state or your policy makes payable. If it arrives late, the section on penalties above explains what follows.
What happens if my final paycheck is late in Colorado?
If the employer does not pay within 14 days after a written demand, a claim or a lawsuit reaches it, the penalty is automatic: the greater of twice the unpaid wages or $1,000 — or the greater of three times the wages or $3,000 where you show the refusal was willful (C.R.S. 8-4-109(3)).
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Colorado overtime rules and calculator →
Other states that also require payment the day you are let go: California, Hawaii and Massachusetts.
Worked across a state line? Kansas final paycheck law and Oklahoma final paycheck law.