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.
Federal tipped minimum cash wage is $2.13/hr — but many states require more, and if tips don't bring you to the full minimum wage ($7.25 federal), your employer must make up the difference. Enter your state's tipped minimum as the base wage for an accurate number.
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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