Colorado unemployment in 2026: two ways to compute, and the higher one is paid
Colorado computes your benefit twice, from your two best quarters and from your whole base period, and pays the higher amount, up to $884 a week in 2026.
Unemployment in Colorado
$804
a week, for up to 26 weeks · $20,904 in all
| Weekly benefit | $804 |
| Weeks payable | 26 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $20,904 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $2,508 |
| 10% federal withholding, if you ask (W-4V) | $80 a week |
| State income tax on it | check your state |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $1,245 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 65 % before tax |
Colorado: Higher of 60% of 1/26 of 2 consecutive HQW, capped by 50% of State avg weekly earnings or 50% of 1/52 BP earnings capped by 55% of State avg weekly earnings; $25 to $884 a week.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
Colorado's Department of Labor and Employment runs two formulas and pays whichever gives more. The first takes 60% of a twenty-sixth of your two highest consecutive quarters, which is 60% of your average weekly wage in those six months, capped at $804 a week. The second takes 50% of a fifty-second of the whole base period, capped at $884. The minimum is $25. For most people the first formula wins: $60,000 of steady pay gives $692 a week and $80,000 gives $804. Only with base-period wages above about $83,616 does the yearly formula pull ahead, reaching its ceiling of $884 at around $91,936; $100,000 gets $884. A claim lasts up to 26 weeks, with a total capped at a third of base-period wages. To qualify, base-period wages must be at least 40 times the weekly amount or $2,500, whichever is greater.
Formula one: your best six months
The first method looks at two consecutive quarters, those with the highest combined wages, and replaces 60% of the weekly average. $30,000 across those quarters means $1,154 a week and a benefit of $692. The ceiling for this route is $804, half of the state's average weekly earnings, according to the Department of Labor table of July 2026. The calculator uses your two highest quarters whether or not they were back to back; if your two best quarters were separated, the figure Colorado uses will be lower.
Formula two: the whole base period
The second method takes all four quarters, divides by 52 and pays half. Its rate is lower, but its ceiling, $884 or 55% of average weekly earnings, is higher. That makes it the better route only for higher earners whose pay was steady: once base-period wages exceed about $83,616, the yearly formula beats the capped quarterly one. A single filer on $100,000 takes home roughly $1,514 a week after federal tax, payroll taxes and the FAMLI premium; the $884 benefit replaces 58 % of it.
Colorado, both formulas at once
Unemployment in Colorado
$804
| Weekly benefit | $804 |
| Weeks payable | 26 weeks |
| Total if you stay unemployed | $20,904 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $2,508 |
Which one applies to you
Below about $83,616 a year, the quarterly formula always gives more, because 60% of a six-month average beats 50% of a full-year average. Above that level, both formulas hit or approach their caps, and the yearly one, with the higher cap, wins. A claimant with uneven pay, say $40,000 with $15,000 and $12,000 in the two best quarters, does best under the quarterly route: $623 a week. You do not choose; the agency computes both and pays the larger.
A third of your wages, at most
The total of a Colorado claim is the lesser of 26 payments and one third of base-period wages. Uneven earners feel it: in the example above, a third of $40,000 is $13,333, about 21.4 weeks of payments. The duration guide compares this with other states.
Requests for payment and side earnings
Colorado claimants request payment every two weeks through MyUI+ and log work search activities. Earnings up to half of the weekly benefit are disregarded; above that, they reduce the payment. On $692, you can earn $346 in a week without losing anything. The partial unemployment guide sets out the other states' rules. Federal tax applies to the benefits (IRS Topic 418).
Colorado unemployment rules in force in 2026
| Rule | Colorado |
|---|---|
| Earnings needed in the base period | 40 x WBA or $2,500, whichever is greater |
| Weekly benefit formula | Higher of 60% of 1/26 of 2 consecutive HQW, capped by 50% of State avg weekly earnings or 50% of 1/52 BP earnings capped by 55% of State avg weekly earnings |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | $25 to $884 |
| Most you can draw in a benefit year | Lesser of 1/3 BPW or 26 x WBA |
| Weeks payable | 13 to 26 |
| Pay you can earn in a week without losing benefits | 1/2 WBA |