Colorado Unemployment Calculator
As of October 19, 2026, regular Colorado unemployment pays $25 to $884 a week for 13 to 26 weeks. Enter your wages for the four quarters of your base period to estimate your weekly benefit, your maximum total benefit and which rule capped it.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Formulas and sources checked October 19, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Weekly benefit range (October 19, 2026)
$25 to $804 / $884
Two caps: high-quarter formula and total-wages formula. Effective July 1, 2026
Maximum weeks
13 to 26
Regular state benefits only
State income tax on benefits
Taxable
Federal income tax applies in every state
Colorado unemployment benefit calculator
Which months are my four quarters?
The standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. The quarter you file in, and the one just before it, are left out. Enter the quarters in order, oldest first. Each quarter is three calendar months: January to March, April to June, July to September, October to December.
| If you file in | Your base period is |
|---|---|
| January to March 2026 | October 2024 to September 2025 |
| April to June 2026 | January to December 2025 |
| July to September 2026 | April 2025 to March 2026 |
| October to December 2026 | July 2025 to June 2026 |
Use gross wages (before taxes) from every covered job, in the quarter they were earned. If your wages are too low under this period, many states test an alternate base period made of the last four completed quarters.
Enter your wages above to see your Colorado estimate.
The state also runs its own estimator: CDLE UI Benefits Estimator.
How much does unemployment pay in Colorado?
Colorado uses two formulas. The first takes 60 percent of 1/26 of your wages in the two highest consecutive base period quarters, rounded down to the dollar, with a $25 minimum and an $804 maximum.
If that reaches the $804 maximum, Colorado also tries 50 percent of 1/52 of your total base period wages, capped at $884, and pays whichever is higher.
Colorado uses the first four of the last five completed quarters. If you did not earn $2,500 in that period, you may ask for an alternate base period made of the last four completed quarters, using the instructions on your Notice of Wages and Possible Benefits.
Colorado unemployment eligibility: the wage tests
These are the monetary tests only. Colorado also decides whether you lost your job through no fault of your own and whether you are able and available to work.
- Base period wages of at least $2,500, and
- base period wages of at least 40 times the weekly benefit amount (this only matters for the lowest and highest claims).
Maximum weeks and maximum benefit amount
The maximum benefit is the lesser of 26 times the weekly amount and one-third of your wage credits. Wages in any single quarter count only up to 26 times the current maximum ($22,984), so very large quarters do not add credits. Claims run about 13 to 26 weeks.
Working part time while collecting
Colorado deducts the part of your weekly wages above a share of your weekly benefit amount. The statute text we read says 25 percent, rounded down to the dollar, but the DOL July 2026 compilation lists one-half of the weekly amount, so this calculator does not estimate a partial week. Report all earnings when you request payment.
Are Colorado unemployment benefits taxable?
Unemployment benefits are taxable income on your federal return in every state. Colorado taxes unemployment benefits. CDLE says benefits are taxable by both the federal and state governments, and you can choose to have taxes withheld from your payments.
How to apply in Colorado
Verify your identity and file in your MyUI+ account. CDLE then mails a Notice of Wages and Possible Benefits that shows how it calculated your amount.
Colorado Unemployment: start a claim
When this changes: CDLE resets the maximum weekly amounts each July 1 for claims filed after that date. CDLE resets the $804 and $884 caps each July 1 for new claims and moves the base period every calendar quarter; the quarterly wage-credit limit is 26 times the $884 cap.
Frequently asked questions
How much does unemployment pay in Colorado?
Regular Colorado unemployment pays between $25 and $884 a week as of October 19, 2026 (the $804 cap applies to the high-quarter formula and $884 to the total-wages formula). Your amount depends on the wages you were paid in your base period. Colorado uses two formulas. The first takes 60 percent of 1/26 of your wages in the two highest consecutive base period quarters, rounded down to the dollar, with a $25 minimum and an $804 maximum.
How is the Colorado weekly benefit amount calculated?
Colorado uses two formulas. The first takes 60 percent of 1/26 of your wages in the two highest consecutive base period quarters, rounded down to the dollar, with a $25 minimum and an $804 maximum. If that reaches the $804 maximum, Colorado also tries 50 percent of 1/52 of your total base period wages, capped at $884, and pays whichever is higher.
How long can I collect unemployment in Colorado?
The maximum benefit is the lesser of 26 times the weekly amount and one-third of your wage credits. Wages in any single quarter count only up to 26 times the current maximum ($22,984), so very large quarters do not add credits. Claims run about 13 to 26 weeks.
Are unemployment benefits taxable in Colorado?
Colorado taxes unemployment benefits. CDLE says benefits are taxable by both the federal and state governments, and you can choose to have taxes withheld from your payments.
Can I work part time and still get Colorado unemployment?
Colorado deducts the part of your weekly wages above a share of your weekly benefit amount. The statute text we read says 25 percent, rounded down to the dollar, but the DOL July 2026 compilation lists one-half of the weekly amount, so this calculator does not estimate a partial week. Report all earnings when you request payment.
Why can a Colorado claim pay more or less depending on the filing date?
Colorado moves the base period at the start of each calendar quarter, so a claim filed in a new quarter drops the oldest quarter and adds a newer one. CDLE's estimator shows both quarters for that reason. The weekly and maximum amounts are locked in for the one-year life of the claim.
Sources for Colorado
- CDLE UI Benefits EstimatorFormulas, $2,500, $804 and $884, and the sample results reproduced in our tests
- C.R.S. 8-73-102, Weekly benefit amountTwo formulas, rounding down, $25 minimum, partial-week deduction
- C.R.S. 8-73-104, Maximum benefitWage credits capped at 26 times the maximum, one-third and 26 weeks
- CDLE Claimant Guide: Eligibility for benefits$2,500 and the alternate base period
- CDLE Claimant Guide: Amount of benefitsTax treatment and withholding
- U.S. DOL, Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)Cross-check of $25, $804, $884, weeks and the partial-week disregard
Sources checked October 19, 2026.
Verification note: The quarterly cap of 26 times $884 on wages counted toward the maximum benefit comes from C.R.S. 8-73-104 as copied on colorado.public.law (not an official Colorado site) and was confirmed against CDLE estimator results. The statute copy and DOL July 2026 disagree on the partial-week disregard, so we left partial weeks out. The 13 to 26 week range is the DOL figure; the statute sets no fixed range.