---
title: "Server Minimum Wage in Colorado (2026)"
url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/colorado/server-wage
language: en
publisher: TipMax (Entermaurs Incorporated)
date_published: 2026-09-23
last_verified: 2026-09-23
---

# What’s the minimum wage for servers in Colorado?

**Short answer:** Colorado’s minimum wage is $15.16 an hour. Restaurants can pay tipped servers $12.14 in cash wages and count $3.02 of tips toward the rest. The deal has a backstop: if your hourly cash plus tips falls below $15.16, your employer must top you up. Some local governments set higher rates, so your city may pay more.

## Colorado at a glance

| Rule | Colorado | Federal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum wage | $15.16 | Federal: $7.25 |
| Tipped cash wage (paid before tips) | $12.14 | Federal: $2.13 |
| Can tips count toward minimum wage? | Yes | DOL: Yes |

As of the U.S. Department of Labor table revised July 1, 2026. Your city may set a higher rate.

## What’s different in Colorado

Compared with the federal setup of $2.13 plus tips to reach $7.25, a Colorado server starts from a much higher floor. The employer covers $12.14 of every hour directly, and the credit it can take against your tips is capped at $3.02.

Colorado matches the federal test for who counts as tipped: more than $30 a month in tips. Fall under that, and you’re owed the regular $15.16 with no credit at all. Add the DOL’s note about higher local minimums, and the rate on your stub depends on the city as well as the state.

In May 2025 the median hourly pay BLS reported for Colorado waiters and waitresses was $21.57. Treat that as an employer-reported estimate that counts tips, not a promise of take-home pay.

## Example shift

Say you work 6 hours and walk out with $120 in tips (illustrative numbers; use your own).

1. Wages: $12.14 × 6 = **$72.84**.
2. With tips: $72.84 + $120 = **$192.84**, or **$32.14 an hour**.
3. If your tips for the week don’t bring you to $15.16 an hour, federal law says your employer has to make up the difference.

**What servers earn:** BLS estimates the median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses in Colorado was **$21.57** in May 2025. BLS counts tips in this figure, but the numbers come from employers’ estimates.

Check your own week: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/tools/tipped-wage-check

## Official sources

- [U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum wages for tipped employees (state table)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: State minimum wage laws](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state)
- [BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, waiters and waitresses (35-3031)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353031.htm)
- [Colorado labor agency](https://cdle.colorado.gov/dlss)

## Last verified

September 23, 2026. Checked the U.S. Department of Labor state tables (revised July 1, 2026) and BLS OEWS May 2025.

## About TipMax

Colorado lets employers claim just $3.02 in tips against the $15.16 minimum, and a daily record of tips and hours makes any shortfall easy to prove.

TipMax is an iPhone app for servers and bartenders that tracks tips and tip-outs and turns a restaurant menu into study flashcards.

Download TipMax free: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tipmax-study-track-earn/id6744850146

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TipMax Answers explains public government guidance on pay and workplace rules in plain English for tipped workers. It is **not legal, tax, or accounting advice**. Rules change and local rules can add to them. Confirm with the agency linked on this page or a qualified professional. TipMax the app helps you track tips and pay; it doesn’t enforce wage law or decide disputes.