How to File Colorado Taxes

You may have to file Colorado taxes even if you have not filed a federal tax return. Colorado allows you to file online; you may also request a paper form 104 to file your taxes.

• 1

  File Colorado taxes if you earned income in Colorado even if you did not file a federal tax return. You must use the same filing status on your federal and Colorado taxes if you file both returns. For example, you cannot file as a married couple on your federal return and file individual returns in Colorado.

• 2

  Obtain Form 104 from the Colorado Department of Revenue or file it electronically through NetFile on the Colorado Department of Revenue's website.

• 3

  Provide your federal taxable income on line 1. If your deductions were greater than your taxable income, write the difference on this line in brackets. For example, if your taxable income was $3,500 and you took a standard deduction of $5,700, write "(2500)" on Line 1.

• 4

  Add back any state income tax that you deducted on Form 1040. If you did not itemize deductions or did not claim a deduction for state income tax on your federal return, don't worry about this step. Otherwise, subtract the federal standard deduction you were entitled to from your total amount of itemized deductions to determine how much to add back to your state taxes on line 2. For example, suppose you are a single taxpayer, itemized your deductions and claimed a deduction for state taxes. If your total itemized deductions were $8,700, subtract the standard deduction of $5,700 and add the remaining $3,000 to your Colorado income on line 2 of Form 104.

• 5

  Report any income from state bonds, lump-sum pension payments, your child's standard deduction and charitable contributions on line 3.

• 6

  Subtract certain items from your Colorado income, such as any state income tax refund or interest from federal bonds. Report your entire taxable income on line 14. Calculate your tax on line 15 using the Colorado Tax Tables.

• 7

  Report pre-payments such as estimated tax or tax withheld. Calculate how much tax you still owe or the refund amount Colorado owes you.

• 8

  Provide your banking information on line 43 if you want any refund directly deposited to you.

• 9

  Mail your tax return with any payment owed to the Colorado Department of Revenue. If you file online, fill out the bottom portion of Form 158I and return it to the Department of Revenue with your payment.