Are you owed pay from a Colorado Springs job?
Unpaid overtime, missed meal or rest breaks, off-the-clock work and unreimbursed expenses may be unlawful. Retaliation after you asked about pay may be unlawful too.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue the wages you earned and, where the law provides, penalties and interest.
Not sure the math is off? You can request a review even without your pay records in hand.
What wage theft can look like, and what the law calls it.
Wage violations are usually quiet and routine, a timekeeping habit, a job title, a 'that's just how we do it.' What matters is whether you were paid what the law requires for the hours you actually worked.
I clock out when the schedule says, then keep working, because the work isn't done.
The law calls it → possible off-the-clock work
- I regularly work through breaks because there's no coverage. The law calls it → possible missed-break violation
- I'm salaried with a manager title, but I do the same work as the hourly crew. The law calls it → possible misclassification
- My hours changed after I asked about my pay. The law calls it → possible retaliation
- Our plumbing crew gets straight time no matter how long the job runs, and nobody has seen a paid rest break in years. The law calls it → unpaid daily and weekly overtime
These cover unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, missed meal and rest breaks, misclassification (exempt or contractor), unpaid final wages, retaliation for raising pay issues, in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations, not client accounts.
Colorado wage law gives Colorado Springs workers overtime after 40 hours in a week, after 12 hours in a single day, or after 12 consecutive hours; a paid 10-minute rest break every 4 hours; a 30-minute meal period on shifts over 5 hours; and earned vacation that cannot be forfeited at separation. Wage claims generally carry a 2-year clock, 3 years for willful violations, and the Wage Act's penalties turn on a proper written demand.
What could taking action help you recover?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover unpaid wages, address missed breaks and off-the-clock work, and correct the practice going forward. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Unpaid wages or overtime
Hours worked but never paid, including overtime premiums, may be recoverable for the statutory period.
Missed-break and off-the-clock pay
Compensation may be available for missed meal or rest periods and for work performed before or after the clock.
Expense reimbursement and related pay
Necessary work expenses, and wages tied to them, may be reimbursable depending on the state and the facts.
Statutory relief where applicable
Some claims carry interest, statutory amounts, or fee-shifting; which apply depends on the claim and jurisdiction.
You do not need complete pay records, or certainty that your paycheck was wrong, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from workers about pay
I do not have complete time records.
Employers generally must keep time and pay records. Missing records are common in these cases, and schedules, messages, badge data, and coworker accounts can help reconstruct hours.
I was paid a salary.
A salary or job title does not by itself make you exempt from overtime. Exemption generally depends on your actual duties and pay, not the label.
I signed an arbitration agreement.
An arbitration agreement can change where a claim is heard, not necessarily whether you have one. It is worth reviewing before assuming it closes the door.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for asserting wage rights may itself be unlawful.
Some of the work happened before or after my shift.
Time an employer knows or should know is being worked, including pre-shift and post-shift tasks, may be compensable.
Brian Denlinger
Shareholder · Admitted in Colorado
Brian Denlinger is licensed in Colorado and Washington. He represents employees in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour matters.
Read Brian's full bio →Selected wage-and-hour class and representative action results.
$17M
Health-care workforce · approximately 30,000 workers · Meal and rest break class action
Proposed settlement · preliminary approval granted
$16M
Health-care workforce · approximately 23,900 workers · Meal and rest break class action
Final approval
$14M
Grocery workforce · California · Rest break PAGA settlement
Final · co-lead counsel
$10.94M
Health-care workforce · approximately 11,600 workers · Meal break class action
Final approval
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different; the value and outcome of your matter will depend on its specific facts.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
Colorado and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, for Colorado wage claims.
Generally, for wage claims based on a willful violation.
Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Colorado Wage Act, COMPS Order, and Healthy Families and Workplaces Act
C.R.S. art. 8-4 & 8-6; 7 CCR 1103-1; C.R.S. § 8-13.3-401 et seq.
Primary source, C.R.S. art. 8-4 & 8-6; 7 CCR 1103-1; C.R.S. § 8-13.3-401 et seq. ↗Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in Colorado Springs.
- Colorado wage claims generally carry a 2-year limit (3 for willful), and each pay period ages out one at a time.
- Statutory penalties hinge on a proper written demand; skipping it leaves penalty money on the table.
- Colorado requires overtime after 12 hours in a DAY, not just after 40 in a week; an employer using only the federal test underpays long single days.
- A missed PAID 10-minute rest break is unpaid wages; most workers never realize those minutes are owed.
- Earned vacation cannot be forfeited at separation in Colorado, 'use it or lose it' language does not defeat the payout.
Local filing and enforcement information for Colorado Springs workers.
The sources below are public agency actions and filing information, not this firm's cases. They illustrate how claims have been handled and do not predict the outcome of another matter.
- Construction, Colorado Springs U.S. Department of Labor investigation of Bulletproof Plumbing & Heating Inc. (Colorado Springs): $138,100 recovered (2024), $69,050 in back wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages, for 27 plumbers paid straight time for hours over 40 in a workweek. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division or the state labor agency, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for Colorado Springs follow below.
Where do you file a wage and hour claim in Colorado Springs?
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics
Denver (statewide)707 17th Street, Suite 150
Denver, CO 80202-3660
(303) 318-8000
Wage complaints are filed with the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics online; the division serves the whole state from Denver.
State wage-claim filing →U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Denver District Office
The Denver District Office serves all of Colorado including Colorado Springs. Most workers file online or by phone.
1961 Stout Street, Suite 16-135Denver, CO 80294
(720) 264-3250 WHD complaint / inquiry form →
El Paso County District Court (4th Judicial District)
El Paso County Judicial Building270 S. Tejon Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
The filing path, step by step
- 1Reconstruct your hours from schedules, timeclock records, texts, and pay stubs; your own notes fill gaps in the employer's records.
- 2Make a written demand for the unpaid wages, the Colorado Wage Act's penalty structure turns on it.
- 3File a wage complaint with the CDLE's Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (online, statewide), or for federal claims with the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division's Denver District Office, which covers Colorado Springs.
- 4Employees on federally funded projects can also raise prevailing-wage violations, which the same federal office investigates.
- 5If the same pay practice shorted your coworkers, a group claim is often the strongest posture, and it is the firm's core practice. The initial review has no cost or obligation.
Wage-and-hour information in other Colorado cities
- BoulderWage-and-hour information
- DenverWage-and-hour information
- Fort CollinsWage-and-hour information
Asked by Colorado Springs workers.
I worked a 13-hour shift but only 38 hours that week. Am I owed overtime?
In Colorado, generally yes. The COMPS Order requires time-and-a-half after 12 hours in a workday or 12 consecutive hours, regardless of the weekly total. Federal law alone would say no, which is why the Colorado rule matters.
What is the minimum wage in Colorado Springs?
Colorado Springs follows the statewide Colorado minimum wage, which adjusts every January; unlike Denver, it has not adopted a separate local rate. Check the CDLE's site for the current figure rather than trusting a number printed on any website.
My employer rounds my hours down and skips my rest breaks. Is that worth pursuing?
Often yes, especially across a crew and across two years. Missed paid rest breaks are owed as wages, and systematic rounding that always favors the employer is a classic underpayment pattern that group claims are built for.
I was called an independent contractor but scheduled like an employee. Do I have rights?
The label does not control. If the employer directs your work in practice, Colorado wage protections generally apply, overtime, breaks, minimum wage, and final-pay rules included.
I never got my final paycheck after being let go. How fast was it due?
When the employer ends the employment, earned wages are generally due immediately or on an accelerated schedule; on resignation, by the next regular payday. Earned vacation must be included. A written demand starts the penalty clock if they refuse.
How long do I have to act in Colorado Springs?
Generally 2 years from when the wages were owed, 3 years for willful violations, and every month of delay lets the oldest pay periods expire. A free review can tell you which route, CDLE, federal WHD, or court, fits your facts.