Are you owed pay from a Denver 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 downtown kitchen pays straight time no matter how long the day runs, and the managers take a cut of the tip pool. The law calls it → unpaid overtime and unlawful tip retention
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 Denver workers more than federal law does: 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. Denver also sets its own citywide minimum wage above the state rate, enforced by Denver Labor. Wage claims generally carry a 2-year clock, 3 years for willful violations.
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 Denver.
- Colorado wage claims generally carry a 2-year limit (3 for willful violations), and each pay period ages out one at a time, waiting costs you the oldest weeks first.
- The Wage Act's statutory penalties hinge on a proper written demand; an informal complaint that never becomes a demand can leave penalty money on the table.
- Denver's citywide minimum wage is higher than the state rate and changes annually, being paid the state minimum inside Denver can itself be the violation.
- Colorado's daily overtime (after 12 hours) is broader than federal law; an employer applying only the federal 40-hour test underpays long single days.
- Earned vacation is wages in Colorado, a 'use it or lose it' policy that forfeits accrued vacation at separation is unenforceable.
Local filing and enforcement information for Denver 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.
- Restaurants, Denver U.S. Department of Labor investigation of Tommy's Oriental Food Inc. d/b/a Tommy's Thai (Denver): $61,568 in back wages recovered for 11 workers (2026) after the employer unlawfully kept all employee tips and failed to record all hours worked, plus a civil money penalty. official source ↗
- Construction, Denver U.S. Department of Labor investigation of AAA Fire Protection Inc.: $155,066 in back wages and fringe benefits recovered for 19 employees (2025) on a federally funded Denver apartment project, after workers were misclassified as apprentices and denied prevailing wages and overtime. 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 Denver follow below.
Where do you file a wage and hour claim in Denver?
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. Most workers file online or by phone.
1961 Stout Street, Suite 16-135Denver, CO 80294
(720) 264-3250 WHD complaint / inquiry form →
Denver District Court (2nd Judicial District)
City & County Building (civil matters)1437 Bannock Street
Denver, CO 80202
The filing path, step by step
- 1Reconstruct your hours: schedules, timeclock records, texts about shifts, and pay stubs. Colorado requires employers to keep records, but your own notes fill the gaps.
- 2Make a written demand for unpaid wages; the Colorado Wage Act's penalties turn on a proper demand, and refusing it raises the employer's exposure.
- 3File a wage complaint with the CDLE's Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (online; the division serves the whole state from Denver), or for federal claims with the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division at 1961 Stout Street.
- 4If your job is inside Denver city limits, Denver Labor (the City Auditor's office) separately enforces Denver's citywide minimum wage.
- 5Wage claims are often group claims: if the same policy shorted your coworkers, a single case can cover the whole crew. A free review can tell you which route fits.
Wage-and-hour information in other Colorado cities
- BoulderWage-and-hour information
- Colorado SpringsWage-and-hour information
- Fort CollinsWage-and-hour information
Asked by Denver workers.
What is Denver's minimum wage right now?
Denver sets its own citywide minimum wage above the Colorado state rate, and both change every January. Check the current rates on the CDLE's site or Denver Labor's page rather than trusting a number on any law-firm website, including this one. Being paid the state rate for work inside Denver can itself be a violation.
I worked a 14-hour day but under 40 hours that week. Am I owed overtime?
In Colorado, generally yes. The COMPS Order requires overtime after 12 hours in a workday or 12 consecutive hours, even when the week stays under 40. Federal law would say no, which is exactly why the Colorado rule matters.
My employer keeps part of the tip pool. Is that legal?
Employers, managers, and supervisors generally cannot keep any portion of employee tips. Federal investigators have repeatedly recovered kept tips from Denver-area restaurants, and Colorado law protects tips as well.
I never got my rest breaks. Are those worth anything?
Yes. Colorado requires a PAID 10-minute rest period for every 4 hours worked; a missed paid break is unpaid wages, roughly ten minutes of pay per missed break, and it adds up across a crew and across two years.
I quit and never got my last check or my unused vacation. What now?
Final wages are due by the next regular payday when you resign (faster when the employer ends it), and earned vacation must be paid out, Colorado law does not allow forfeiting it. A written demand starts the penalty clock.
Everyone on my crew was paid the same way. Can we act together?
Yes, and it is often the strongest posture. When one policy shorted many workers, Colorado and federal law both allow group claims, which is the firm's core practice.