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Demands, Complaints, Responses, and Settlements

Worker Forms / Formas de Trabajador (Complaints, Demands, Settlements)

Demand for Payment of Wages / Solicitud Formal Para El Pago Del Sueldo

If your employer owes you wages, it may benefit you to send your employer a demand for payment of wages for two reasons: 

  1. In many cases, employers respond to demands for wages by paying you, the employee, what you claim, allowing you to recover your wages immediately. Getting a decision on a complaint to the Division can take several months, depending on how complex the investigation needs to be. For more information about the Division’s investigation process, see INFO #2A, available at cdle.colorado.gov/infos. 
  2. If your employer does not pay your wages within 14 days after you’ve sent your written demand, you may be able to recover extra penalties from your employer in addition to the wages you are owed, through the Division’s complaint process or by filing in court. You may recover the greater of 200% of your wages owed at the time you sent your demand or $1,000.00. 

You can send a demand for payment of wages by mail, email, text message, or other electronic means. The only requirements are that the demand must be written (which includes sending it electronically) and must be sent to the employer’s correct address (whether street address, phone number, email, or other electronic address or account). The Division provides an optional form for your use called, “Demand for Payment of Wages.” You can fill out this form or you can draft your own demand, and send it to your employer either by registered or unregistered USPS mail, email or text message. 

This form does not start an investigation by our Division, so please do not send the "Demand for Payment of Wages" form to the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics unless prompted by your assigned investigator. To file a formal complaint to start an investigation, please complete the “Labor Standards Complaint Form” below.  

You can send a written demand and file a complaint simultaneously. You do not need to wait 14 days after sending a written demand to then file a complaint with our Division.  

Labor Standards Complaints

The Division investigates complaints for unpaid wages (including any pay agreed to, Colorado or local minimum wages, overtime pay, etc.); paid sick leave or paid rest periods not provided or not paid; meal periods not provided, or (if they included work) not paid; agricultural labor rights violations; and retaliation for exercising certain labor rights. If you wish to file a complaint with the Division, you must fully complete and submit a Labor Standards Complaint Form. For more information about the types of complaints the Division can investigate and the investigation process, visit the Division Authority and Coverage page.

Instructions for Printable Form:

  • Answer all questions on the Labor Standards Complaint Form that relate to your issue.  You do not need to complete, or print, any pages that do not relate to your issue. 
    • For example, if you have a claim for unpaid wages only, you do not need to print or complete pages 12-23.
  • Mail, fax, or email your complaint form, and all supporting documents, to the Division. The supporting documentation you submit should be copies of the original materials. Do NOT send originals.  Please include your name and the name of the employer on all of the pages of your supporting documents.  Please respond promptly to any communications from the Division, and contact the Division immediately if your contact information changes.

Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

Unequal Pay Complaints (Part 1)

Under Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the Division may investigate complaints of unlawful unequal pay - when an employee is paid less than another employee of a different sex for performing substantially similar work. Under Part 1, the Division may also investigate complaints alleging that the employer (1) asked about an applicant’s pay history or relied on pay history to determine an employee’s wage rate; (2) discriminated or retaliated against a prospective employee for not disclosing their pay history; (3) prohibited employees from discussing pay; (4) required an employee to sign a document that prohibited the employee from discussing pay; (5) retaliated against an employee for using their rights under the Equal Pay Act, including by filing a complaint with this Division; or (6) retaliated against an employee for discussing pay. To submit a complaint, fill out a form below with complete and accurate information.

Instructions for Printable Form: 

  • Answer all questions on the Unequal Pay Complaint Form. If you are filing on behalf of multiple employees, you may submit multiple forms at once.
  • Mail, fax, or email your complaint form, and all supporting documents, to the Division. The supporting documentation you submit should be copies of the original. Do NOT send originals. Please respond promptly to any communications from the Division, and contact the Division immediately if your contact information changes.

Pay Transparency Complaints (Part 2)

Under Part 2 of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the Division may investigate complaints concerning transparency in pay and job opportunities. Specifically, the Division may investigate complaints alleging that an employer failed to disclose compensation, benefits, and how and when to apply in job postings and notices; notify employees of available job opportunities; disclose who was selected to fill a position; disclose how to advance through career progressions to eligible employees; or keep records of wages and job descriptions.  

If you believe that the employer has violated the Act, you may file a complaint by filling out the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, Part 2 Complaint Form. The Division only accepts complaints in writing using the Division’s form. You should attach any evidence you have of the alleged violation. If you do not have evidence, you should describe the alleged violation.

Any person who has witnessed, suffered from, or been injured by a perceived violation can file a complaint for an alleged violation of the Act. If you would like to file anonymously, you may do so by completing the complaint form without including your personal information (Section I) and not signing the form. Submit anonymous complaints by mail, fax, in person, or via an anonymous email address.

If you have filed a complaint and want an update, you may call the Division to inquire (non-anonymous claims only).

Job Postings and Hiring

The Division enforces five laws about information in job postings and applications.  These laws include:

  1. Part 2 of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (discussed above); 
  2. Effective July 1, 2024, the Job Application Fairness Act, which restricts employers from asking about job-related information on initial job applications;
  3. The Colorado Chance to Compete Act (Ban the Box), which prohibits employers from asking about criminal history on initial applications;
  4. The Social Media and the Workplace Law, which prevents employers from accessing employees’ and job applicants’ personal social media accounts; and
  5. The Employment Opportunity Act, which prevents employers from requesting or using credit information (such as credit reports) in employment decisions.

If you believe that an employer has violated any one of these Acts, you may file a complaint using the corresponding complaint forms linked below. Please be complete in describing the violation and attach any supporting documentation.

  1. Pay Transparency Complaint Form
  2. Job Application Fairness Act Complaint Form (Coming soon)
  3. Chance to Compete Complaint Form
  4. Social Media and the Workplace Complaint Form
  5. Employment Opportunity Act (Credit History) Complaint Form

Authorized Representative Form / Forma de Representante Autorizado

Workers and Employers may designate representatives to assist in any aspect of the Division's complaint process. The Division’s complaint process includes the investigation conducted by a Compliance Investigator, and any subsequent appeal to one of the Division’s Administrative Law Judges. Representatives may be attorneys, non-attorneys, relatives, non-relatives, organizations.

Wage Claim Settlement Agreements

Whether to consider a settlement of a wage claim is up to the claim parties. The Division takes no position on whether any party should settle. Settlements must be informed and voluntary, not coerced or induced by fraud. Below is an optional wage claim settlement agreement form, with instructions and guidance for both employers and employees on how and why parties may reach compromise settlements of their claims. If the claim parties choose to settle their dispute rather than continue with the Division's investigation, they can use the Division's form, or choose to create their own separate settlement agreement.

If you have questions about when to use these forms, please contact us at 303-318-8441 or cdle_labor_standards@state.co.us.

Employer Forms (Complaint Responses & Settlements)

Authorized Representative Form / Forma de Representante Autorizado

Workers and Employers may designate representatives to assist in any aspect of the Division's complaint process. The Division’s complaint process includes the investigation conducted by a Compliance Investigator, and any subsequent appeal to one of the Division’s Administrative Law Judges. Representatives may be attorneys, non-attorneys, relatives, non-relatives, organizations.

Wage Claim Settlement Agreements

Whether to consider a settlement of a wage claim is up to the claim parties. The Division takes no position on whether any party should settle. Settlements must be informed and voluntary, not coerced or induced by fraud. Below is an optional wage claim settlement agreement form, with instructions and guidance for both employers and employees on how and why parties may reach compromise settlements of their claims. If the claim parties choose to settle their dispute rather than continue with the Division's investigation, they can use the Division's form, or choose to create their own separate settlement agreement.

If you have questions about when to use these forms, please contact us at 303-318-8441 or cdle_labor_standards@state.co.us.

Other CDLE Tips & Leads

If, instead of filing your own complaint, you would like to share a tip, lead, or informal complaint on a violation of labor law — whether laws the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics handles (wages, paid sick, whistleblowing, etc.), or laws handled by other CDLE Divisions (unemployment insurance or workers’ compensation) — please use the form below, and it will be reviewed by the appropriate division.

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Contact Us

Colorado Division of Labor Standards and Statistics | 303-318-8441| Contact Us