Aurora local tax guide
Who pays Aurora's local tax
Nobody owes an Aurora OPT anymore, whether they live in the city, commute in from Denver or Parker, or work at a site such as the Anschutz Medical Campus. What still matters is where your job is: Denver, Glendale, Greenwood Village, and Sheridan continue to levy OPTs on work performed inside their limits. An Aurora resident who commutes to downtown Denver therefore pays Denver's $5.75 a month, while a Denver resident who works in Aurora pays no local tax at all.
The end of Aurora's Occupational Privilege Tax
Aurora used to charge a monthly OPT, split between a small employee head tax and a matching employer amount. City Council repealed it through Ordinance 2022-77, effective January 1, 2025. Employers filed their last OPT returns for December 2024 periods, and the city still processes refund claims and amended returns for earlier years.
If you started an Aurora job after the repeal, you should see no city line on your pay stub. A lingering Aurora deduction in 2026 points to a payroll setup error worth raising with your employer.
Worked example: $75,000 in Aurora
The federal income tax on a $75,000 single filer's pay is $7,670, computed on $58,900 of taxable income. Colorado taxes that same amount at 4.4%, producing $2,592. Social Security is $4,650 and Medicare $1,088.
With no local tax, take-home pay is $59,000, or $4,917 a month. At $100,000 it is $75,488, and at $150,000 it is $107,899. Those are the same figures a worker would see anywhere in Colorado without an OPT.
What still comes out of an Aurora paycheck
Colorado income tax is the only state or local tax withheld. Your employer uses your federal W-4 to figure it unless you file Form DR 0004, Colorado's own withholding certificate, to adjust the amount.
Colorado's FAMLI paid family and medical leave premium may also appear on your stub, since employers can deduct part of it from wages. Our take-home figures do not include it.
Aurora compared with the remaining OPT cities
Colorado's third-largest city now sits beside four metro cities that still charge OPTs. Denver's employee tax costs $69 a year, Glendale's $60, Sheridan's $36, and Greenwood Village's $24. None of those amounts depend on salary.
For a $75,000 worker, an Aurora job keeps $69 more a year than the same job in Denver. The Denver calculator and Greenwood Village calculator show the comparison for nearby employers.
Tips for Aurora paychecks
Check your stub for a leftover Aurora OPT
Any Aurora OPT withheld from 2026 pay is a mistake. Ask payroll to stop it and refund the amount.
Your job location still matters
Living in Aurora does not exempt you from a neighboring city's OPT. A job in Denver or Glendale carries that city's charge.
Spend effort on state tax instead
With no local wage tax, Colorado's 4.4% rate is your only state-level lever. Pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions lower it because Colorado starts from federal taxable income.