Tax tips from the Department of Revenue

As spring blooms in the Rockies, so does another (less picturesque) annual event: tax season. Understanding the ins and outs of filing your taxes in Colorado can help ease the stress that often accompanies this time of year. To help Coloradans navigate tax season successfully, the Taxation Division of the Colorado Department of Revenue publishes guidance documents ranging from brief overviews to in-depth instructions.

For Your Information (FYI)

The For Your Information (FYI) series is made up of short guides that provide 2-3 page overviews of specific tax situations. These guidance documents present information in simple and straightforward language that is accessible to the general public, making them a great place to start learning about Colorado tax laws and regulations. This series is broken up into subtopics like income tax, sales tax, estate tax, excise tax – if you have a tax question, there’s probably an FYI that will answer it! A list of FYI documents can be found in our catalog, or on the Taxation Division website. A few popular FYI titles in our collection include Historic Property Preservation Income Tax Credit, Innovative Motor Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Vehicle Credits, and Sales Tax on Marijuana.

Tax Topics

The Tax Topics series is similar to the FYI series. It provides short and accessible overviews of a variety of topics related to income tax, sales and use taxes, and special topics. One useful Income Tax Topics publication provides information about the Early Childhood Educator Credit, which allows licensed early childcare educators who meet certain income criteria to claim a credit on their income taxes. Another frequently used document is Sales & Use Tax Topics: Government Entities, which contains sales tax guidance for state and federal government employees making purchases on behalf of the government.

Tax Guides

The tax guides published by the Department of Revenue are longer publications intended to provide individual taxpayers and businesses with general tax information. Individuals will likely find the Individual Income Tax Guide to be useful, while businesses can use the Corporate Income Tax Guide or the Enterprise Zone Tax Guide.

 

Throughout tax season in Colorado, remember that knowledge is your greatest ally! The resources provided by the Department of Revenue contain trusted information that will help individuals and businesses navigate tax season and ensure compliance with state regulations. For even more tax support and bilingual resources, check out the Department of Revenue’s Community Tax Help page or the Get Ahead Colorado website from the Department of Public Health and the Environment. If you are a library worker looking for resources to help your community members, visit the Adult Services page on the Colorado State Library website.