Colorado income tax can be straightforward. With one flat state rate, no brackets, no city income tax on top, we won’t pretend it’s more complicated than it is.
What actually affects your tax bill are the decisions behind the return: entity structure, whether the Colorado PTE election makes sense, how you pay yourself, when you take a gain.
Sales tax can be more complicated if you run a business. Software can calculate a rate and file a return, but it won’t tell you whether you need to register in a new home-rule city, whether a product is taxed differently across jurisdictions, or whether an exemption certificate will hold up. We can be the sanity check on those questions. The same applies to FAMLI obligations, opportunity zone treatment, energy credits, and programs like Denver’s enterprise zone credit.
We know the nuances of your situation because we’re a Boulder-based Front Range firm, not a national chain with a Colorado page added on. You can talk to the person who knows your file, over video, or over coffee, whichever is easier.
Individual Tax Preparation
Business Tax Preparation
Tax Planning & Strategy
Sales Tax Compliance
FAMLI & Payroll Tax Support
Credits & Incentives
Multi-State Tax Returns
Estimated Taxes
IRS & Colorado Department of Revenue Notices
Amended Returns
Audit Support
Business Owners & Founders
Entity structuring, the Colorado PTE election, and owner compensation planning are handled together instead of separately, so a decision made for one doesn't create a problem for another.
Startups & Growing Companies
Entity selection and cash-flow-aware planning for early-stage Colorado companies, including positioning for qualified small business stock (QSBS) well ahead of a future raise or exit. We also support you with equity distributions through ISO, RSU and coordinating with your payroll providers.
High-Income & Multi-Income Households
Salary, business, and investment income rarely land in the same bracket or timeline. We time and coordinate multi-source income against combined federal and Colorado liability instead of each source being treated in isolation.
Investors & Real Estate Owners
Capital gains, rental income, and Colorado's specific real estate and opportunity-zone treatment require planning before a sale or a lease decision, not after.
Self-Employed Professionals & Consultants
Solo filers carry their own mix of estimated taxes, deductions, and entity election questions. We guide those decisions specifically for Colorado-based independent income.
Discovery & Financial Review
We start with a baseline review of prior returns, entities, income, and goals to find where Colorado-specific tax exposure already exists, before any preparation begins.
Document Review & Organization
Federal and Colorado filing documents are collected and organized against a single checklist before preparation starts, not gathered piecemeal as questions come up.
Tax Preparation & Filing (Federal & Colorado)
Filing across both levels happens as one coordinated submission process, with positions set once and carried consistently through each return.
Multi-State & Sales Tax Filing (where applicable)
Clients with out-of-state income, residency, or sales tax nexus get the added filing steps folded into the same process, rather than handled as a separate engagement.
IRS & Colorado Notice Support
If a notice arrives during or after filing, we respond and represent the client without a hand-off to a different team or provider.
Year-Round Advisory & Planning
Access continues after filing season closes, so planning for the next year starts before it's needed rather than after the fact.
Cost depends on the complexity of the return. At Tax By Design, tax preparation and planning are typically bundled, and combined engagements generally run $1,500–$10,000, depending on factors like the number of business entities involved, whether the PTE election applies, multi-state exposure, and equity compensation. Use our free estimate tool to get a better price range.
Local Expertise Across the Front Range
CPAs + Enrolled Agents + Sales Tax Specialists on Staff
Preparation, planning, and audit representation all come from the same team, so full-scope Colorado coverage doesn't require bringing in a second firm.
One Firm for Prep, Planning & Compliance
Strategy and filing sit under one roof. Nothing gets lost in a hand-off between the person who plans and the person who files.
Year-Round Support, Not Just Filing Season
Access continues after April. (See "Year-Round Tax Support" below for what that includes.)
Founder, Fintech startup
Owner, Private Practice
Executive Director, Nonprofit
We have offices in Boulder, Colorado and Teaneck, New Jersey. From these offices we support businesses, small business owners, and individuals from around the country and around the world.
We bring deep experience to the specific needs of people in the New York Metro area and the Colorado Front Range, and work with clients elsewhere in person and remotely just the same.
New York Metro Office
Colorado Office
Tax Resources
