Updated October 5, 2026. Quick answer: No. Colorado has no inheritance tax for a death in 2026. Colorado’s Legislative Council says that “In 1980, the state legislature replaced the inheritance tax” with an estate tax.
Colorado inheritance tax at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| State inheritance tax | None |
| What the documents say | The Legislative Council says the 1927 inheritance tax was replaced by an estate tax in 1980, and the statutes show the inheritance tax article repealed |
| State estate tax | None: Legislative Council Staff says no Colorado estate tax filing is required for deaths after December 31, 2004 |
| Source | Colorado General Assembly, Legislative Council Staff; Office of Legislative Legal Services; IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 |
What the Colorado documents say
The Legislative Council Staff’s Estate Tax page says a state inheritance tax was enacted in Colorado in 1927 and that “In 1980, the state legislature replaced the inheritance tax” with an estate tax.
The Colorado Revised Statutes list Article 23 of title 39, sections “39-23-101 to 39-23-170. (Repealed)”, and a later section says the inheritance tax laws “shall not apply to estates of decedents dying” on or after January 1, 1980.
What an heir in Colorado still faces
The federal estate tax is paid by the estate, with a 2026 basic exclusion amount of “$15,000,000 for calendar year 2026”. Colorado’s later estate tax is gone as well: the Legislative Council says “no Colorado estate tax filing is required” for estates of individuals who die after December 31, 2004. CMG’s Colorado estate tax page covers it.
An heir’s basis under 26 U.S.C. 1014(a) is generally the value at “the date of the decedent’s death”. Inherited retirement money is an income tax question: Colorado 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, the inherited IRA RMD calculator and Colorado probate cost cover the rest.
How current the Colorado documents are
Read on October 5, 2026: Estate Tax (Colorado General Assembly, Legislative Council Staff, dated undated (figures through FY2013-14)); Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 39 (Taxation) (Office of Legislative Legal Services, dated 2026).
What the documents do not say
- The Legislative Council page is undated and its figures run through fiscal year 2013-14; the statute index is the 2026 document.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the 1980 estate tax is still collected; the Legislative Council says no Colorado estate tax filing is required for deaths after December 31, 2004.
Related: inheritance tax by state, Colorado estate tax, Colorado probate cost, and how Colorado taxes 401(k) and IRA withdrawals.
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Answer againSources
- Estate Tax: https://content.leg.colorado.gov/content/estate-tax
- Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 39 (Taxation): https://olls.info/crs/crs2026-title-39.htm
- Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (Internal Revenue Service): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf
- 26 U.S.C. 1014 Basis of property acquired from a decedent (U.S. Code, 2023 edition, GovInfo): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title26/html/USCODE-2023-title26-subtitleA-chap1-subchapO-partII-sec1014.htm
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 5, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a tax professional or the state agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.