Colorado § 8-4-102 - Proper payment - record of wages.

§ 8-4-102. Proper payment - record of wages.

(1) Negotiable instrument required. No employer or agent or officer thereof shall issue, in payment of or as an evidence of indebtedness for wages due an employee, any order, check, draft, note, memorandum, or other acknowledgment of indebtedness unless the same is negotiable and payable upon demand without discount in cash at a bank organized and existing under the general banking laws of the state of Colorado or the United States or at some established place of business in the state. The name and address of the drawee shall appear upon the face of the order, check, draft, note, memorandum, or other acknowledgment of indebtedness; except that such provisions shall not apply to a public utility engaged in interstate commerce and otherwise subject to the power of the public utilities commission. At the time of the issuance of same, the maker or drawer shall have sufficient funds in or credit with the bank or other drawee for the payment of same. Where such order, check, draft, note, memorandum, or other acknowledgment of indebtedness is protested or dishonored on the ground of insufficiency of funds or credit, the notice of memorandum of protest or dishonor thereof shall be admissible as proof of presentation, nonpayment, and protest.

(2) Direct deposit. Nothing in this article shall prohibit an employer from depositing wages due or to become due or an advance on wages to be earned in an account in any bank, savings and loan association, credit union, or other financial institution authorized by the United States or one of the several states to receive deposits in the United States if the employee has voluntarily authorized such deposit in the financial institution of the employee's choice.

(2.5) Paycard.

(a) Nothing in this article shall prohibit an employer from depositing an employee's wages on a paycard, so long as the employee:

(I) Is provided free means of access to the entire amount of net pay at least once per pay period; or

(II) May choose to use other means for payment of wages as authorized in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.

(b) As used in this section, "paycard" means an access device that an employee uses to receive his or her payroll funds from his or her employer.

(3) Scrip prohibited. No employer or agent or officer thereof shall issue in payment of wages due, or wages to become due an employee, or as an advance on wages to be earned by an employee any scrip, coupons, cards, or other things redeemable in merchandise unless such scrip, coupons, cards, or other things may be redeemed in cash when due, but nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prohibit an employer from guaranteeing the payment of bills incurred by an employee for the necessities of life or for the tools and implements used by such employee in the performance of his or her duties.

Source: L. 2003: Entire article amended with relocations, p. 1852, § 1, effective August 6. L. 2008: (2.5) added, p. 150, § 1, effective August 5.

Cross references: For wage equality, see article 5 of this title 8; for minimum wages of workers, see article 6 of this title 8.