Denver business taxes: tax types, registration and filing

Denver administers its own city business taxes. Sales and use tax, occupational privilege tax and activity-specific taxes are different accounts or filing tasks. Start with the business activity and location, then use the responsible city or state resource.

Sources checked 2026-10-26. General information maintained by Denver Tax with AI assistance. We are an independent directory, not a government agency or tax adviser. Verify the instructions for your tax year and circumstances.

Which Denver business taxes are different tasks?

The city’s tax overview distinguishes sales tax, consumer’s use tax, retailer’s use tax, occupational privilege tax (OPT), lodging and selected activity-specific taxes. A single “business tax rate” does not describe all of them.

Sales tax concerns taxable sales. Use-tax questions can arise on taxable business purchases or deliveries into Denver. OPT concerns work performed in the city. Lodging, admissions, telecommunications and emergency-telephone charges have their own activity rules. This list identifies the questions to check; it does not assign every tax to every business.

Real estate and business equipment also have separate property-tax records and procedures. Use the related property guide for bills, assessment and business-personal-property declarations.

Read the city’s tax-type overview: Match the activity, business location and relevant period to the official tax description. Compare Denver tax types

Business formation and tax registration are not the same

Colorado’s startup resource separates legal entity registration, a federal Employer Identification Number and state tax licenses/accounts. Denver city tax registration is another task. Forming an LLC or obtaining an EIN does not itself complete every city registration.

Denver links to eBiz for city tax licenses and returns. Existing businesses should check their current accounts before creating another profile. A new activity, location or ownership change may require an account update rather than simply continuing the old filing setup.

Start or update city tax accounts: Use Denver’s registration route and the current city instructions for the activity. Confirm which accounts are required. Open Denver business-tax registration resources
Keep the state startup steps separate: Use the state resource to identify the relevant registration and licensing authorities. Read Colorado’s startup tax steps

Where do you file and pay: eBiz, SUTS or the state?

Denver eBiz manages city tax accounts and filings. The city also accepts current-period sales and use returns through Colorado SUTS. Denver instructs SUTS filers to include the self-collected/local line for jurisdiction 01-0006 and confirm the city account number.

SUTS does not accept Denver’s other taxes. City amendments, refund claims and delinquent periods go directly to Denver. A state-administered portal can carry a Denver sales/use payment without turning all city taxes into state filings.

Applicable Colorado business-income returns are a separate state task. Payroll withholding also has its own state resources and should not be confused with Denver OPT.

Identify the tax type, city or state account number and exact return period in your records.
Open the official portal from the responsible authority’s page and confirm the account and period.
Reconcile the return with sales, purchase or payroll records and use that return’s instructions.
Retain the submitted return and confirm the payment separately; a saved draft is not a filing or payment receipt.

Choose the city filing route by tax and period: Use the eBiz/SUTS explanation before selecting a portal. Keep the filed return and payment confirmation. Read Denver’s portal and payment instructions
Check the separate state business-income route: Use the appropriate state resource for the business’s return type and year. Open Colorado business income-tax resources

Where are Denver business tax forms?

Use the city’s current forms index instead of a third-party PDF copy. It groups sales/use, use-only, OPT and lodging returns by monthly, quarterly or annual period and provides event, registration and account-change documents.

An older year in a linked filename is not proof that a new revision exists, or that the form fits your account. Match the tax type and assigned period; use current instructions before filing. The city also warns that some older eBiz walkthroughs have outdated navigation.

Sales/use or use-only return: Select the return family and filing period matching the account; these are not the same as a general state sales return. Find Denver sales/use forms
Occupational privilege or lodging return: The city index lists separate return families and period options. Find OPT and lodging forms
Special event, registration or account change: Use the relevant packet or account document instead of adapting an unrelated return. Find Denver event and account forms

When are Denver business returns and payments due?

The city’s linked monthly sales/use instructions say sales returns and payments are due on the 20th of the month following the taxable period. The form is a monthly return: do not treat that as proof that every business files monthly or that every tax has the same schedule.

Identify the tax, assigned filing frequency and period end first. Confirm the applicable deadline in the account or current instructions, including any weekend/holiday rule. Keep city and state due dates separately in the records.

Confirm the account period and deadline: Read the official return instructions for the account rather than relying on a generic tax calendar. Read the linked sales/use return instructions

Records to prepare before filing or asking for help

City and state account numbers, tax types, assigned frequencies and periods.
Sales by channel, refunds, exempt-sale support, tax collected and taxable-purchase records.
Employee work locations and payroll records for the separate OPT/withholding review.
Property and equipment records where relevant, prior returns and payment confirmations.
Notices, account changes and a written list of responsibilities included in a professional’s quote.

Use the correct official help contact: Denver’s business-tax page lists separate eBiz, general-tax, collections and audit/refund contacts. Describe the tax type without posting private records publicly. Find Denver business-tax contacts

Ask a professional about your situation

Ask whether the engagement includes city and state accounts, reconciliations, each return, payment confirmations and notice follow-up. Separate recurring bookkeeping from tax decisions and representation. General listings do not establish expertise with every Denver tax.

Compare professional qualifications and questions to ask. Keep personal tax documents private; this directory does not receive returns, identity documents or portal credentials.

Related guides

Official sources and applicability

Denver Treasury business taxes and current rate table — General and category-specific rates; city tax accounts, eBiz and SUTS limitations; city tax types and official contacts.
Current official guidance checked October 26, 2026; confirm the applicable period. Checked 2026-10-26.
Denver business-tax FAQs — Independent confirmation of the rate table; licensing, use-tax, event and filing questions. No personal eligibility determination.
Current official guidance checked October 26, 2026; confirm the applicable period. Checked 2026-10-26.
Denver official tax forms, guides and rules — Current download index: sales/use by filing period, OPT, lodging, events, account changes and registration. Older form filenames are not a 2026 revision claim.
Current official guidance checked October 26, 2026; confirm the applicable period. Checked 2026-10-26.
Colorado Revenue: getting a business started — Entity registration, federal identification and state tax accounts are separate steps; relevant local authorities also need checking.
Current official guidance checked October 26, 2026; confirm the applicable period. Checked 2026-10-26.
Denver monthly sales/use return and instructions — Instructions give the sales-return/payment deadline as the 20th after the taxable period. Monthly form is not assigned to every account.
Current official index links this 2025-named form; deadline paragraph reviewed, not a new 2026 form or complete line-by-line filing guide. Checked 2026-10-26.
Colorado business income-tax resources — Separate state business-income routes; city excise filings do not replace applicable state income returns.
Current official guidance checked October 26, 2026; confirm the applicable period. Checked 2026-10-26.

Next source review due 2026-11-25, and before promotion for a new tax year. To report an outdated resource, contact the directory without sending personal tax information.