Estimated Severance Tax Payments
Corporations who expect their Colorado severance tax liability for the year to exceed their Colorado severance credits by $5,000 or more are required to make estimated tax payments. Estimated tax payments are due each month by the 15th day of that month and must be submitted by
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). A paper form for these tax payments is not required; the EFT transaction is the filing.
Visit Tax.Colorado.gov/electronic-funds-transfer for more information on how to register and file through EFT.
Individuals are not required to make estimated payments for severance tax.
Deceased Persons
Legal representatives and surviving spouses may file a return on behalf of a deceased person. Complete the return as usual. Write “Deceased” in large letters in the white space
above the tax year of the return, mark the deceased box for the appropriate person, and fill in the date of death. Write
“Filing as surviving spouse” or “Filing as legal representative”
after your signature, and include the DR 0102 (refunds only) and a copy of the death certificate.
Record Retention
Keep all documentation you used to prepare your return for at least three years after the due date or filing date of
your return, whichever is later. If your return is audited by the Colorado Department of Revenue, you must be able to provide back-up documents for all claims and credits listed on
your return. Please note that you are not protected from audit adjustments to your severance tax return simply because
an operator or purchaser supplied the information. Also, the Department of Revenue may request copies of your federal and Colorado income tax return or other documentation in connection with your Colorado severance return.
Income Tax Filing Requirement
Severance tax is different from income tax. If you receive oil,
gas or CO2 income from Colorado sources you must also complete and file a Colorado state income tax return. Visit
Tax.Colorado.gov to download the DR 0104, which can be
filed electronically for free using Revenue Online. See the DR 0104 for details. Do not claim severance tax withholding as a tax credit on your Colorado income tax return.
Failure To File
If your severance tax account is open, or if you have severance income that is reported to the Colorado
Department of Revenue and you do not file a return for the tax period, the Department may file a return on your behalf. This does not apply if you meet the conditions
under the “Exception” section on page 2 of this booklet.
Any severance tax assessed if the Department does file on your behalf will remain due and payable until you file your return or close your account. If you are no longer
doing business in the State of Colorado, you are required to close your account by filing the DR 1102, Account Change or Closure Form.
Common Filing Errors
Be alert to the following filing tips to avoid delays in return processing, payments and refunds.
•Indicate the correct tax year or fiscal year when filing a
Colorado severance tax return.
Page 3
•Married couples must file jointly even if only one
spouse has oil and gas income or the couple uses a different filing status for income tax purposes.
•Taxpayers must complete the DR 0021D, Colorado Oil and Gas Severance Tax Schedule, and include it with the DR 0021 return. Both of these forms are in this booklet.
•Be sure to carry the correct totals from the DR 0021D schedule to the DR 0021 return.
•Include all DR 0021Ws (Oil and Gas Withholding Statement) with the DR 0021 return. Missing DR 0021Ws result in delayed refunds.
•Add up all the DR 0021W withholding statements, then round to the nearest dollar. Do not round each individual DR 0021W statement and then add them.
•Do not use a 1099-MISC withholding document for severance tax filing. 1099s are income tax withholding documents. They will not report severance tax withholding and the department will not allow credit based on the withholding shown on a 1099 document.
•Do not claim a percentage of the withholding shown on the DR 0021W and do not create spreadsheets to show the ownership percentage. Use the amounts on the DR 0021W. The ownership percentage has already been calculated by the entity that issued the DR 0021W withholding statement.
•Do not claim all of the withholding but only part of the income.
•Do not deduct gross payments attributable to stripper well production if these are not shown as stripper well income on a DR 0021W.
•Taxpayers are either on an accrual basis or a cash basis—not both. Most individuals are on a cash basis while most corporations are on an accrual basis.
•If a return is filed on behalf of an entity such as partnership or limited liability company, do not try to file as an individual.
•Corporations that expect their Colorado severance tax liability for a tax year to exceed their Colorado severance tax credits by $5,000 or more are required to make estimated tax payments.
•To avoid underestimation penalties, corporations must make severance tax estimated payments by the 15th day of the month and payments must be submitted by EFT.
Please visit Tax.Colorado.gov for more information.