@hofmannchriss
"Somehow the numbers on the CO tax return form 2023 are not matching with the amount now stated on the 1099-G, no matter how I add/substract the numbers. "
I realize you have the answer to your question about itemizing vs. taking the standard deduction, so this add'l information doesn't apply. However, if you're still curious about the amount on your 2024 CO 1099-G that was reported as your 2023 tax refund in Box 2, the calculation is as follows:
Form DR0104 (2023 CO Individual Income Tax Return)
Line 38, "Refund" MINUS line 34, "State Sales Tax Refund".
Note that if you made a contribution to any of the charities listed on the 2023 Voluntary Contributions Schedule, line 18 of that form will show your total net refund, in other words, the refund amount you actually received after your contributions were paid out of your total refund. Not sure if this is what caused your calculation discrepancy, but hopefully if you use the total refund amount on line 38 of form DR0104 in the calculation above, it will match the 2024 CO 1099-G amount reported for tax year 2023.
Note also that every year or so Colorado has had to defend to the IRS why it deducts the Tabor amount when it reports the total refund amount on the 1099-G, so if at some point you do itemize on Schedule A of your federal tax return, you may want to check the income tax section of the state's website to see if it's still the case. (Also, see the links in my earlier post above.)
Hope this helps 🙂
