Colorado Paid Family Leave Contribution Rates 2026
Colorado runs Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI), funded by a payroll contribution of 0.88% of wages.
2026 rate card
- Total contribution rate
- 0.88%
- Employer share
- 50%
- 0.44% of wages
- Employee share
- 50%
- 0.44% of wages
- Wage cap
- $184,500
- Per employee, per year
- Maximum employee contribution
- None
- Small-employer relief
- Relief under 10 employees
- Reduced to 0.44%
Last verified August 18, 2026Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
Next rate change: January 1, 2027
Contribution rates change on this date. Benefit figures change on July 1, 2027.
Colorado’s state average weekly wage takes effect at 12:01am on 1 July and runs to 30 June.
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We check Colorado Department of Labor and Employment on a schedule and update this page within a working day of a rate moving. Tell us where to send it.
Calculate your Colorado cost
Colorado
Enter your headcount and payroll to see the cost.
Everything is calculated in your browser. No sign-in, no email, and none of your payroll data leaves this page.
Estimates only. Confirm current rates with your state agency before filing or budgeting.
Who must contribute
- The 0.88% premium is split evenly: 0.44% employer, 0.44% employee.
- Employers with fewer than 10 employees nationwide do not pay the employer share, but must still withhold and remit the employee’s 0.44%.
- Headcount is counted nationwide, not just Colorado employees.
- Wages are subject to premium up to the federal Social Security wage cap ($184,500 for 2026).
- An employer may choose to pay the employee share as a benefit.
- Approved private plans may be substituted for the state plan.
How the headcount is counted: Colorado counts your employees nationwide, not just those working in Colorado. A company with 8 people in Colorado and 60 elsewhere is not a small employer here.
What employees receive
- Maximum weekly benefit
- $1,448.02
- Maximum weeks
- 12 weeks
- Per benefit year, combined where programs stack
- Wage replacement
- Up to 90% of wages
Benefit amounts are what an employee on leave receives. They are set separately from the contribution rate and are usually re-published each year against the state average weekly wage — often on a different cycle to the premium.
How much will I receive?
If you are the one taking leave rather than the one paying for it, this works out your weekly payment from your own pay. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Your gross pay — before tax and deductions come out.
How long you can take depends on the reason.
Choose your state and enter your pay to see an estimate. Everything is worked out in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Estimates only. Confirm current rates with your state agency before filing or budgeting.
- How it is worked out
- 90% / 50% of pay
- Measured against $1,608.91 — colorado state average weekly wage
- Unpaid waiting period
- None
- Figures change
- 1 July
- Not a calendar-year cycle
Colorado’s state average weekly wage takes effect at 12:01am on 1 July and runs to 30 June.
Questions if you are taking leave
- How much does paid family leave pay in Colorado?
- Colorado replaces 90% of the first $804.46 of your average weekly pay, and 50% of anything above that. That is why lower earners get back a larger share of their pay than higher earners. Whatever the calculation produces, the payment is capped at $1,448.02 a week. Above a certain salary everyone in Colorado receives the same amount.
- How long can I take paid family leave in Colorado?
- Colorado allows up to 12 weeks to bond with a new child, 12 weeks for your own serious health condition, 12 weeks to care for a family member. If you need more than one kind of leave in the same year, the total is capped at 12 weeks.
- When do paid family leave payments start in Colorado?
- Colorado has no unpaid waiting period, so payment covers your leave from the first day. That is separate from processing time — Colorado Department of Labor and Employment still has to approve your claim before money moves.
- Is Colorado paid family leave taxed?
- Usually yes at the federal level, and how much depends on which part of the benefit you receive and on your own circumstances. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment will tell you whether it withholds tax from your payments and will issue the relevant tax form. The figures on this page are gross, before any tax. For anything specific to your situation, ask Colorado Department of Labor and Employment or a tax professional.
- Can I take Colorado paid family leave intermittently?
- In most cases yes, though the rules on minimum blocks and notice differ and can change what you are paid. Confirm with Colorado Department of Labor and Employment before planning around intermittent leave.
Private plan option
Colorado permits an employer to substitute an approved private or voluntary plan for the state plan. The plan must be at least as generous as the statutory one and must be approved by Colorado Department of Labor and Employment before it takes effect. If you run an approved private plan, the state premiums above do not apply — your carrier sets the cost instead. How to decide between the two.
Key dates
- 1 January
- New rates take effect. Update payroll before the first pay run of the year.
- Quarterly
- Wage reports and premium payments are due to Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, generally by the last day of the month following each quarter.
- Autumn
- Next year’s rate is announced. This page is re-checked against the agency in November and updated in December.
Common questions
What is the Colorado paid family leave rate for 2026?
The Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance contribution is 0.88% of wages for 2026. The employer pays 50% of that and the employee pays 50%.
How much does an employer pay for paid family leave in Colorado?
The employer pays 0.44% of subject wages — 50% of the 0.88% total. On $1,000,000 of Colorado payroll, that is about $4,400 a year, before any wage cap is applied.
Is there a wage cap on Colorado paid leave contributions?
Yes. Only the first $184,500 of each employee's annual wages is subject to the premium in 2026. The cap applies per employee, so a high earner stops contributing partway through the year while everyone else keeps going.
Are small employers exempt from Colorado paid family leave?
Colorado reduces the cost below 10 employees rather than exempting you outright. Employers under that size pay 0.44% in total, all of which can be withheld from employees — the employer share falls to zero. The headcount is counted nationwide, not just in Colorado.
What is the maximum Colorado paid leave benefit?
Up to $1,448.02 a week, for up to 12 weeks in a benefit year. Wage replacement is up to 90% of wages, so lower earners replace a larger proportion of their pay than higher earners.
Can we use a private plan instead of the Colorado state plan?
Yes. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment can approve a private or voluntary plan that is at least as generous as the state program. Once approved, you stop paying the state premium and pay your carrier instead. Approval is not automatic and it is not retroactive, so the state rate applies until the plan is in force.
Estimates only. Confirm current rates with your state agency before filing or budgeting.
Last verified August 18, 2026Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
Maintained by Treesera Technologies, Payroll and compliance calculators. How these rates are sourced.
Employing in more than one state?
Colorado is one of 14 jurisdictions with a paid leave premium, and no two use the same rate, split or cap. Calculate the combined cost in one place.
Calculate the combined cost