Paternity Leave in Colorado: Up to 90 Percent, Mind the Deadlines

Colorado’s paid leave program, FAMLI, is one of the friendliest in the country for dads. No minimum time with your employer, no waiting week, and it pays up to 90 percent of your wage. The catch is a few deadlines. Miss them and the friendliness wears off fast.

Do you qualify for paternity leave in Colorado?

Probably. You qualify for FAMLI once you’ve earned $2,500 in wages in Colorado over roughly the last year. There’s no minimum time with your current employer, so a new job doesn’t knock you out.

Bonding leave is for mothers and fathers alike, plus anyone acting as a parent. Self-employed? You can opt in. Some local government workers aren’t covered, so check with HR.

Is your job protected during paternity leave in Colorado?

Yes, if you’ve worked for your employer for at least 180 days when your leave starts. Under 180 days, you still get paid, but your employer doesn’t have to hold your job. Federal FMLA may still cover you, so ask HR.

Not sure how to bring it up at work? Our guide on how to ask for paternity leave has a script.

How much is paid family leave in Colorado, and for how long?

FAMLI pays up to 90 percent of your weekly wage, on a sliding scale: lower earners get a higher percentage. The maximum is $1,448 a week for claims since July 1, 2026. The state’s calculator gives you your number.

You get up to 12 weeks, to use in the baby’s first year, in one block or in pieces. A few extras worth knowing:

• No waiting week. Pay starts on day one of your leave.
• NICU: if your baby needs intensive care, you can get up to 12 extra weeks. That’s new for 2026.
• Birth complications: she may get up to 4 extra weeks on her own claim.

How to file a paid family leave claim in Colorado

You apply in My FAMLI+, the state’s online portal. If your employer runs its own approved plan, HR will tell you where to apply instead.

1. Start the claim up to 30 days before your leave. It saves as a draft.
2. Upload proof of the birth once the baby arrives: a birth certificate, the hospital’s birth worksheet or a note from the care provider, with the birth date on it. No doctor’s sign-off needed for bonding.
3. Submit within 30 days of your first day of leave. Between 31 and 90 days you need a good reason, and after that you’re out of luck.
4. Wait two weeks, max. The state has two weeks to decide once your claim is complete. Then the money comes weekly.

Step 2 is the one that gets lost in the newborn fog. Put the birth paperwork in the same folder as the baby’s insurance card.

What does your employer have to do?

• Keep your health insurance going while you’re on leave. Adding the baby to the plan is a separate job with its own short deadline.
• Give you your job back, or an equivalent one with the same pay and benefits, if you’ve been there 180 days.
• Not punish you for asking about, applying for or taking FAMLI. You can file a complaint with the state if they do.

Colorado paid family leave deadlines

• 30 days before your leave: tell your employer, if you can. A due date gives you plenty of warning.
• Up to 30 days before your leave: start your claim in My FAMLI+.
• Within 30 days of the birth: add the baby to your health plan. Federal rules give you at least 30 days.
• Within 30 days after your first day of leave: submit your claim with the birth proof.
• Baby’s first birthday: all bonding leave has to be used by then.

Before you lock in dates, take our free paternity leave HR questions to HR and write the answers down. Rather ask by email? Our free HR email template is ready to copy: fill in the blanks and hit send.

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General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures are for claims from July 2026 and change every year. Check with HR and famli.colorado.gov before you plan dates.

Sources: Colorado FAMLI: FAQs, parental bonding leave, neonatal care leave, job protection, US Department of Labor.