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January 28, 2026

This is an official communication of Colorado's Department of Labor and Employment.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE)’s Compliance Quarterly provides employers with important reminders, upcoming deadlines and engagement opportunities relevant to the labor laws enforced by CDLE’s regulatory divisions. Update your subscriber preferences and make sure your colleagues are subscribed by sharing this link.

Need to Know

Rules & Regs

Upcoming Deadlines & Effective Dates

Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS)

• DLSS has posted several new and amended rules for 2026, including the 2026 Temporary Pay CALC Order, which took effect January 1, 2026. The final 2026 PAY CALC Order and COMPS Order #40 go into effect February 1, 2026. All new and amended DLSS rules can be found on the DLSS Labor Rules webpage, under Rules & Orders: Proposed & Recently Adopted.

Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)

• 2026 Program Notice: The required FAMLI Program Notice has been updated. Employers are required to post this notice; furnish employees with it during onboarding; and again when an employee experiences a qualifying event. 
• FAMLI Quarterly Reports are due Monday, February 2, 2026. If you need assistance, please see FAMLI’s collection of how-to-videos, user guides, file specifications, and sample templates for help.
• Total Employee Headcount: All employers with Colorado employees must update their Annual Total Employee Headcount for 2026 in My FAMLI+ Employer no later than Monday, March 2, 2026. Employers with approved private plans must also complete this task. 
• Federal Tax Updates: IRS Notice 2026-6 grants Colorado and other states a one year extension until 2027 to implement updated FICA and federal tax reporting requirements for paid medical leave. There will be no changes to employer FICA tax responsibility in 2026. See FAMLI’s federal tax guidance webpage.
• Bad Addresses: FAMLI has contacted employers with out-of-date and/or undeliverable mailing addresses. To continue receiving crucial notices, please log in to the My FAMLI+ Employer portal and ensure your contact information is current.

Division of Unemployment Insurance (UI)

• 2026 Employer Rates: UI Employer premium rates are available online in MyUI Employer+. Annual Rate Notices have also been mailed. Employers and agents should compute and round each individual rate component to accurately calculate the total premiums owed each quarter. Visit the UI Premium Rates page for more information.
• Quarterly Wage Reports and Premium Payments are due Monday, February 2, 2026. Visit the UI Wage Reporting page for more information and resources.
• 2026 Voluntary Premium Payments are due Monday, March 16, 2026. Visit the Premium Payments page for more information.
• Employer Charging Correspondence Schedule Change: Beginning April 2026, quarterly Statements of Benefit Charges and Reimbursable Bills will be available in MyUI Employer+ and mailed on the fifth day of the month following each quarter. Example: Q1 2026 Charging Statements and Reimbursible Bills will be mailed on April 5, 2026. Payments are due 30 days after the mail date listed on the correspondence.

Division of Oil & Public Safety (OPS)

• Operator and Ride Fees increased on January 1, 2026. The operator fee increased from $600 to $700 per operator, and the ride fee increased from $180 to $220 per ride in accordance with the fee table in the Amusement Ride regulations and on the Application Information webpage.
• The updated State of Colorado Conveyance and Boiler program Regulations became effective on January 1, 2026. The new regulations are available on our website.
• The deadline for the updated Colorado Recognized Environmental Professional (CO-REP) Program has been extended. The new CO-REP deadline is March 1, 2026. If current Recognized Environmental Professionals (REPs) do not submit an approvable Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) and pass a CO-REP Exam by that date, they will be delisted. OPS will begin in-person exams the week of February 16, 2026. Learn more on the CO-REP webpage.

Upcoming Rulemaking Dates

Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)

• Delaying Federal Tax Implementation
  • The IRS gave PFML states another year to implement new tax requirements. The FAMLI Division adopted an emergency rule effective 1/1/26 to delay the implementation of any FAMLI tax changes until 2027. That emergency rule expires 5/1/26.
  • The FAMLI Division has proposed an identical amendment to ensure the delay lasts throughout 2026. The public hearing for that amendment will be held via Zoom at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18. The link to that meeting is here.
• Minor Amendments
  • Minor amendments to FAMLI rules will be proposed February 13, 2026. Details regarding the amendments and the public hearing will be published on the FAMLI website at that time.

Division of Workers’ Compensation (DOWC)

• The DOWC anticipates making changes to rules 1, 5, 6 and 7 in 2026. The DOWC is holding a series of pre-rulemaking stakeholder meetings to discuss potential changes and gather feedback. If you would like to provide feedback or ideas for future rule changes, please email the Education & Outreach team at cdle_dowc_communications@state.co.us.

Compliance Assistance

Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS)

• DLSS provides employer presentations with guidance on a variety of labor law topics. To request presentations on these topics, please complete the DLSS Outreach Request Form.

Division of Workers’ Compensation (DOWC)

• The DOWC is eager to help employers meet workers’ compensation requirements. Email the DOWC at cdle_dowc_communications@state.co.us if you have questions or are interested in scheduling a training session for you and/or your employees.

Tech Updates 

Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)

• Faster Premium Calculations and Wage Uploads: Thanks to recent enhancements, employers and TPAs will experience significantly reduced processing times across all bulk uploads, with the most significant improvements for large, multi-employer files.
• Clearer Claims Notifications: Claim notices now clearly separate employee’s approved leave periods from ineligible periods. This enhancement gives employers a complete, easy-to-understand snapshot in a single document, leading to clearer scheduling decisions with employees.

Division of Unemployment Insurance (UI)

• Employer Reporting Units Discontinued: Beginning with the Q4 2025 reporting period, wages reported to a designated reporting unit will be rejected from the report. For contributory employers, all wages must be reported from the primary Employer Account Number. Reimbursable employers must report wages to the newly-created account numbers appropriately.
• Annual Employer/TPA Association Reminder: Employers using a third-party administrator (TPA) will receive a reminder to review their TPA associations in MyUI Employer+. No action is required if the association is still valid, or the account is currently inactive. See How to Manage TPA Relationships on our website for more information and instructions to update employer/TPA associations.

Division of Workers’ Compensation (DOWC)

• DOWC is modernizing its claims management system with a new system called CoComp. CoComp aims to create an easy-to-use, transparent, and efficient system for workers' compensation activities in Colorado. In the coming months, the DOWC will be sharing updates and collaborating directly with Coloradans on CoComp. You can signup for DOWC Claims System Updates to stay informed and share feedback.

Nice to Know

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

CDLE’s Quarterly Compliance Live Webinar

The next Compliance Quarterly Live Webinar will be held over Zoom on Thursday,  February 19, 2026 at 11 a.m. Division leaders will review the updates above and answer as many questions as possible. Register in advance on Zoom.

Division of Unemployment Insurance (UI)

• UI offers a free presentation to help employers better understand the state's unemployment insurance laws. Our next presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2026, from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Visit the Understanding Unemployment Insurance page for more information, dates, and reservations.

Division of Workers’ Compensation (DOWC)

• The Colorado Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference (CWCEC) returns to the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs from March 9-11, 2026. This year’s theme, “The Next Frontier: Innovating Our Future,” highlights modernization, progress, and efficiency in the system.

Resources & Toolkits

Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS)

• The DLSS Labor Law Guidance & Education webpage includes multiple forms of published guidance for Colorado employers and employees:
  • INFOs: (Interpretive Notices and Formal Opinions) — the Division’s approved notices, opinions, and explanations on various labor law topics.
  • KNOWLEDGEs: (Knowledge for Workers on Labor Law is Empowering & Drives Good Employment) — one-page summaries for employees on their labor rights.
  • Labor Law Videos: These are short educational videos about Colorado labor laws, including “Break Times,” “Final Pay,” and “What are Impermissible Deductions. " Many more educational labor law videos are coming soon.
  • Other published labor law guidance that includes public notices, reports, and other releases from DLSS

Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)

• File specifications and file templates for wage reporting for third party administrators (TPAs) are published on FAMLI’s TPA page.
• User guides and how-to videos for employers are published on the My FAMLI+ Employer page.
• User guides and how-to videos for the appeals process are published on FAMLI’s appeals page.
• FAMLI also has various tools to help employers communicate with staff available in the toolkit and marketing kit.

Division of Unemployment Insurance (UI)

• UI wage reporting requirements, information and resources are available on the Unemployment Insurance Wage Reporting page.
• UI premium rates and employer liability information is available on the UI Premiums page.
• CO employers can find more information and resources to manage their online MyUI Employer+ account on the Employer Resources page.
  • Information and resources for TPAs managing employer UI accounts are available on the TPA Toolkit page.

Division of Workers’ Compensation (DOWC)

• The DOWC offers a number of workers’ compensation resources for employers and workers. Many are offered in Spanish as well. Visit the DOWC publication page to find useful information for you and your employees.
• The DOWC’s Premium Cost Containment (PCC) Program provides free support for employers to lower costs and improve safety. Prioritizing workplace safety can help prevent accidents, foster a positive work environment, and attract top talent. Additionally, PCC-certified employers receive up to 10% off their workers’ compensation premiums. The PCC Program team is ready to help employers prevent injuries and save money.

Division of Oil & Public Safety (OPS)

• The Petroleum Program has finalized several updates to various report formats including the Remediation Combined Report. These can be found on the OPS Petroleum page under “What’s New?”