Nobody hands self-employed women a maternity leave packet. There’s no HR person walking you through your benefits, no “here’s your paid leave” email waiting in your inbox. When you work for yourself, the whole thing lands on you — which is exactly why a program like Colorado FAMLI can feel like a small miracle and a giant question mark at the same time.
So let’s clear up the question mark. If you’re a self-employed business-owning mama in Colorado, FAMLI (Family and Medical Leave Insurance) is something you can choose to buy into — it’s optional for you, not automatic. This post walks you through exactly how to opt in, what it actually costs in 2026, and how to think about whether it belongs in your leave plan at all.
And if you want the big-picture overview first, start with the pillar guide: Colorado FAMLI for Self-Employed Business Owners: The Complete Guide. This post zooms in on the two questions I get asked most: how do I sign up, and what will it cost me?
First: opting in is a decision, not a default
For employees, FAMLI is automatic — premiums come out of their paychecks whether they think about it or not. For the self-employed, nothing happens unless you choose it. If you don’t want to participate, you literally do nothing. No form, no opt-out, no action.
That’s actually good news, because it means opting in is a real business decision you get to make on purpose — weighing the cost against the coverage, the way you’d evaluate any other line item. You’re not behind or doing it wrong if you’re only learning about this now. You’re doing it right by looking before begin your maternity leave seaon.
Who counts as “self-employed” for FAMLI
To opt in, you need to live and work in Colorado and genuinely qualify as self-employed. Per the FAMLI Division, you’re self-employed if your work is both (1) primarily free from someone else’s control, and (2) part of your own independent trade or profession.
One nuance worth flagging, especially for those of you with partners or co-owners: the structure of your business isn’t what decides this — sole prop, LLC, or S-Corp doesn’t automatically settle it. What matters is whether the business has qualifying employees, and how much of it you own. If you own 25% or less of a business, FAMLI won’t simply presume you’re self-employed; you’d need to show your work for that business is free from control and part of your own independent trade. Typically if you are issued 1099’s or file that way on your taxes, it should suffice to register.
What Colorado FAMLI actually costs the self-employed parent in 2026
Okay, the number you came for. When you opt in as a self-employed individual, you pay 0.44% of your gross income from self-employment in premiums.
Quick context: for 2026, the total FAMLI premium is 0.88% of wages, normally split 50/50 between an employer and an employee (0.44% each). Because you’re both the “employer” and the “worker” here, you might expect to owe the whole 0.88% — but as a self-employed participant, you’re responsible for just the 0.44% half. That’s a genuinely friendly deal.
A few specifics to budget around:
- You pay on income up to a cap. Premiums apply to earnings up to the federal Social Security wage cap, which is $184,500 for 2026. Income above that isn’t charged.
- The math is refreshingly simple. Roughly speaking, 0.44% of your gross self-employment income. On $80,000 of gross self-employment income, that’s about $352 for the year. On $150,000, about $660. (These are illustrative — run your own numbers in the official estimator below.)
- It’s based on gross income from self-employment. Both your premiums and, later, your benefit payments are calculated from that gross figure — so the way you report income matters.
Want a precise estimate? Colorado has a free premium and benefits calculator. Choose the “salary” option and plug in your gross self-employment income as your yearly income. You can also go snag my Financial Field Guide and budget planner to run all the other income replacement options available to you outside of just the FAMLI program.
The one commitment to know before you opt in: three years
This is the piece I never want a mom to miss. When you opt in, you’re agreeing to participate — and pay premiums — for a minimum of three years. FAMLI isn’t a “sign up the month before baby, cancel right after” program. It’s designed as a real commitment. Perfect for parents who plan to have multiple children, and potentially a non-starter for those who are thinking one and done.
So if you’re planning your family and your business in the same breath (aren’t we always?), think about your next few years, not just this pregnancy. For a lot of women growing their families, three years of coverage is a feature, not a bug. For others, it’s a reason to look at other options. Neither answer is wrong — it just needs to be a chosen one.
Curious whether FAMLI even fits your situation before you go further? Take the free Master Maternity Leave Assessment — it’ll help you see where the gaps in your leave plan actually are in about five minutes. ✨
How to opt in: the step-by-step
Here’s the actual process, start to finish:
- Register with My FAMLI+ Employer. Yes, the employer portal — because as a self-employed participant you wear both hats. You’ll need your most recent IRS tax transcript and any applicable W-2s to complete registration.
- Your coverage starts when you file your notice of election. Elective coverage begins on the date your election is filed — but (important!) you can’t collect benefits until you’ve reported wages and paid premiums for at least one full quarter.
- Pay premiums quarterly. Premiums are due by the end of the month after each completed quarter: January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 31.
- Keep up with reporting. You’ll upload wage reports (with supporting documentation) in the My FAMLI+ Employer portal, and you submit a wage report even if your self-employment income drops to zero. You’ll also submit your annual tax documents every year you participate, by December 1.
The big takeaway on timing: because you need at least one quarter of paid-in premiums before you can claim, opting in early matters. If a baby is on your horizon, this is not a last-trimester errand. Build the runway now.
What you’d actually get back
FAMLI pays a weekly benefit on a sliding scale — lower earners get a higher percentage of their wages replaced, which is the whole point of the design. For 2026, here’s the shape of it: Colorado’s average weekly wage for 2025–2026 is $1,534.94. The first $735.67 of your average weekly wage is replaced at 90%, and earnings above that at 50%, up to a maximum weekly benefit of $1,381.45. (These figures may be updated by mid-2026 as the state wage average shifts.)
For most self-employed mamas, that’s somewhere in the range of a few hundred to roughly $1,381 a week, for up to 12 weeks of leave (with the possibility of more for pregnancy or childbirth complications). Real money — and rarely a full income replacement. Which brings me to the honest part.
FAMLI is a piece of your plan, not the whole plan
I love that this program exists. I also never want you to mistake it for a finished maternity leave. FAMLI replaces some income for some weeks — it doesn’t run your business, keep your clients warm, or cover the gap between your benefit check and your actual cost of living.
A real leave for a business-owning mama needs three things working together: a financial plan (where FAMLI can absolutely play a role), a client continuity plan, and a business that keeps moving without you — through your team or through systems and automations. The wonderful news? When those three are in place, most women find they need less saved than they feared, because the money isn’t carrying the whole load by itself. You can press pause on your involvement without pausing your results.
If you want help planning your entire maternity leave, I encourage you to apply for support. I’ll review your specific situation and we can have a chat about what you may qualify for and how we can get your business in a strong place for maternity leave. As a fellow Coloradan, I’m familiar with the opportunities we have.
If you want help thinking through the money piece specifically, this article pairs well: The Real Math: Should You Enroll in Your State’s Maternity Leave Program? And for the wider prep checklist, see Top 3 Must-Haves When Preparing for a Self-Employed Maternity Leave.
So — should you opt in?
Here’s my permission-giving version of the answer: if you’re growing your family over the next few years, you live and work in Colorado, and a few hundred dollars a year buys you a meaningful weekly check during leave — FAMLI is very often worth a serious look. If your timeline is tighter than three years, or your income structure makes the math murkier, it’s worth weighing against other options before you commit.
Either way, you don’t have to figure out the whole leave alone. The Master Maternity Leave Blueprint walks you through building all three legs of the stool — the money, the clients, and the business that runs without you — so your leave is a soft(ish) place to land instead of a free-fall. If you prefer a 1:1 approach, you can apply to work with me directly.
Either way, you are not alone. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. And you absolutely can take a maternity leave from your business that doesn’t leave you feeling like you have to choose between being present with your baby or keeping your business (and income) afloat.
Cheering you on!
Warmly,
Aly
