Colorado Issues New Unemployment Insurance Notice

Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment has issued a new unemployment insurance notice (Notice to Workers). The notice has undergone several changes, which we’ve outlined below.

What’s New in Colorado?

Proper Classification of Workers

Based on an update to Colorado’s Employment Security Act, workers now have the right to be properly classified as employees or independent contractors. Improper classification (also called misclassification) of employees as independent contractors can cause problems for both workers and businesses in Colorado.

Workers who believe they have been improperly classified as independent contractors and are performing work that matches the criteria of an employee should go to the Tip and Lead Form website (colorado.gov/cdle/TipForm), where they can fill out the form and file a complaint. They may also file a complaint by calling 303-318-9100 and selecting Option 4.

More Employer Requirements

The new Notice to Workers now states that workers have the right to be paid accurately and timely for the services they perform. Employers must follow the law when paying hourly wages and overtime, and they must also make sure they are properly covering employees for unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation.

Employees who become unemployed through no fault of their own may now file for benefits by visiting the unemployment insurance (UI) website (coloradoui.gov) and clicking on the “File a Claim” link. As stated in the previous notice, employees whose hours of work and pay have been reduced may be entitled to partial unemployment benefits.

The new notice still includes several UI benefits phone numbers for those who do not have access to a computer, as well as options for the hearing impaired.

We Can Keep You in Compliance

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to order our 1-Year Compliance Plan, so that you will automatically receive the updated Colorado poster as soon as it is available. And because we provide free poster updates for mandatory changes, no matter how many occur during the plan year, you can always count on Poster Compliance Center to keep your business in compliance!