Do I need unemployment insurance for my business in Washington state?

Yes, if you're hiring employees in Washington state, you're required to register with Washington ESD for unemployment insurance. You need to register within 30 days of hiring your first employee or within 30 days of having a payroll of $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter.

I went through this last year when I started my landscaping company. You definitely need to register with Washington ESD. The penalties for not registering can be pretty steep - they can go back and assess taxes plus interest and penalties.

honestly the washington esd website is terrible for figuring this stuff out. i spent hours trying to understand when i needed to register and still wasn't sure

The basic rule is pretty simple - if you have employees, you need unemployment insurance. Independent contractors don't count, but be careful about misclassifying workers. Washington ESD is cracking down on that.

What about if you're just a sole proprietor with no employees? Do you still need unemployment insurance?

I'm going through the registration process right now and it's actually not that bad once you get started. You need your federal EIN and some basic business info.

Don't forget you'll also need industrial insurance through L&I if you have employees. That's separate from unemployment insurance but equally required.

Been running my business for 5 years now. The unemployment insurance payments aren't that expensive for most small businesses. It's based on your payroll and your experience rating.

If you're really stuck trying to get answers from Washington ESD, I used claimyr.com to get through to an actual person. Saved me tons of time instead of waiting on hold forever.

Make sure you understand the quarterly reporting requirements too. You'll need to file reports and pay taxes every quarter once you're registered.

does anyone know if family members count as employees for this? thinking about hiring my spouse

The registration process is all online now through SecureAccess Washington. Much easier than it used to be when you had to mail in forms.

Pro tip: Keep good records from day one. Washington ESD can audit your business and they'll want to see payroll records, worker classifications, etc.

I tried calling Washington ESD about business registration questions and could never get through. Finally used that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got my questions answered in like 20 minutes.

Bottom line - if you're hiring people, register with Washington ESD. The penalties for not doing it are way worse than just following the rules from the start.

As someone who just went through this process last month, I can confirm you definitely need to register if you're hiring employees. One thing that helped me was calling the Washington ESD Business Services line directly - they have a separate number for new business inquiries that's usually less busy than the general unemployment line. The registration itself is pretty straightforward once you have your federal EIN. Just don't put it off because those penalties add up fast if you're late.