How much do employers pay for unemployment insurance in Washington state?

Thanks! So if we've never had anyone file for unemployment, we'd be on the lower end of that range?

Not exactly - new employers without enough history to calculate an experience rating pay the standard rate. After a few years, if you have low claims, your rate will decrease.

Yeah, and Washington definitely qualifies for the full FUTA credit, so most employers pay just the 0.6% federal rate instead of the full 6%.

Never heard of that service but anything is better than sitting on hold for 3+ hours with Washington ESD.

Interesting, I'll check that out. We've had trouble reaching anyone at Washington ESD when we have questions about our account.

What counts as a 'claim' against the employer? Is it just when someone files, or only when they actually receive benefits?

Only when they receive benefits. If someone files but gets denied (like for quitting without good cause), it doesn't count against your experience rating.

This is why it's so important to respond to Washington ESD separation notices when former employees file claims. You can contest if someone wasn't eligible.

That's actually pretty reasonable compared to some other payroll taxes that don't have a cap.

Good to know there's a limit. For our higher-paid employees, that makes a difference in the actual cost.

True, and non-profits can elect to reimburse Washington ESD directly for claims instead of paying the percentage rate, but that's risky if you have a lot of claims.

How do you register? Is it through the normal business licensing process?

You register directly with Washington ESD. There's an online portal for new employer registration.

And make sure you keep good records because Washington ESD audits can go back several years if they think you misclassified workers or didn't report wages correctly.

That's exactly why I started using Claimyr for Washington ESD contacts. Saves so much time when you need to actually talk to someone there.

I feel you on the quarterly reports. The online system times out constantly and then you lose all your data.

That's helpful for planning. Is there a way to estimate what our rate might be based on industry or anything?

Washington ESD publishes average rates by industry in their annual reports, but your specific rate depends entirely on your own claims history once you're established.

Yeah, and they can put liens on your business assets if you get too far behind. Not something you want to mess around with.

Good to know. When are payments typically due?

Quarterly reports and payments are due by the last day of the month following the end of each quarter. So Q1 is due by April 30th, etc.

Restaurants and retail are notorious for this. High turnover = high UI rates over time.

I'll check that out. The phone system is definitely frustrating when you just have a quick question.

The website is okay for basic info, but when you need to actually resolve an issue or get specific answers about your account, Claimyr has been a lifesaver for getting through to real agents quickly.

This is huge. Misclassifying employees as contractors can result in back taxes, penalties, and interest on all the UI taxes you should have been paying.

We only have regular W-2 employees right now, but good to keep in mind if we expand.

Yeah, due diligence should always include checking the target company's UI rate and claims history.

Thanks everyone! This gives me a much better understanding of what to expect. Sounds like starting at around 2.7% and planning for quarterly payments is the way to go.

Exactly. And once you have a few years of history, your rate will adjust based on your actual claims experience.

That's really smart advice about documentation. As someone just starting to navigate this system with my small team, I hadn't thought about how important record-keeping would be for protecting our rates down the line. Do you have any specific recommendations on what types of incidents or issues are most important to document?