How to get Washington ESD unemployment account number for my small business

Thanks! I have my EIN but still waiting on the business license. Should I wait until I have both?

You can start the process with just the EIN. They'll ask for the license info later in the registration.

How long did it take to get your account number after submitting everything?

About a week. They sent it by mail and email. The account number is what you'll use for all your quarterly reports.

Is that legit? I've never heard of services like that for getting through to government agencies.

Yeah it's real. They basically handle the calling and waiting for you, then connect you when they get an agent on the line. Really useful when you need to talk to someone at Washington ESD but can't spend all day calling.

What's a NAICS code? This is getting complicated...

NAICS is the North American Industry Classification System. It's a code that describes what type of business you run. You can look it up online - there's a search tool on the census website.

What do you mean by experience rating? I'm brand new so I don't have any experience yet.

New employers get assigned a standard rate for their industry. Your rate can go up or down in future years based on how many of your former employees file unemployment claims.

That seems backwards... you get penalized for employees who file claims even if you had to lay them off for legitimate business reasons?

Seriously! I've been clicking around for an hour and still confused about which forms I actually need.

Try searching for 'new employer registration' instead of just browsing around. That should take you directly to the right page.

Correct, you only need unemployment insurance for W-2 employees, not 1099 contractors. But be careful about worker classification - Washington has strict rules about who qualifies as an independent contractor.

Good point. I've heard horror stories about businesses getting in trouble for misclassifying workers.

That's exactly why I started using claimyr. No more sitting on hold forever just to get basic questions answered.

might have to try that. i cant waste whole days trying to get through to them

What?? That doesn't make any sense. Why would you file a report with no employees?

You file a zero report basically saying you had no payroll that quarter. It's annoying but takes like 2 minutes online.

What kind of records do they want to see during an audit?

Payroll registers, time sheets, employee files, tax documents, anything showing wages paid and hours worked. They're particularly interested in making sure you're reporting all taxable wages.

The rate is statewide but varies by industry classification and your individual experience rating. Different businesses can have very different rates even in the same city.

ah ok that makes more sense. we're in different industries so that explains it

Good to know! I'll probably register this week even though I won't be hiring for another month or two.

Smart move. Better to have it set up and ready than risk missing the deadline.

I'll look for that. Hopefully it's more helpful than their FAQ section which doesn't seem to answer anything.

Yeah the FAQ is pretty useless. The handbook is much more detailed and actually walks you through the whole process.

Ugh, another registration process? This is getting overwhelming.

I know it seems like a lot but once you get everything set up it's mostly just quarterly filings. The initial setup is the hardest part.

My business will be year-round so probably not an issue, but good to know for others reading this.

Yeah seasonal rules are complicated. Glad I don't have to deal with that.

How much does something like that cost? Seems like it might be worth it to avoid the phone tree nightmare.

It's reasonable considering how much time it saves. Check their website for current pricing - much cheaper than paying an accountant to handle everything.

Good reminder. I'm terrible at keeping track of login credentials for government sites.

Password manager is your friend! Way better than sticky notes that get lost.

You're welcome! Feel free to post back here if you run into any issues during the registration.

Will do! This community is awesome for getting real-world advice.

Oh great, another thing to worry about. Is FUTA handled through Washington ESD too?

No, FUTA is federal and goes through the IRS. But you get credit for your state UI payments which reduces your FUTA rate.

Bookmarking this thread and that claimyr site. Bound to need it once I start dealing with Washington ESD regularly.

Same here. Thanks again everyone for all the help!

That's really helpful advice about calling early! I never thought about timing making such a difference. Did you have any issues with updating your business info later, or was that process pretty straightforward too?

Great tip about calling early! I'm planning to register next week so I'll definitely try the 8am approach. How long did the whole registration process take from start to finish once you got through to someone?

That's smart about calling right at 8am! I've been putting this off because I dreaded spending hours on hold. Once you got through, was the actual registration process quick or did it take a while to complete over the phone?