How to update Washington ESD unemployment limit in QuickBooks Desktop for payroll

Found it! The wage base was still set to last year's amount. Updated it to $64,500 for 2025 and now it's calculating correctly.

Wait, I thought the limit was $62,500? Did Washington ESD increase it again?

Yes, Washington ESD adjusts the wage base annually. Always check their official site for current limits since QB doesn't always update automatically.

Good point - I was only looking at UI. Do I need to update both limits separately in QB?

Yes, they're separate line items in the payroll setup. UI and the Industrial Insurance (workers comp) have different wage bases.

That's a great idea. I always forget about the state changes until I'm running payroll and notice something's off.

Definitely setting that reminder now. This was stressful to figure out last minute.

How much does something like that cost? I'm always on hold with ESD for ages.

It's worth it when you need answers fast. Check out claimyr.com - they handle the calling so you don't have to sit on hold.

Interesting, never heard of that before. Might be useful for our HR department.

Oh no, I already ran two paychecks this month. How do I fix that?

You'll need to contact Washington ESD directly. They can guide you through the amendment process. Better to call them ASAP.

You can also adjust it in your next payroll run if the difference is small. QB will let you make manual adjustments to catch up the difference.

We've thought about switching but have so much history in Desktop. Is the conversion process difficult?

Not too bad, QB has a conversion tool. The automatic state updates alone save me hours each year.

How do I find our specific rate? I think we're using the standard new employer rate.

Log into your Washington ESD employer account online. Your rate should be listed there, or it's on your quarterly rate notice.

Yes, rates can range from like 0.2% to over 5% depending on your claim history and industry classification.

Go to Reports > Payroll > Payroll Summary by Employee. You can filter by date range and export to Excel. That should give you the wage data you need.

Perfect, that's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

What's that number? I always call the main ESD line and get transferred around.

I think it's on their website under employer services. Much better than calling the main number for payroll tax questions.

Good reminder! I completely forgot about L&I. Going to check that now too.

Yeah, they're separate from unemployment but QB handles them in the same payroll setup area.

Yes! I mentioned them earlier too. Really helped when I needed to talk to someone at ESD about payroll tax corrections.

How does that work exactly? Do they just call for you?

They handle getting you connected to the right ESD department. Super helpful when you have time-sensitive payroll issues.

You might need to refresh your payroll tax tables. Go to Employees > Get Payroll Updates and download the latest tax table.

I'll try that. I thought I had the latest version but maybe not.

Also check if you have any manual overrides set up that might be interfering with the calculation.

Washington ESD usually sends out notices about rate and wage base changes. Sign up for their employer email alerts.

Also check federal limits - Social Security, Medicare, FUTA. They all change at different times throughout the year.

Thanks, I'll sign up for those alerts. This is more complicated than I expected!

Same here! Crisis averted thanks to this thread.

Glad it worked out for everyone. QB Desktop can be tricky with state updates but once you know where to look it's not too bad.

Good point. We have employees in Oregon too and their limits are totally different from Washington.

Exactly. And some states like California have multiple unemployment-related taxes with different wage bases. It gets complex fast.

I'm seeing a lot of mentions of that service. Must actually work if multiple people are recommending it.

Yeah, it does. Worth it when you have urgent payroll deadlines and can't afford to be on hold all day.

Agreed! It's such a basic thing but causes so much confusion every year.

That's honestly the main reason I switched to QB Online. The automatic updates are worth it just for peace of mind.

I'm seriously considering switching after dealing with this. The manual updates are getting old.

Always good advice! QB backups have saved me more times than I can count.

Smart thinking. I should have done that before I started changing the wage base limits.

Better to be safe than sorry, especially with payroll data. It's a pain to recreate if something goes wrong.

Ha! That's exactly what I do. I have a whole folder of bookmarked forum threads for QB issues.

Same here. These step-by-step explanations are way better than QB's help documentation.

Glad it helped! This community is great for these kinds of practical questions.

Absolutely. Real-world experience is so much more valuable than official documentation sometimes.