This is an important message for any employer with employees in Washington state. Not an employer? No action is needed at this time.
About this message: This email is designed to help employers report and remit premiums for Paid Family and Medical Leave between July 1 and August 31, 2019. For more information, visit paidleave.wa.gov/reporting. Please note, these deadlines do not apply to Unemployment Insurance reporting.
About the program: In 2017, Washington’s Legislature passed a paid family and medical leave law. Starting in 2020, Washington will be the fifth state in the nation to offer paid family and medical leave benefits to workers. A premium of employee gross wages will fund the program, with the cost shared by both employees and many employers. The Employment Security Department administers the program.
Self-employed? Opt-in to the program! Before you do, go to paidleave.wa.gov/elective-coverage to learn more.
Paid Family and Medical Leave
reporting began July 1
Paid Family and Medical Leave reporting and remitting is underway. Employers and employer agents have until August 31, 2019 to file 2019 Q1 and Q2 reports and remit premiums.
As this is a new program and technology system, Employment Security extended the deadline for reporting from July 31 to August 31. If you haven't reported yet, we encourage you to begin the account creation process as early as possible to ensure you have enough time to set up your account, file and pay for both quarters before the deadline.
Our how-to videos and written instructions will walk you through the process of:
- Setting up an account
- Registering as an employer or employer agent
- Reporting via manual entry or file upload
- Paying your premiums
Employers have been reporting and paying premiums since July 1. While about 85 percent of reports have been successfully processed, some employers and employer agents (third party administrators) have experienced challenges. Here are the top five tips to help:
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Your UBI was not recognized: Some employers have come in to report and their Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number is not in the system. Our tech team has resolved this for a large number of businesses, so if your UBI was previously unrecognized please try again. If you find it is still not recognized, please email paidleave@esd.wa.gov to let us know and include your UBI number.
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No paper reporting: There is currently no paper reporting process for Paid Family and Medical Leave. If you are unable to report electronically, please call or email our Customer Care Team at 833-717-2273 or paidleave@esd.wa.gov.
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Power of attorney forms for employer agents: If you are a third party administrator and report for other businesses you likely need to submit a signed power of attorney form to report on their behalf. Please go to paidleave.wa.gov/employer-agents to download the form and get more information.
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Amount owed does not appear immediately after filing: Once you submit your report, the balance due does not appear immediately and won't be available until your report is processed. Depending on the reporting method you choose and system traffic, the balance may not update on the same day you report. Go to paidleave.wa.gov/reporting for more information.
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Self-employed? You can opt-in! To learn more about when to elect coverage and why, go to paidleave.wa.gov/elective-coverage.
Please let us know if you continue to experience challenges with reporting. We will not assess penalties or interest associated with late Q1 and Q2 reporting at this time, but our Customer Care Team is available to assist by phone at 833-717-2273 or by email at paidleave@esd.wa.gov.
Employment Security is continuously developing this new program and we appreciate your feedback! Take our short survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2YJND32
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