This is an important message for any employer with employees in Washington state. Not an employer? No action is needed.
If you haven't started the account set-up and reporting process yet, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. We have lots of resources on the reporting page of our website to help with the process, including how-to videos and written instructions.
Most employers are reporting and paying successfully, though there are a few known issues causing some employers challenges (see below).
If you are having trouble reporting, we will not assess penalties or interest associated with late 2019 Q1 and Q2 reports or payments at this time.
Reporting challenges being addressed
What's happening?
Employers have been reporting and paying premiums since July 1. While the majority of reports have been successfully processed, there are known issues with our system that are causing challenges for some employers and employer agents (third party administrators). Known issues include:
- Balances not updating in the system after a payment is made.
- Some wage files stuck in "submitted" status.
These issues do not affect the employer’s accounts or payments, but we understand how valuable your time is and apologize for the delay and frustration. We take the impacts to you very seriously and are working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.
Here is what to do:
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If you have tried to report and/or submit a payment and are experiencing one of the problems above, please do not resubmit your files or payments. Again, we will not assess penalties or interest at this time for impacted customers. Reporting will remain open through September.
- We will send affected customers an email letting them know the issue has been resolved and post updates to the Support page on our website.
Again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused. We know how valuable your time is and we are working as quickly as we can to resolve the issues.
Tips for contacting us:
We are experiencing a high volume of calls but have posted FAQs about these challenges on our website at www.paidleave.wa.gov/reporting.
Our Customer Care Team is available to assist by phone at 833-717-2273 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. PST M-F, or by email at paidleave@esd.wa.gov. Our office will be closed Monday, Sept. 2 in observance of Labor Day.
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.
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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