December 2023 | Issue 44
WA Cares and Paid Leave: Employer webinar
Live webinar: Managing WA Cares Exemptions
There’s plenty to know about WA Cares and Paid Leave, and we’re committed to making your experience as easy as possible with helpful info and resources. Join us for an employer-focused webinar, where we'll cover employer responsibilities related to managing WA Cares employee exemptions.
Thursday, Dec. 14, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. — Register now!
This webinar is limited to 200 participants, so don’t delay in registering!
Paid Leave: Collective bargaining agreements provision expires Dec. 31
More workers will be eligible to participate in 2024
The Paid Leave law about collective bargaining agreements (CBA) is changing. Workers who were previously excluded from Paid Leave because of a CBA are eligible for the program beginning Jan. 1, 2024.
Do you have employees covered by a CBA? You likely have employees who as of Jan. 1, 2024, will be included in Paid Leave if they meet all these requirements:
- They are currently covered by a CBA, and
- They work in Washington state (not including federal employees or employees of a tribally-owned business on tribal land), and
- Their CBA was in effect before Oct. 19, 2017, and
- Their CBA has remained in place without being re-opened, renegotiated or expiring since that time.
If so, visit Paidleave.wa.gov/CBA to learn what you need to do in 2024 to collect premiums and submit reports for these employees.
Note: This CBA change only applies to Paid Leave. These employees are excluded from the WA Cares Fund until the CBA expires or is opened or renegotiated.
Unemployment Insurance (UI): Changes for tax reporting
If you file a UI tax report, you will soon have the option to include either job titles or Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes for each employee. This option will start with your fourth-quarter 2023 tax report.
All employers currently are required to include on quarterly tax reports the SOC codes for their employees. Starting with your fourth-quarter report, our system will include a place to enter job titles.
Job titles and SOC codes are different
A SOC code is a six-digit number that describes someone’s work. A job title is a word or several words that describes a person’s role in a business.
Since SOC codes are numbers, they are easier to use. Job titles vary across employers. They are useful when a job is:
- Unique or new.
- Isn’t included in the list of SOC codes.
Reporting penalties begin in 2024
Starting with your first-quarter 2024 tax report, we need to assess a penalty if you knowingly fail to report the SOC code or job title for each employee.
Washington state law requires that we assess this penalty, per Substitute House Bill 2308.
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