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• SEAP frequently asked questions

  Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) frequently asked questions Eligibility Q. What is the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP)?A. In 2007, the Washington legislature decided that self-employment assistance programs help unemployed individuals and create new businesses and job opportunities. State law (RCW 50.20.250) allows unemployment-insurance claimants identified as likely to exhaust their regular unemployment benefits the opportunity to enroll in self...

• WOTC eligibility

  Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) eligibility Private-sector employers and tax-exempt organizations (e.g., 501(c) or 501(a) non-profits) may participate.  Tax-exempt organizations may apply for credit only against the employer part of the Social Security tax liability on qualified veterans. Note: Employers cannot claim Work Opportunity Tax Credit for their relatives, former employees or undocumented aliens. For partial tax creditEligible workers must work at least 120 to 399 hours during...

• Job search requirements

  Job search requirements On this page • Download the job search log   • Job search activities list   • Frequently asked questions • Get help finding a job Job search activities list Make job search activities work for you The chart below includes the current list of approved job search activities. You must complete three each week. We've recently expanded this list to make your job search more...

• Unemployment tax rates FAQ

  Unemployment tax rates FAQ Q. How are employers' unemployment-insurance tax rates calculated?A. Unemployment taxes in Washington are calculated using a formula that is written into state law. We do not have independent authority to adjust the rates. There are two components of the state unemployment tax. The first component of the tax rate is the experience-based tax, which is based on the amount of unemployment benefits paid to former employees over the past four years. There...

• Unemployment taxes

  Unemployment taxes   If you have employees working in Washington, you likely must pay unemployment taxes on their wages in this state. Tax reports or tax and wage reports are due quarterly. Liable employers must submit a tax report every quarter, even if there are no paid employees that quarter or taxes are unable to be paid. New employer webinar video. New employer webinar slide deck. Learn about reimbursable employers. Understand how tax-rate...

• COVID-19 business information

  COVID-19 business information Employment Security can help Washington’s employers weather the financial impacts of COVID-19.  During the pandemic, federal and state government moved rapidly to respond to COVID-19. A lot has changed. See questions and answers about legislation and new rules that affect employers. How Employment Security is responding A series of emergency rules will relieve the burden of temporary layoffs, isolation and...

• ESD Layoff Assistance

  Layoff assistance   The Employment Security Department (ESD) can help businesses and workers facing major layoffs, and help prevent layoffs from happening.  On this page: • Resources for workers• Resources for employers Resources for workers Has your employer determined a temporary layoff is required? Get help with your job search Employment Security is a partner in the statewide WorkSource system, which offers a variety of...

• ESD Layoff Assistance - Employers

  Layoff assistance for employers The Employment Security Department (ESD) is able to assist employees and employers when facing major layoffs or temporary situations that require assistance to maintain the workforce during hard times.  (Go back to ESD layoff assistance homepage)   The information included here is intended to assist employers.  Information for employees can be found on our Layoff assistance for employees page.&#160...

• Dislocated workers/major layoffs FAQ

  Dislocated workers/major layoffs FAQ Q. What’s a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice? Can I be informed about these notices?A. The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers to provide workers 60 days’ advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff. In general, employers are covered by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act if they have 100 or more employees and are laying off at least one-third of...

• Common audit findings

  Common audit findings Unregistered employersBusinesses who hire reportable employees without a registered Employment Security Department (ESD) account. In the state of Washington, every business with employees must register and report wages for unemployment insurance taxes. Unreported workersBusinesses inappropriately identifying their workers as casual, temporary labor or as independent contractors when they should be reported as employees. We apply the employment tests in RCW 50.04.140...