Employment Security Department corporate officer outreach
In recent years, we have made a concerted effort to inform employers about changes in unemployment-insurance law that affect corporate officers. We have compiled a list of our outreach efforts dating back to 2007 and will continue to update it.2007
JuneParagraph in Employment Security Department's Business Update: “In 2009, corporations will be required to provide unemployment coverage for all of their corporate officers, unless the employer notifies its officers and our department in writing that it is opting out.”
2008
August 18 - 21“ATTENTION CORPORATE OFFICERS” insert used in mailing of 25,424 tax billing statements to unemployment-insurance tax customers announces forms are still in development; gives January 15, 2009, deadline; and refers recipients to the appropriate listserv. Employer Accounts section also mailed 2,118 copies as inserts in various mailings to employers after this date.
August 28
Emailed draft outreach materials (letter, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), links to temporary web site, forms to groups for field-testing). Recipients were:
- Association of Washington Business (Donna Steward)
- Washington Farm Bureau (Dan Fazio)
- Independent Business Association (Gary Smith)
- Washington Restaurant Association (Trent House)
- Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors (Kathleen Collins)
- Washington Financial League (Marc Gaspard)
- National Federation of Independent Business (Troy Nichols)
September 9
“ATTENTION CORPORATE OFFICERS” insert again mailed with tax billing statements to 21,385 unemployment-insurance tax customers.
September 10
Sample newsletter article sent to:
- Washington Retail Association
- Washington Farm Bureau
September 15 - 18
Major article in Employment Security Department's Business Update titled "Corporate Officers" mailed to more than 78,000 employers with their quarterly tax-report forms.
September 26
Letter mailed to 94,757 identified businesses, including Frequently Asked Questions and a referral to the Employment Security web site for the form. An additional 93 letters went out in December to other identified businesses that registered after the run for the September 26th letter.
E-mail to corporate officer listserv
Web site materials published including Frequently Asked Questions and alternative pdf exemption forms.
Sample newsletter article sent to:
- Washington State Tax Consultants
- Washington Financial League
September 30
Statewide press release on program issued.
October 1
E-mail to Business Update Online and Unemployment Insurance Tax Filing Reminder listserv with September issue of Business Update (electronic format).
October 22
Yakima District Tax Office conducts workshop for about 10 employers and CPAs in their region, including briefing on corporate officer exemptions. From September 2008 to January 2009, about 500 copies of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on corporate officer exemptions are distributed to district tax offices for use in ongoing outreach efforts with employers.
November 4
Sample newsletter article sent to Washington Association of Accountants.
December 16 - 18
Lead article in Employment Security Department's Business Update titled "Corporate Officers, Past, present and future" mailed to more than 74,000 employers with their quarterly tax-report forms.
December 31
Email to Business Update Online and Unemployment Insurance Tax Filing Reminder listserv with December issue of Business Update (electronic format).
2009
January 7Email reminder to Corporate Officer listserv
January 9
Email sent to Association of Washington Businesses, with a request to forward the email to its members.
Email sent to partial list of Chambers of Commerce, with a request to forward the email to its members.
January 13
Statewide press release sent to media
2010
MarchArticle in Employment Security Department's Business Update titled, “Include corporate-officer wages on quarterly reports” mailed to more than 52,000 employers with their quarterly tax-report forms.
December
Article in Employment Security Department's Business Update titled "Requests to exempt corporate officers due Jan. 15" mailed to more than 53,000 employers with their quarterly tax-report forms.
