Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for electronic filing
General
Q. How do I file my quarterly tax reports electronically in Washington state?
A.
Q. Once I file using an electronic option, must I always use that same reporting method?
A.
You may choose the option that best suits the needs of your business.
Please note: If you file using an electronic method for two consecutive quarters, you will no longer receive paper forms in the mail. Sign up for email reminders on tax filing due dates.
Q. Do I need to sign-up or register to use an electronic filing method?
A.
Q. How do I change my bank account information in the ePay system?
A.
Your bank account information can be changed when you make your payment by selecting the "I will provide new bank account" information button.
Q. My computer died and I lost all my UIFastTax data. Can you send me my data or can I download it from the Employment Security Department (ESD) server?
A.
No. UI
FastTax is a software application that you download and install on your local personal computer. All data is stored on your computer and cannot be downloaded from our Web site or sent to you from our server.
To avoid this problem in the future, we encourage you to use Employer Account Management Services (EAMS) with enhanced reporting features that will retrieve your data from our server and allow you to copy wage data, calculate excess wages and save unfinished work.
Q. My UIWebTax session closed before I could print my Tax and Wage Report and/or Payment Coupon. What do I do?
A.
UI
WebTax is operated in a live browser session. Once it has been closed you cannot go back to print a copy of your report. Contact Records Disclosure at 360-586-2132 to obtain a copy of a previously submitted Tax and Wage Report.
Click to print a payment coupon and complete the requested fields.
To avoid this problem in the future, we encourage you to use Employer Account Management Services (EAMS) with features that allow you to obtain a copy of a previously submitted report or obtain a copy of your most recent data that includes amendments and adjustments made to your account.
Q. My business has closed or I no longer have employees. Do I still need to file a report with Employment Security Department?
A.
As long as your business has an Active Status with Employment Security Department, you are required to file a Quarterly Tax and Wage Report, even if you only file a No-Payroll report.
Use the Business Change Form to close your business account or if you no longer have employees.
Contact your District Tax Office to find out the current status of your account with Employment Security Department.
Q. How do I calculate excess wages?
A.
Every year Employment Security Department establishes a maximum taxable wage amount or wage base. When an employee's year-to-date wages exceed that wage base, the wages are considered excess wages and are not taxable.
Example:
If an employee earned $10,000 per quarter and if the taxable wage base was $30,900, excess wages are calculated as follows:
| Quarter | Quarterly Wages | Taxable Wages | Excess Wages |
| 1 | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| 2 | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| 3 | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| 4 | $10,000.00 | $900.00 | $9,100.00 |
| | | | |
| TOTALS | $40,000.00 | $30,900.00 | $9,100.00 |
Q. I receive an error message when I attempt to enter a Social Security number in UIFastTax, UIWebTax or EAMS. How do I correct this so I can continue filing?
A.
According to information provided by the Social Security Administration, numbers that begin with a 9 are ITIN numbers issued by the Internal Revenue Service to be used for tax reporting purposes. They are not valid Social Security numbers.
SSN Numbers beginning with a 9
• 9XX-XX-XXXX
It is also important to know that the Social Security Administration has not issued Social Security numbers with the following number sequences:
All zeros in the first, middle or last portion of the number:
• 000-XX-XXXX
• XXX-00-XXXX
• XXX-XX-0000
If you receive an error message in UIFastTax, UIWebTax or EAMS and you cannot obtain the correct SSN in time to file, you must enter zeros for all SSN digits; if the system will not accept zeros, leave the SSN blank in order to continue filing. You may receive a penalty for the incomplete report: read more on our website.
Contact the Social Security Administration for more information regarding Social Security numbers. You can verify Social Security numbers at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services E-verify website.
Q. What is an Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit?
A.
The ACH debit method allows you to transfer funds by authorizing the Employment Security Department (ESD) to electronically withdraw funds from your bank account.
Your account will be debited only upon your initiation, only for the amount you specify and on the date you specify.
Q. Is there a charge for using ePay?
A.
There is no charge for using ePay. You will be responsible for any fees charged by your financial institution for the actual transfer of funds. In addition, your bank's standard overdraft fees will also apply if sufficient funds are not available for the amount of the debit.
Q. What is ESD's company ID for ACH withdrawls?
A.
Employment Security Department's company ID is:
UITAX-EPAYNote: The company ID must be exactly like the above ten characters, without spaces and with all letters in uppercase.
Some bank accounts have a corporate block which prohibits ACH withdrawls from unauthorized companies. If you have such a block on your bank account, contact your bank and authorize ESD to debit your account by providing ESD's company ID.
Q. How do I cancel a pending electronic payment?
A.
To cancel a payment entered through ePay, call Employment Security Department's Employer Accounts Unit at 360-902-9650. Employment Security staff can cancel a payment provided it has not already been sent to your bank for processing.
To manage your electronic payments, we encourage you to use Employer Account Management Services with features that allow you to cancel pending electronic payments.
