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Professional employer organizations (PEO) -- Sign up for e-mail reminders and information.

Spring small-business roundtables

Washington is Open for Business Roundtables lets small-business owners share their experiences in dealing with state business regulatory agencies. This collaborative, multi-agency outreach effort visits four Washington cities in May 2008: Bremerton, Everett, Longview and Wenatchee. For more information or to register for this free event, visit the Business Roundtables Web site.

Increase in penalties

Beginning October 1, 2007, the minimum penalty for employers that repeatedly submit incomplete quarterly tax reports or use the wrong forms increased. Learn more.

Corporate-officer registration

The 2007 State Legislature passed a law that requires corporations to register their officers with the Employment Security Department.

Registration form

Questions and answers about registration requirements

Regulations governing corporate officers - See especially WAC 192-140-220, 192-300-170 (effective 01/01/09), 192-310-010, 192-310-150 to 170 (effective 01/01/09), and 192-310-180 to 190.

Eligibility for benefits

Professional employer organizations

Professional employer organizations (PEO) are now required to register client companies and must report separately for each client company beginning with the first quarter of 2008 (reports are due April 30).

Cover letter - Original letter sent to all PEOs on record on July 20, 2007.

Client registration form - Complete every time you add or drop a client.

Power-of-attorney form - Must be signed by each client company.

Instructions for submitting client lists electronically

Regulations governing PEOs

Questions and answers about PEO forms and rules

Public-works contracts

The 2007 Legislature amended RCW 39.04.010.

Effective July 22, 2007, before being awarded a public-works contract, a bidder must meet certain criteria. To be considered responsible and qualified, the bidder must have all of the following.

A certificate of registration provided by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) at the time of bid submittal. To obtain such a certificate, the bidder must inform L&I if they have employees.
A current state unified business identifier (UBI) number.
Industrial insurance coverage for the bidder's employees working in Washington, if applicable.
An Employment Security (ES) account number.
A state excise tax registration number.
In addition, the bidder must not be disqualified from bidding on any public works contracts.
To obtain this certificate, the bidder must provide L&I with an ES account number issued by the Employment Security Department, if they have employees.
If a public entity (state, county, cities, or other public agencies) wants more information about an employer’s account status, they must request that the employer ask for written verification from the Employment Security Department.

Due to confidentiality requirements, letters need to be sent directly to the employer or its authorized representative and not to any third parties.

Send any requests or inquiries to:

Employment Security Department
Tax and Wage Administration
Compliance Unit
P.O. Box 9046
Olympia, WA 98507-9046
Phone: 360-902-9620
Fax: 360-902-9237
E-mail: esdgpcompliance@esd.wa.gov