Reporting and paying premiums

NEW! Learn more about 2024 premiums

Log in here to file your quarterly report and pay your premiums.

VIDEO: Employer reporting overview. Watch this video for quick, helpful tips on filing your quarterly reports and making payments.

WEBINAR: Employer overview of Paid Family and Medical Leave. This webinar gives employers a general understanding of how Paid Family and Medical Leave works and how to make payments.

NEW! Learn more about 2024 premiums

You are required to report your employees’ wages and hours and pay premiums on a quarterly basis. Here’s when to submit your reports and payments:

Video: Reporting Overview. You can also download the reporting checklist.

Once you’ve created an employer account, there are two options for submitting quarterly reports: manual entry or file upload.

Manual entry: You will manually enter the name, SSN or ITIN, hours worked and wages paid separately for each employee. You can do this for up to 50 employees. Watch the tutorial video for manually entering your reports in the system.

File upload: Watch the tutorial video for uploading your filing.

• Hours: Report the number of hours each employee works each quarter, rounded up to the nearest whole number. This includes paid time off (sick, vacation, etc.).
• Wages: Report the gross wages without tips for each employee each quarter.

Before uploading your report, test your file to make sure you have included the appropriate information and that it is formatted as required.

Beginning Quarter 3 2023 (reporting period begins Oct. 1, 2023) employers will report Paid Leave and WA Cares premiums from employees at the same time on the same report. Learn more about WA Cares reporting.

Employers

Need instructions on creating your file upload (.CSV) for your quarterly reporting?

Use the updated Paid Leave and WA Cares .CSV File Specifications (v8) and the new Paid Leave and WA Cares .CSV Template (v8).

Employer Agents

Employer agents who bulk file (ICESA) should use the new ICESA file specifications (v8) for Paid Leave and WA Cares.

Employer agents who link to the clients and use single file uploads will need to use the new .CSV File Specifications (v8) and .CSV Template (v8).

You will need to have full access to your account before you can file an amendment; amendments are not an option with limited access.

Learn more about the PIN verification process.

There are a couple of methods for submitting amendments, and they depend on how you initially reported.

Begin by selecting “Amend Wage Report” from the “Wage Reporting” dropdown list on the menu bar.

1. Under “Prior Quarter Search,” select the year and quarter of the report you need to amend.
2. In the “Search Results” table, locate the report and click the blue “Amend” link in the first column of the table.
3. Under “Filing Methods”, select the filing method you would like to use for your amendment and click, “Next.” If you filed the initial report using manual entry, you can amend using either manual entry or CSV file upload. If you filed the initial report using file upload, you need to use file upload for your amendment.
4. Submit your amendment; refer to the reporting instructions when needed.
5. On the “Wage Detail Adjustment Reason Verification” page, use the dropdown menu to select the reason for your amendment.
   • Options include:
     • Employer and wages amended because of incorrectly reported wages or hours
     • Wages amended because employee(s) were mistakenly included/excluded
     • Employment and wages amended to correct computer system, data entry or accounting errors
     • SSN or name changed
     • Employment and wages amended as a result of an audit
     • Other
6. Click “Next.” Note the confirmation number for your records. Click “Home” to return to your homepage.

If you overpay your premiums, you will see a credit balance on your account. You can use this amount to pay future premiums. If the amount is over $50, you can request a refund by contacting the Customer Care Team at paidleave@esd.wa.gov or (833) 717-2273.

Your bank will reject the ACH payment if you entered incorrect payment information. Log into your account and submit your payment again with the correct information.

If the payment is returned for insufficient funds in the account, the department will charge a non-sufficient funds fee.

Premium payments for Paid Leave and WA Cares must be deposited into the appropriate trust funds.

Payments can take several days to post to your account depending on your payment method.

Some common reasons for delay include:

• Not enclosing the correct program payment coupon when mailing your payment
• Postdating your payment to a date later in the month
• Sending your Paid Leave payment to the WA Cares or Unemployment Insurance programs(s)
• Sending your WA Cares payment to the Paid Leave or Unemployment Insurance programs(s)

If it’s been more than a week since you made your payment online and your balance isn’t updated, please contact the Customer Care Team at paidleave@esd.wa.gov or (833) 717-2273.