|
Close





Unemployment Compensation: What you need to know

Unemployment compensation is regulated by the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) (26 USC 3301et seq.) and jointly administered by federal and state authorities. Under FUTA, the individual states are free to set their own limits on weekly benefit amounts, unemployment tax rates, taxable wage bases, and unemployment eligibility and disqualification requirements. Unemployment benefits are financed by a tax on a certain portion of wages paid to employees; this “taxable wage base” varies from state to state.
For a Limited Time receive a FREE Compensation Special Report on the "Top 100 FLSA Q&As" designed to provide you with an examination of the federal FLSA Overtime Regulations in Q&A format, including valuable tips for FLSA Coverage, Salary Level, and Deductions from Pay. Download Now
General test. Virtually all employers must pay federal and state unemployment tax. Employers pay the federal tax if, during the current or preceding year, they:
• Paid wages of $1,500 or more in any calendar quarter, or
• Employed one person for some part of the day during any 20 weeks of the year.
Agricultural employers and employers of domestic workers have different tests for liability.
Domestic employers test. Employers of domestic employees must pay state and federal unemployment taxes if they pay cash wages to household workers totaling $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter of the current or preceding year. A household worker is an employee who performs domestic services in a private home, such as a babysitter, caretaker, cleaning person, driver, nanny, health aide, yard worker, and private nurse. (See IRS Publication 15 for more information.)
Agricultural employers test. Employers must pay federal unemployment taxes if (1) they pay employees cash wages of $20,000 or more in any calendar quarter, or (2) in each of 20 different calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year there was at least 1 day in which they had 10 or more employees performing service in ...

>> Read the rest of this article

More on this topic:

State Requirements

Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |

Unemployment Compensation Resources

Unemployment Compensation Products

Market-Based Compensation in 2012 Webinar Recording
BLR Webinar: "Market-Based Compensation in 2012: How to Attract and Retain the Best Employees""
Practical Market-Based Compensation Webinar Recording
BLR Webinar: "Practical Market-Based Compensation: How to Structure Pay Practices that Attract and Retain the Best""
Pay Practices for Interns and Seasonal Workers Webinar Recording
BLR Webinar: "Pay Practices for Interns and Seasonal Workers: Essentials for Managing Summer Help""
Interns and Seasonal Help Webinar - May 7
BLR Webinar: "Interns and Seasonal Help: Making the Grade with Your FLSA Compliance Obligations""
Mastering FMLA, ADA, and Workers' Comp Webinar Recording
BLR Boot Camp: "Mastering the FMLA, ADA, and Workers' Comp Overlap: A Boot Camp for HR Professionals""
Free Special Reports
Get Your FREE Special Report. Download Any One Of These FREE Special Reports, Instantly!
Featured Special Report
Claim Your Free Copy of Top 100 FLSA Overtime Q&As

We’ve compiled a list of the 100 most commonly asked questions we have received on the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime regulations.
Download Now!


This report, "Top 100 FLSA Q&As", is designed to provide you with an examination of the federal FLSA overtime regulations in Q&A format, including valuable tips for bringing your workplace into compliance in an affordable manner.

At the end of the report, you will find a list of state resources on wage and hour issues. This report includes practical advice on topics such as:
  • FLSA Coverage: How FLSA regulations apply to all employers and any specific exemptions from the overtime requirements
  • Salary Level: Qualifying for exemptions and nonexempt employees
  • Deductions from Pay: Deducting for violations, disciplinary reasons, sick leave, or personal leave


Download Now!