Washington - State Unemployment Insurance

Justworks is required to file unemployment taxes in certain states under our individual clients' Unemployment Account numbers, as opposed to Justworks Unemployment Account numbers.

In order to report, please send Justworks the following:

• From The Department of Revenue:
  • Your Unified Business Number (UBI)
• From The Employment Security Department (Unemployment):
  • Your unemployment account number 
  • Your unemployment rate
• From The Department of Labor and Industries (Worker's Compensation):
  • Your L&I Number
  • Your L&I Rate
  • Your L&I Code
  • Your PAC Code

Our company is new in Washington, what do we need to do?

1) Register with the Secretary of State

If your business structure will be either a corporation, partnership, liability company, or limited liability company, you must file with the -> Washington Secretary of State <- before filing out the Business License Application.

During the registration, when it asks if you are hiring employees, please select 'yes'. This step is critical to your compliance, as it initiates setup of your Workers’ Comp account with the Washington L&I.

The Secretary of State will mail the UBI number 10 days after registration.

2) Register with Washington's Business Licensing Service (ESD + L&I)

1. Navigate to the Business Licensing Service

2. Click on “sign up” to create a username and password

3. Follow the steps to create a username and password

4. You will get an authentication code by email, enter this to validate your account

5. Now you can log in with the username and password you just created

6. Click on “apply for a new business license”.

7. Follow the steps in the application process. You will need to provide specific information about your business including address and information about company owners. The whole process should take 10-15 minutes.

The L&I mailing should arrive within 2-3 weeks and the ESD mailing should arrive 3-6 weeks following registration.

3) Register for Paid Family Medical Leave 

1. Log in to your SAW account and select “Add A New Service”.
2. Select “I would like to browse a list of services”.
3. Scroll through the list to “Employment Security Department” and select “Paid Family and Medical Leave” from the drop-down menu.
4. When you see the confirmation screen that lets you know the service has been added to your list, click “OK,” then select “Paid Family and Medical Leave” from your list of services to access your account. Click 'Access Now', then 'Continue' onto the next page, and finally click 'Create Your Account' within the Employers section. 

5. An email will be sent confirming the account is active and a company ID number is issued as well. Send Justworks the ID number as this lets us know that your PFML account has been successfully set up. We can then request access from the state using the POA form you provided.

The PFML email should arrive less than 3 days following registration.

4) Complete Required Forms

Please reach out to Justworks unemployment team (unemployment@justworks.com) for the following four pre-filled forms, and return to Justworks once completed: 

• Washington ESD PEO Information form
• Washington ESD Power of Attorney form
• Washington L&I Authorization form
• Washington Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) Power of Attorney form

If you’re having trouble completing any of the online account setup processes, please contact the state’s applicable department for assistance:

UBI: 360-705-6705

L&I: 360-902-4817

L&I PAC code: 360-902-4817

ESD: 360-902-9500

PFML: 833-717-2273 or paidleave@esd.wa.gov