EMPLOYMENT SECURITY DEPARTMENT

(1) Self-employed persons as defined in RCW 50A.04.105(1) and federally recognized tribes as defined in RCW 50A.04.110 may elect coverage under Title 50A RCW.

(2) Notice of election of coverage must be submitted to the department online or in another format approved by the department.

(3) Elective coverage begins on the first day of the calendar quarter immediately following the notice of election.

(4) A period of coverage is defined as:

(a) Three calendar years following the first day of elective coverage or any gap in coverage; and

(b) Each subsequent calendar year.

(5) Any self-employed person or federally recognized tribe may file a notice of withdrawal within thirty calendar days after the end of each period of coverage.

(6) A notice of withdrawal from coverage must be submitted to the department online or in another format approved by the department.

(7) Any levy resulting from the department's cancellation of coverage is in addition to the due and unpaid premiums and interest for the remainder of the period of coverage.

(1) Federally recognized tribes electing coverage are employers as defined in RCW 50A.04.010 and are subject to all rights and responsibilities under Title 50A RCW.

(2) Employees of federally recognized tribes that elect coverage are employees as defined in RCW 50A.04.010 and are subject to all the rights and responsibilities under Title 50A RCW.

(1) The department will use the self-employed person's reported income and divide it by the state's minimum wage to presume the number of hours worked.

Example: For this example, the state's minimum wage is $12.00 per hour. The self-employed person electing coverage reports $10,000 of income in a quarter. The department will divide $10,000 by $12.00 and presume the self-employed person worked 833 hours in that quarter.

(2) The self-employed person may overcome the presumption of hours by providing sufficient documentation to the department including, but not limited to, personal logs or contracts.

(3) The department may require copies of tax returns, bank records, or any other documentation deemed necessary by the department to verify or determine the self-employed person's hours and wages.

(1) To assess premiums and determine eligibility for small business assistance grants, the department must determine the size of each applicable employer. The department will only count the number of in-state employees as defined in RCW 50A.04.010(4) when calculating employer size.

(2) If the department determines that the employer's status has changed as it relates to premium liability, the department will notify the employer. This notification will include the following information:

(a) If the employer was determined to have fifty or more employees for the preceding calendar year, and the employer is then determined to have fewer than fifty employees for the subsequent calendar year, the employer will not be required to pay the employer portion of the premium for the next calendar year; or

(b) If the employer was determined to have fewer than fifty employees for the preceding calendar year, and the employer is then determined to have fifty or more employees for the subsequent calendar year, the employer will be required to pay the employer portion of the premium for the next calendar year.

Example: On September 30, 2018, a business is determined to have had 53 employees on average during the previous four completed quarters, which covers July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018. The employer is liable for the employer portion of premiums for 2019. On September 30, 2019, the business is determined to have had 48 employees on average during the previous four completed quarters, which covers July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019. The employer is no longer liable for the employer share of premiums for 2020.

An employer that has not been in business in Washington long enough to report four calendar quarters by September 30th will have its size calculated after the second quarter of reporting is due by averaging the number of employees reported over the quarters for which reporting exists. Premium assessment based on this determination will begin on this reporting date. This size determination remains in effect until the following September 30th pursuant to RCW 50A.04.115 (8)(c).

(1) Premiums must be paid quarterly. Each payment must include the premiums owed on all wages subject to premiums during that calendar quarter. Payments are due to the department by the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter for which premiums are being paid.

(2) Payments made by mail are considered paid on the postmarked date. If the last day of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, the premium payment must be postmarked by the next business day.

(3) Premium payments are due within ten calendar days when a business is dissolved or the account is closed by the department. Premiums not paid timely are delinquent and subject to interest under RCW 50A.04.140.

(1) An employee's work is subject to all reporting requirements and premiums when the work is localized in Washington. An employee's work is considered localized in Washington when:

(a) All of the employee's work is performed entirely within Washington; or

(b) Most of the employee's services are performed within Washington, but some of the work which is temporary or transitory in nature, or consists of isolated transactions is performed outside of Washington.

(2) Services that are not localized in Washington will be subject to reporting requirements and premiums when the services are not localized in any state, but some of the services are performed in Washington, and:

(a) The base of operations of the employee is in Washington, or if there is no base of operations, then the place from which such services is directed or controlled is in Washington; or

(b) The base of operations or place from which such service is directed or controlled is not in any state in which some part of the service is performed, but the individual's residence is in Washington.

Example: A storm hits Washington. An employer in Oregon dispatches an employee who typically lives and works in Oregon to help with repair work. The employee works temporarily in Washington for the employer for one week, and then returns to work in Oregon for the employer. The employment is localized within Oregon and is not subject to premium assessment.

(1) An employer and employee may be eligible for a conditional waiver of premium payments by satisfying the requirements of RCW 50A.04.120.

(2) A conditional premium waiver is not required for work that is not subject to premiums under WAC 192-510-070 or fails to meet the definition of employment in RCW 50A.04.010 (7)(a).

(3) Any conditional premium waiver request must be submitted to the department online or in another format approved by the department.

(4) As a condition to granting the conditional premium waiver, the employer must file quarterly reports to verify that employees still qualify for the conditional premium waiver.

(5) Once an employee works eight hundred twenty hours in a qualifying period localized in Washington for an employer, the conditional premium waiver expires.

(6) The department may require the employer to submit additional documentation as necessary.

(7) If the employee exceeds eight hundred twenty hours or more in a qualifying period, the conditional waiver expires and the employer and employee will be responsible for their shares of all premiums that would have been paid during the qualifying period in which the employee exceeded eight hundred twenty hours had the waiver not been granted. Upon payment of the missed premiums, the employee will be credited for the hours worked and will be eligible for benefits under this chapter as if the premiums were originally paid.

Example: A storm hits Washington. An employer in Oregon hires a new employee who lives in Oregon to help with repair work. The employee only works in Washington for the employer for one week and is then laid off. The employer could request a conditional premium waiver for this employee.

(1) The rights and responsibilities under Title 50A RCW do not apply to parties covered by collective bargaining agreements in effect before October 19, 2017, unless and until the agreements expire, are reopened, or are renegotiated.

(2) Employers must inform the department immediately upon the reopening, renegotiation, or expiration of a collective bargaining agreement that was in effect prior to October 19, 2017.

(3) An employer must file quarterly reports once a collective bargaining agreement expires, is reopened, or is renegotiated.

(4) To be eligible for benefits, an employee must have worked at least eight hundred twenty hours during the qualifying period. If the employee's qualifying period includes any quarter prior to a collective bargaining agreement being reopened, renegotiated, or expiring, the department will request the employee's qualifying period wages and hours from the employer. The employer must provide the wages and hours to the department within ten calendar days.

(5) Employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement are subject to the rights and responsibilities of Title 50A RCW. Employers are also subject to the rights and responsibilities of Title 50A RCW for employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, regardless of whether the employer is party to a collective bargaining agreement covering other employees.

(6) Employers party to multiple collective bargaining agreements among different bargaining units are subject to the rights and responsibilities of Title 50A RCW as they pertain to the bargaining units whose collective bargaining agreement has expired, been reopened, or renegotiated, on or after October 19, 2017.

(1) A voluntary plan application must be submitted to the department online or in another format approved by the department. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Voluntary plan application fees are due at the time the application is submitted to the department. The fee is nonrefundable. If the voluntary plan is denied, a new application fee is required with each additional application.

(2) Voluntary plans will take effect on the first day of the quarter immediately following the approval of the plan.

(1) An employer's voluntary plan must:

(a) Allow the employee to take at least the same duration of leave from work as the state plan;

(b) Pay at least equivalent total monetary benefits as the state plan;

(c) Not withhold an amount from an employee's wages that is higher than what would be withheld under the state plan for the same period of time; and

(d) Offer leave for at least the same reasons as the state plan.

(2) An employer with an approved voluntary plan may, at its discretion, use an accelerated payment schedule. The total monetary benefit must be equal to or greater than what the employee would have received under the state plan.

(a) If the employer chooses to use an accelerated payment schedule, the total monetary benefit must be paid to the employee over a length of time that is no less than one-half of what would have been provided under the state plan.

(b) Whether an employer elects to use an accelerated payment schedule has no impact on the length of job-protected leave to which the employee is entitled.

(c) If an employer chooses to utilize an accelerated payment schedule and the employee agrees to return to work earlier than required, the employer cannot require the employee to repay benefits as a result of returning to work earlier.

(3) Employees covered by a voluntary plan are entitled to at least the same length of job-protected leave to which they would be entitled under the state plan. An employer and an employee may enter into an agreement wherein the employee returns to work at an earlier date.

Example: An employee elects to take 12 weeks of leave for the birth of a child. The weekly benefit amount is $750. The employer decides to pay the employee $1,500 weekly over 6 weeks. In addition, the employer and the employee agree that the employee will return to work after 6 weeks. In this example, the employee would still have been permitted to take the full 12 weeks of leave if the employee had decided to do so.

(4) A two hundred fifty dollar fee will be required for every new application or nonstatutorily required amendment filed by an employer seeking approval for a voluntary plan.

(5) If an employer elects to have a voluntary plan for either family leave or medical leave, but not both, the employer is responsible for withholding the employee share of the premium for the portion that is covered by the state plan. The department will post the rates for family and medical leave for the following calendar year to its web site by November 30th each year. The employer is responsible for paying the premiums due to the state plan in accordance with WAC 192-510-060.

(1) To qualify for an employer's approved voluntary plan, an employee must have been:

(a) In employment for at least eight hundred twenty hours during the qualifying period and in employment with that employer for at least three hundred forty hours; or

(b) Covered by an approved voluntary plan through their previous employer.

(2) Employees working for an employer with a voluntary plan who have not yet met eligibility requirements for that plan are eligible for benefits under the state plan so long as all other requirements are met.

(3) When an employee files a claim for benefits, an employer will access the employee's weekly benefit amount and typical workweek hours information online, or in another format approved by the department, and ensure the employee qualifies for at least an equivalent benefit amount from its voluntary plan.

(4) Upon hiring an employee previously covered under a state plan, the employer with an existing voluntary plan must report to the department online, or in another format approved by the department, the new employee's status for the voluntary plan after the employee becomes eligible for that plan.

(1) The department will provide a notice that meets the requirements of RCW 50A.04.075 to employers with approved voluntary plans if requested.

(2) Employers may create their own notices that meet the requirements of RCW 50A.04.075. Each employer must provide a copy of its voluntary plan notice to the department for approval. The notice must be submitted online or in another format approved by the department and must contain at least the same information as the state notice.

(1) Employees cannot collect benefits from both the state plan and a voluntary plan for the same period. To ensure compliance, employers with an approved voluntary plan must report:

(a) All information required of employers by the state plan;

(b) Weekly benefit and leave duration information for any employee who takes leave under that plan for reasons that would have qualified for leave under the state plan; and

(c) Premiums, if any, withheld from employee wages.

(2) Upon request, the department will provide weekly benefit, typical workweek hours, and leave duration information to any employer with an approved voluntary plan that requests it for an employee who intends to take leave under that plan.

(1) If the employer chooses to withdraw from a voluntary plan, the employer must notify the department at least thirty calendar days before the withdrawal. Notification of withdrawal shall be submitted to the department online or in another format approved by the department.

(2) If the department has terminated an employer's participation in a voluntary plan, the department will calculate the amount owed by the employer and send an invoice for payment. The amount due will consist of all moneys in the plan, including premiums paid by the employer, premiums paid by the employees, moneys owed to the voluntary plan by the employer but not yet paid to the plan, and any interest accrued on all these moneys. The amount will be due immediately. Any balance owed will not start collecting interest until thirty calendar days after the date of the invoice.