Washington State At-Will Employment: What You Need to Know
Washington State is an At-Will Employment State. That means that employers do not need to provide cause or give notice before firing an employee....
4 min read
PayNW : Jan 3, 2024 9:00:00 AM
All Washington State employers will need to comply with new Occupational Code Reporting requirements before the year ends.
In 2019, state legislators approved a law that obligates employers to report Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes in the quarterly reports for unemployment insurance.
The Washington SOC draws from the current Standard Occupational system, which is a federal statistical standard. Federal agencies rely on the system to facilitate the classification of workers according to their occupations.
Employers need to be familiar with the Washington SOC reporting requirements to avoid being on the wrong side of the law.
Below is an overview of what Washington businesses need to know regarding SOC codes and reporting requirements.
As highlighted above, Standard Occupational Classification is a federal coding system.
Federal agencies and private businesses use SOC codes for classifying workers into occupational categories. It covers all occupations where work is done for pay or profit. The system covers occupations across public, private, and military sectors.
The occupational data is typically used by:
The system developed by the U.S Department of Labor (DOL) provides information such as occupation definitions, national estimates, benefits, and demographic profiles. The DOL also provides a list of SOC codes via the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the SOC classification and coding guidelines to help employers effectively assign SOC codes and titles.
Classification principles include:
Coding principles include:
To help employers comprehensively learn about their new SOC reporting requirements, the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) has provided several helpful resources, including webinars, important links, and more.
Employers can also contact socreporting@esd.wa.gov for help.
The SOC code reporting began with the Fourth Quarter 2022 Report by employers. To be specific, the first quarterly reports had to be submitted during January 2023.
The following is a timeline for the SOC code reporting dates from 2021 through 2024.
As of November 15, 2021:
As of December 1, 2021, to the third quarter of 2022:
Beginning fourth quarter of 2022:
First quarter of 2023 through 2024:
While the ESD has stated that "at this time, you will not receive a penalty for incorrect or incomplete SOC code reporting" employers should still ensure that they properly report SOC codes with each quarterly tax report.
Washington State employers have to play a major part in meeting the reporting requirements with respect to the SOC codes.
Thankfully, the Washington ESD offers a myriad of resources and links to help companies stay up to date in time for the quarterly return filing and future upcoming dates, helping them stay compliant with Washington Payroll Laws.
If you are a Washington State business with more concerns and questions on Washington SOC codes, a Washington Payroll and HR company may be able to help.
Contact PayNW today, or get started with a demo.
PayNW Clients: If you are a client of PayNW, you should be receiving communication both within the system and via email.
Washington State is an At-Will Employment State. That means that employers do not need to provide cause or give notice before firing an employee....
The cannabis industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, and with that growth comes a number of challenges, including payroll. ...
In today's interconnected world, where data drives decisions and shapes strategies, the importance of safeguarding employee data privacy cannot be...