Important Note for Employers: Please be aware of a recent unemployment compensation fraud scheme that has been circulating in areas that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Employers are receiving emails eliciting confidential personal information about former employees under the guise of being needed by the "Division of Unemployment Assistance" in regards to their Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The emails are being sent from unemploymentassistance@detma.org or a similar email address. Do not reply to the message, and do not click on the link in this message, as this is an identity theft scam. This deceptive email is not from the PA Department of Labor and Industry. The department would never request confidential information from employers in this matter.
New!
Notice to Employers Filing UC Quarterly Reports
UCMS is now available to all users for the first-quarter 2013 filing period and thereafter. Please note that UC-Tides is no longer available for filing UC quarterly reports and/or payments.
Increase in Taxable Wage Base and Decrease in State Adjustment Factor Beginning in 2013
As part of the Act 60 amendments to the Pennsylvania UC Law, the taxable wage base for employer contributions will be increasing each year from 2013 through 2018. At the same time, the maximum state adjustment factor has been decreased from 1.5% to 1.0% through 2016 and will decrease further thereafter. The following chart lists the taxable wage base and state adjustment factor amounts beginning 2013:
Calendar Year
Taxable Wage Base for
Employer Contributions
(per employee per year)
Maximum State
Adjustment Factor
2013
$8,500
1.0%
2014
$8,750
1.0%
2015
$9,000
1.0%
2016
$9,500
1.0%
2017
$9,750
0.85%
2018 and thereafter
$10,000
0.75%
The following solvency measures will be in effect for 2013:
Employer Taxes
A 5.1 percent (.051) surcharge on employer contributions, reduced from 5.8 percent in 2012. The surcharge adjustment is computed by multiplying your basic rate by the 5.1 percent surcharge. The surcharge adjustment does not apply to reimbursable employers.
A 0.65 percent (.0065) additional employer contribution, unchanged from 2012. The additional contribution is added to your tax rate as adjusted by the surcharge. The additional contribution is not applicable to non-delinquent newly liable and reimbursable employers.
A 1.1 percent (.011) interest factor, increased from 0.2 percent in 2012. Due to the passage of Act 60 of 2012, the interest factor will be used to fund the payment of bond obligations beginning in 2013. It may also be used to fund payment of interest on federal loans, although Pennsylvania does not currently have a federal loan balance. The interest factor is not applicable to non-delinquent newly liable employers and reimbursable employers. Also, it is not credited to the employer's reserve account nor considered for federal certifications.
Employee Contributions
A 0.07 percent (.0007) tax on employee wages, or 70 cents on each $1,000 paid, reduced from 0.08 percent in 2012. Employee withholding contributions are submitted with each UC-2/2A quarterly report. Employee withholding applies to the total wages paid in 2013. It is not limited to the $8,500 taxable wage base for employer contributions.
Benefit Reduction
A 1.7 percent (.017) benefit reduction, reduced from 2.3 percent in 2012. With few exceptions, the weekly UC benefit amount for all claimants will be reduced by 1.7 percent.
If you have any questions concerning this information, please contact the Employer Contact Center at 866-403-6163, or within the Harrisburg area at 717-787-7679, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The department's regular mailing of Pennsylvania Unemployment Contribution, or UC, rate notices for 2013 was completed December 31, 2012. The department will continue to issue rate notices for 2013 throughout the year, as necessary, to newly registered employers and to revise inccorect rates.
The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) imposes on employers a tax rate of 6 percent on the first $7,000 of wages paid to each employee per calendar year. Normally, employers that pay contributions to a state UC fund may claim a credit against their FUTA tax, up to 5.4 percent of federal taxable wages. However, the recent recession depleted the UC fund and the commonwealth borrowed from the federal government from 2009 through July, 2012, to pay UC benefits. 2011 marked the second consecutive year that began with the commonwealth having an outstanding debt to the federal government, As a result, employers saw their FUTA credit reduced and their FUTA liability go up 0.3 percent on January 1, 2012, for wages paid in 2011. An additional 0.3 percent in FUTA credit reduction was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2013, for wages paid in 2012.
Act 60 of 2012 authorized the commonwealth to refinance this outstanding debt through the issuance of bonds in the private market. On July 25, 2012, the commonwealth paid off the outstanding federal debt in full. This repayment restored the full FUTA tax credit for wages paid in 2012 and 2013.
Questions regarding the FUTA credit can be directed to the IRS website at www.irs.gov/businesses. You may also call the IRS Business and Special Tax Line at 800-829-4933.
