StartEaseSend your state unemployment (SUTA) rate notice
Why StartEase needs your rate, where to find it, and what to do at the start of each year.
What it is
State unemployment tax (SUTA or SUI) is paid by the employer on each employee's wages up to a yearly limit. Each employer gets its own rate from the state. StartEase does not guess it. Your assigned rate must be entered for every state where you have employees, or the payroll cannot be approved.
Where to find it
On the state's Tax Rate Determination Notice (the name varies by state). It is sent by the state workforce agency, usually by mail or in your online account. If you have not received one, contact the agency, and tell your payroll manager.
What to send
Option 1: enter it yourself. Open State registrations in the Company menu, open the state, and type the Assigned SUTA rate (%) exactly as printed on the notice, with the year it applies to. Enter the unemployment account number too.
Option 2: send it to your payroll manager. Send the notice (PDF or photo). They enter the percentage and the year, then send the payroll to you again.
A rate of 0% is valid only if the notice says 0%. A blank rate is not the same as zero.
What the law says
Why StartEase blocks it. State unemployment tax is owed on each employee's wages at the rate the state assigns to your company. Without that rate, the tax would be calculated wrongly (as $0.00). Federal law also gives the employer a credit against federal unemployment tax only for state contributions actually paid.
Sources (government sites):
If you see this message
The red dialog reads We don't have your [state] unemployment (SUTA) rate yet (ERR_SUI_RATE_MISSING). See the screenshot in Why can't I approve my payroll?
New year
- New-year notices often arrive late. From December 1 your payroll team reminds you to send them.
- If it has not arrived, your payroll manager can use last year's rate as a temporary placeholder. It is recorded with who and when, and lasts 60 days. After that, payroll is blocked until the real rate is entered.
- Earlier payrolls keep the rate that applied to them.
Texas and Wyoming
Both need your own assigned rate before the first payroll. Do not use a default: wait for your notice, or ask the state workforce agency for it.