If your business has been impacted by the Washington wildfires, the Department of Employment Security may have resources available to help you and your employees.
Help for impacted employers
- Some taxable employers may qualify for relief of benefit charges and a waiver of penalties from Employment Security following an emergency.
- Employers who are late filing a quarterly report or payment because of a disaster may be eligible to have penalties waived.
- Employment Security’s SharedWork program can help employers retain employees at reduced hours.
Help for impacted workers
Employment Security may make allowances for workers who cannot get to work because of a wildfire or other disaster. Learn more about temporary layoffs, furloughs, and standby.
Help fight disaster scams and fraud
Disasters can also lead to an increase in scams and fraud. Employers should carefully review unemployment claim information they recieve from Employment Security. If you do not recognize the claimant or information submitted in an application, please use Employment Security’s fraud report form for employers.
For more information on recognizing and avoiding scams, see our Scam Prevention Toolkit.
