The Washington State Employment Security Department has announced that they are moving the Q1 reporting deadline to July 31, instead of April 30 as originally planned. Beginning July 1, employers will submit both Q1 and Q2 reports and premium payments through the online customer management system. The timeline extension will not affect the availability of benefits. Eligible employees can begin applying for benefits in January 2020.

This deadline change applies to Paid Family & Medical Leave only. Reporting timelines for Unemployment Insurance are unaffected.

What else do I need to know?

[expander_maker id=”1″ more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]

  • All employers should continue to withhold premiums for Paid Family and Medical Leave from employee paychecks, unless you are covering the payments on their behalf.

  • Penalties and interest will not be assessed for Q1 Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums submitted by July 31.

  • The timeline for benefits delivery is unaffected by this timeline extension.

More FAQs and information about the program, premium calculation and reporting requirements can be found at paidleave.wa.gov/employers.

Reminder information about the Paid Family & Medical Leave program:

Who is in, who is out?

Almost every Washington employer must participate in this program, and almost every
Washington employee will be eligible to receive benefits. This includes businesses of all
sizes and non-profits, charities and faith organizations. If you are a public or private
business with even one employee in Washington, you’ll very likely be a part of Paid Family
and Medical Leave.

Exceptions are:

For more on opting in, go to http://paidleave.wa.gov/elective-coverage

Info to share with your employees

Are you getting questions about Paid Family and Medical Leave from your employees? Share this one-pager:

  • As a paycheck/paystub insert
  • Posted on a break room noticeboard
  • Email or meeting handout [/expander_maker]