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Update your State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) rate

SOLVED•by QuickBooks•1520•Updated April 18, 2023

Learn how to update your State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) rate in QuickBooks Online Payroll or QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Your state sets your SUI rate. This rate is unique to your business. If you’re a new employer, your state assigns you a new employer rate until you file unemployment taxes for a certain period of time.

Whenever your SUI rate changes, you need to update it in payroll. This keeps your SUI tax liability accurate. We'll show you how.

Note: State Unemployment Insurance is only paid by the employer, unless your state is AK, NJ, or PA that requires employees to contribute.

Update your SUI rate

States send out updated SUI rate notices typically toward the end of the year, or at the beginning of the new year. Once you have your new SUI rate, here's how you can update it.

Note: Not sure which payroll service you have? Here's how to find your payroll service.
  1. Sign in to QuickBooks Online.
  2. Go to Settings ⚙, then select Payroll settings.
  3. Next to the state you want to update, select Edit ✎.
  4. In the State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Setup section, select Change or add new rate.
  5. Enter your new rate and its effective date. For most states the effective date is 1/1. For TN, VT, and NJ the date is 7/1.
    • If you can't correct the current year rate, contact us.
  6. Select or enter any updated surcharge or assessment rates.
  7. Select OK.

In QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, your SUI rate isn’t part of the normal tax table updates. You need to update it manually.

  1. Go to the Lists menu and select Payroll Item List.
  2. Double-click [state abbreviation] - Unemployment Company.
  3. Select Next until you reach the Company tax rates window.
  4. Enter the correct rates for each quarter.
  5. Select Next, then Finish.

If you have surcharges or assessments

Do you have a surcharge or assessment for state unemployment? If so, you may need to update additional rates in QuickBooks.

  1. Go to the Lists menu, then select Payroll Item List.
  2. Double-click State Surcharge item.
  3. Select Next and follow the onscreen steps.
  4. On the Company Tax Rate page, enter the rate as percentage.

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