The Indiana Department of Workforce Development recently mailed out 2020 “Merit Rate Notices” to all applicable Indiana employers. You and AccuPay need to take the following action steps in response to your 2020 Merit Rate Notice:
We Need Your 2020 Tax Rate Notice
AccuPay needs a copy of your 2020 “Merit Rate Notice” so we can collect the correct amount of Indiana unemployment tax from your first payroll in January 2020. You can fax a copy to us at 317-885-7591 or e-mail it to payroll@accupay.com.
Should You Make a “Voluntary Payment”?
If you are eligible, your Merit Rate Notice will provide you an opportunity to “buy down” your scheduled 2020 Indiana unemployment tax rate to the next lowest schedule rate for 2020. Notices with a buy-down option will show a dollar amount in the box titled “Voluntary Payment Offer.”
AccuPay will determine if your “voluntary payment” is a good deal. If you receive your 2020 Merit Rate statement from the Department of Workforce Development, please forward to Accupay, and we will complete these calculations for your company. WE DO NOT CHARGE FOR OUR CALCULATIONS!
Starting this year, the Department of Workforce Development will no longer accept checks for these voluntary payment amounts. If based on AccuPay’s calculations, you determine you would like to make the voluntary payment, this will need to be done via the Uplink website at https://uplink.in.gov/ESS.
If you do not know your login, you can click either “Register” or “First Time User” to create one. You will need your company’s FEIN, DWD Account Number (found at the top of your merit rate notice), and gross wages from the third quarter 2019. All of this information can be found on your third quarter 2019 UC-5A. Once you login to Uplink, click the Make a Payment tab on the left side of the screen. The voluntary payment amount should pre-populate. Confirm the amount and click “Make a Payment.” You will then be led to a secure site where you can initiate a credit card or electronic check payment. (Fees may apply for credit card payments.) Be sure that the effective date is on or before the January 2, 2020 deadline. Late payments will NOT result in a lower merit rate and will NOT be refunded by the DWD. (See the “fine print” on the back of your merit rate notice for more information.) Be sure to print or save your payment confirmation and forward a copy to AccuPay. We will continue to withhold unemployment tax at the “pre-buydown” rate until we receive this confirmation from you.
If you have any questions about your 2020 unemployment taxes, call us at 317-885-7600. We appreciate you as a client and look forward to partnering with you in 2020!
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Should I make a voluntary payment to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development?
If you are eligible, your Merit Rate Notice will provide you an opportunity to “buy down” your scheduled Indiana unemployment tax rate to the next lowest schedule rate for the year. Notices with a buy-down option will show a dollar amount in the box titled “Voluntary Payment Offer.”
A trusted payroll and tax service company like AccuPay can do the calculations and help you determine if a voluntary payment is a good option for you.