Employer Information
Knowing there is money set aside for care in the future gives employees peace of mind today. The WA Cares Fund makes long-term care insurance accessible for all Washington workers.
How WA cares helps employers and employees
COLLECTING PREMIUMS
As a Washington employer, you are required to report your employees’ wages and hours and pay premiums every quarter. Beginning July 1, 2023, you’ll collect premiums from Washington employees the same way you do now for Paid Leave. Starting Quarter 3 2023 (reporting period begins Oct. 1, 2023) you will report for both programs at the same time, on the same report. You won’t pay any share of these contributions for your employees; you may, however, elect to pay some or all of your employees' share on their behalf.
Paycheck labeling
When you or your payroll administrator are choosing a label for the WA Cares Fund premium on your employees’ paychecks, we encourage you to use “WA Cares Fund” or “WA Cares LTC.” This will help ensure employees who want more details know the name of the program and can easily find more information online.
Need more info on reporting? Check out this helpful info from Paid Family and Medical Leave. WA Cares reporting will be fully integrated for your convenience.
Looking for reporting tools and forms? Check out Paid Family and Medical Leave's Employer Help Center.
Calculating PREMIUMS
Calculate the total premium amount for each of your employees. The premium is 0.58% of an employee’s gross wages, so:
Gross wages x .0058 = total premium for employee
Note that unlike Paid Leave, premium contributions are not capped at the taxable maximum for social security. Need help determining premium amounts for WA Cares and Paid Leave? Check out the premium calculator.
TRACKING EMPLOYEE EXEMPTIONS
Some of your employees may choose to apply for an exemption from the WA Cares Fund. It’s the employee’s responsibility to apply and – if approved – to notify you (their employer) and provide you with a copy of their approval letter from ESD.
Certain exemptions are permanent while others are conditional upon the employee continuing to meet the requirements of the exemption. It is the employee’s responsibility to notify their employer of any changes to their exemption status and failure to do so can result in required back-payment of premiums (paid by the employee) and additional penalties.
Once notified of an employee’s exemption, employers must:
- Keep a copy of the employee’s approval letter on file.
- Not deduct WA Cares premiums from exempt workers.
Learn more about Exemptions
Still have questions? Check out the Employer information section of our frequently asked questions.