Just to summarize for the original poster - FUTA tax calculation happens quarterly based on wages paid during that quarter, but you track the $7,000 annual wage base per employee. Deposit quarterly if over $500 liability, otherwise annually. The 0.6% effective rate assumes you pay Washington ESD taxes on time.

One additional tip that might help - if you're doing this manually, create a simple spreadsheet to track each employee's cumulative wages for the year. Set up columns for employee name, total wages paid to date, and remaining FUTA taxable wages (up to the $7,000 limit). This makes it much easier to calculate your quarterly liability and ensures you don't accidentally pay FUTA on wages over the annual limit. I learned this the hard way when I overpaid FUTA taxes in my first year handling payroll and had to wait for a refund from the IRS.

Thanks everyone for all the advice! I think I'm going to try the Claimyr service to get through to Washington ESD and discuss both appealing and payment plan options. At least now I know I have choices instead of just panicking about owing money I don't have.

I went through something similar last year with a $3,200 overpayment. The key thing I learned is to act fast - that 1% monthly interest really adds up. I ended up doing a combination approach: I appealed the portion I genuinely disagreed with (about $800 worth) and set up a payment plan for the rest while the appeal was pending. The appeal took 4 months but I won on part of it, which saved me money in the long run. Even if you're not 100% sure about appealing, it's worth reviewing your records carefully - sometimes their calculations are off or they double-count things.

The waiting is the worst part of this whole process. Took almost 3 months to hear back about my waiver but it was approved. Try to be patient and don't assume no news is bad news.

Final piece of advice - if you're approved for the waiver, you'll get a notice but it might take a few more weeks for their system to update and stop showing the overpayment balance. Don't panic if you still see the debt on your account immediately after approval.

One more thing - if you do end up getting any kind of assistance, keep detailed records of everything. The paperwork requirements can be overwhelming but it's worth staying organized from the start.

I'm in a similar situation and just wanted to share what I learned from talking to a case worker at DSHS. When your regular UI benefits end, you won't automatically get extended benefits unless the state unemployment rate triggers them (which is rare). However, you can apply for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) if you have kids, or State Family Assistance if you don't. There's also the Basic Food program (food stamps) which has different eligibility rules than cash assistance. The key thing I found out is that you need to apply for these programs BEFORE your UI runs out because there can be processing delays. Also, if you're able to do any part-time or gig work, report it honestly - some programs allow you to keep a portion of your earnings. Don't let pride stop you from accessing these safety nets - that's exactly what they're designed for.

Update: I spoke with HR and you all were right! They've been reporting my standard 20 hours every week regardless of what I actually work. They thought that's how the Shared Work program is supposed to function - that I get the same supplement amount even if my hours fluctuate a bit. They're going to correct my hours for last week and resubmit to ESD. Thank you all for helping me figure this out!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar Shared Work confusion right now. My employer has been pretty inconsistent with reporting too - sometimes they report overtime hours separately, sometimes they lump everything together. It's frustrating because the benefit amounts swing wildly and there's no transparency in how ESD actually calculates things. The fact that PTO counts as "hours worked" for benefit calculation purposes seems really counterintuitive to me. If you're using PTO, you're still not getting your full income! Has anyone found official ESD documentation that explains all these nuances clearly?