Washington State – Quarterly SOC Reporting Requirements

BACKGROUND

In 2019, the Washington State Legislature passed a law requiring employers to report Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes for each employee in their quarterly reports for unemployment insurance. 

WHAT IS CHANGING

The SOC codes must be reported for each employee on the Washington Unemployment tax return. This will begin with the Q4 2022 unemployment filings for wages paid from October 1 to December 31. Penalties may be assessed in the future for missing or incorrect SOC codes.

REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

You must enter the correct SOC codes for each employee that works in Washington and is reported on the Washington Unemployment tax return before year-end, in accordance with the Q4 filings deadline of January 2023. Namely will support this requirement by creating a field within Namely Payroll that can be utilized to track this information. This field is expected to be active in applicable client Payroll products by the end of October 2022.

FAQ

What are SOC codes?

SOC stands for Standard Occupational Classification, a federal coding system that helps government agencies and private businesses compare occupational data.



This data is used by:

  • Government program managers.

  • Industry and labor relations specialists.

  • Students considering career training.

  • Job seekers.

  • Vocational training schools.

  • Employers wishing to set salaries or locate a new business.

How is Namely supporting this requirement?

Namely will be supporting this requirement by creating a field in Namely Payroll where codes can be added and tracked for each employee.

When will Namely be able to support this requirement?

We hope to be able to support this requirement by October 2022. 

Will I receive more instructions when it is supported by Namely?

Yes. We will be in contact about the next steps with applicable clients as soon as they are available.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES