Tax Teams Available to Help Employers as Tax Time Approaches State makes employer tax credit just one click away

Contact: Melanie Brown 313-456-2939

Agency: Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

FEBRUARY 15, 2011 - As tax time draws near, Michigan employers have extra tools at hand as they prepare to file the first quarterly tax report of the new year.

The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) provides employers with assistance on issues dealing with how to register a new business, request seasonal employer designation and file for the Michigan Tax Credit.

Due April 25, contributing employers must complete Form UIA 1020, "Employer's Quarterly Tax Report" which contains information on the total and taxable wages paid to employees each quarter. Reimbursing employers must complete Form UIA 1020-R, "Reimbursing Employer's Quarterly Payroll Report" to notify UIA of the total wages paid to their employees during the quarter.

UIA Tax Teams are available by phone and online, standing ready to help any employer get answers to their unemployment tax questions.

Employers have the ability to register for an account where they can conduct business online with UIA, through the Employer Web Account Manager (EWAM) portal.

"Our tax teams and EWAM online portal provide employers with two great resources for getting the assistance they may need now, so they reduce the amount of time preparing reports and can instead focus on the matters of their business, stimulating economic growth for our state," said UIA Director Stephen Geskey.

By accessing EWAM online, employers can file quarterly reports, make payments, submit responses to questionnaires regarding unemployment claims, submit benefit and tax related protests and have access to a digital version of the Employer Handbook.

"UI Tube," available on the Agency website at www.michigan.gov/uia, is another online resource that employers can use to inform them of specific topics and services including using EWAM.

Also online, employers who qualify can file for the Michigan Tax Credit, which is provided for under state law to ease the burden on employers who must pay an additional federal tax due to the borrowing from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits. Michigan law provides that the credit will be either 50% of the additional Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) paid by the employer for the previous year or the employer's taxable wages for the previous calendar year multiplied by the Nonchargeable Benefits Component (NBC) of the employer's unemployment tax rate for that year, whichever is the lesser amount.

"Approximately 73 percent of Michigan's employers will qualify for the tax credit this year," said Geskey. "The EWAM system saves them time by making this tax credit just one click away," he said.

Employer Tax Teams assistance is available at the following email addresses: 

• Tax Status: EmployerLiability@michigan.gov 
• Tax Maintenance: TaxSupport@michigan.gov 
• Tax Collections: TaxCollections@michigan.gov 
• EWAM assistance: EWAMSupport@michigan.gov 

Employers may also contact Employer Customer Relations, toll free at: 1-800-638-3994. Employer Customer Relations is a unit of UIA where employers have access to "live" personnel who can discuss their issues or concerns.

To access EWAM, log onto www.michigan.gov/uia, click on the link "UIA Online Services for Employers", then the link "Operate a Business" which will take you to the page where you can establish an online account. For information about the Michigan Tax Credit, go to PUBLICATIONS and select Fact Sheet 130, Michigan Tax Credit Coming in Mid 2010 For Positive Reserve Balance Employers.

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