March 29th, 2022 Update

WA Cares Fund: Immediate updates to WA Cares law

Program implementation delayed by 18 months

On Jan. 27, Gov. Inslee signed a bill that delays parts of WA Cares implementation by 18 months. Most immediately, premium collection for WA Cares won’t begin until July 2023. The Employment Security Department (ESD) won’t accept any WA Cares premium payments for the first quarter of 2022.

Newly updated information and guidance is available on the WA Cares website.

For now, employers should:

• Stop withholding WA Cares premiums from employee earnings.
• Reimburse employees for withheld WA Cares premiums as soon as possible. All premiums must be refunded to employees within 120 days.
• Continue to maintain copies of exemption approval letters for workers who’ve provided them.

You do not need to include WA Cares information on your quarterly report, but you still need to report for Paid Family and Medical Leave.