Title 50 — Title 50 UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
25 chapters · 395 sections in this title.
RCW 50.12.010 Commissioner's duties and powers.
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(1) The commissioner shall administer this title. He or she shall have the power and authority to adopt, amend, or rescind such rules and regulations, to employ such persons, make such expenditures, require such reports, make such investigations, and take such other action as he …
RCW 50.12.020 Personnel appointed by commissioner.
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The commissioner is authorized to appoint and fix the compensation of such officers, accountants, experts, and other personnel as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this title: PROVIDED, That such appointment shall be made on a nonpartisan merit basis in accordance w…
RCW 50.12.031 Personnel board—Travel expenses of board.
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Members of the board shall be allowed travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060 as now existing or hereafter amended while traveling to and from and attending regularly called meetings.[1975-'76 2nd ex.s. c 34 s 148; 1959 c 127 s 2.]Notes:Effective date—Sever…
RCW 50.12.040 Rule-making authority.
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Permanent and emergency rules shall be adopted, amended, or repealed by the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of Title 34 RCW and the rules adopted pursuant thereto: PROVIDED, That the commissioner may not adopt rules after July 23, 1995, that are based solely on a s…
RCW 50.12.042 Rules—2003 2nd sp.s. c 4.
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The commissioner of the employment security department may adopt such rules as are necessary to implement chapter 4, Laws of 2003 2nd sp. sess.[ 2003 2nd sp.s. c 4 s 34.]Notes:Conflict with federal requirements—Severability—Effective date—2003 2nd sp.s. c 4: See notes following R…
RCW 50.12.045 Contract to issue conditional federal employer identification numbers, credentials, and documents in conjunction with license applications.
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The commissioner may contract with the federal internal revenue service, or other appropriate federal agency, to issue conditional federal employer identification numbers, or other federal credentials or documents, at specified offices and locations of the agency in conjunction w…
RCW 50.12.050 Reciprocal benefit arrangements.
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As used in this section the terms "other state" and "another state" shall be deemed to include any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and any foreign government and, where applicable, shall also be deemed to include …
RCW 50.12.060 Reciprocal coverage arrangements.
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The commissioner is hereby authorized to enter into arrangements with the appropriate agencies of other states, foreign governments, or the federal government whereby services performed by an individual for a single employing unit for which services are customarily performed in m…
RCW 50.12.070 Employing unit records, reports, and registration—Unified business identifier account number records—Penalty for failure to keep records.
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(1)(a) Each employing unit shall keep true and accurate work records, containing such information as the commissioner may prescribe. Such records shall be open to inspection and be subject to being copied by the commissioner or his or her authorized representatives at any reasona…
RCW 50.12.072 Employer fails to register—Employer fails to obtain employment security account number—Penalties.
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An employer that knowingly fails to register with the department and obtain an employment security account number, as required under RCW 50.12.070(2), is subject to a penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars per quarter or two times the taxes due per quarter, whichever is great…
RCW 50.12.080 Arbitrary reports.
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If any employing unit fails to make or file any report or return required by this title, or any regulation made pursuant hereto, the commissioner may, upon the basis of such knowledge as may be available to him or her, arbitrarily make a report on behalf of such employing unit an…
RCW 50.12.090 Interstate use of employing unit records.
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The records of an employer maintained in this state pertaining to employment of persons in another state shall be open to representatives of the commissioner to permit cooperation with other state unemployment compensation agencies in ascertaining information necessary to adminis…
RCW 50.12.100 Compulsory production of records and information.
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In case of contumacy or refusal to obey subpoenas issued to any person, any court of the state within the jurisdiction of which the inquiry is carried on, or within the jurisdiction of which said person guilty of contumacy or refusal to obey is found or resides or transacts busin…
RCW 50.12.120 Protection against self-incrimination.
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No person shall be excused from attending and testifying or from producing books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, and other records before any duly authorized representative of the commissioner or any appeal tribunal in obedience to the subpoena of such representative of the c…
RCW 50.12.130 Oaths and witnesses—Subpoenas—Application for court approval prior to issuance—No notice required.
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(1) In the discharge of the duties imposed by this title, the appeal tribunal and any duly authorized representative of the commissioner shall have power to administer oaths and affirmations, take depositions, certify to official acts and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance …
RCW 50.12.140 Destruction of office records.
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The commissioner may destroy any form, claim, ledger, check, letter, or other record of the employment security department at the expiration of three years after such record was originated by or filed with the employment security department, except that warrants and claims, claim…
RCW 50.12.150 Representation by attorney general.
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The attorney general shall be the general counsel of each and all divisions and departments under this title and it shall be his or her duty to institute and prosecute all actions and proceedings which may be necessary in the enforcement and carrying out of each, every, and all o…
RCW 50.12.160 Publication of title, rules and regulations, etc.
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The commissioner may cause to be printed for distribution to the public the text of this title, the regulations and general rules, and other material which he or she deems relevant and suitable.[ 2010 c 8 s 13018; 1977 c 75 s 76; 1945 c 35 s 55; Rem. Supp. 1945 s 9998-193.]
RCW 50.12.170 Services and fees of sheriffs.
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The sheriff of any county, upon request of the commissioner or his or her duly authorized representative, or upon request of the attorney general, shall, for and on behalf of the commissioner, perform the functions of service, distraint, seizure, and sale, authority for which is …
RCW 50.12.180 State-federal cooperation.
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The commissioner, through the Washington state employment service division, shall establish and maintain free public employment offices in such places as may be necessary for the proper administration of this title and for the purpose of performing such duties as are within the p…
RCW 50.12.190 Employment stabilization.
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The commissioner shall take all appropriate steps to reduce and prevent unemployment; to encourage and assist in the adoption of practical methods of vocational training, retraining and vocational guidance; to investigate, recommend, advise, and assist in the establishment and op…
RCW 50.12.200 State advisory council—Committees and councils.
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(1) The commissioner shall appoint a state advisory council composed of not more than nine persons, of which three shall be representatives of employers, three shall be representatives of employees, and three shall be representatives of the general public. Such council shall aid …
RCW 50.12.210 Employment services for persons with disabilities—Report to legislative committees.
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It is the policy of the state of Washington that persons with disabilities shall be given equal opportunities in employment. The legislature recognizes that persons with disabilities have faced unfair discrimination in employment.For these reasons, the state employment service di…
RCW 50.12.220 Penalties for late reports or contributions—Warning—Assessment—Waiver—Appeal.
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*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5874-S.SL) ***(1) If an employer fails to file a timely report as required by RCW 50.12.070, or the rules adopted pursuant thereto, the employer is subject to a penalty of twenty-five dollars per violation, unless the penalty is waived by the commissio…
RCW 50.12.230 Job skills training program—Department's duties.
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See RCW 28C.04.400 through 28C.04.420.
RCW 50.12.235 Washington conservation corps—Department's duties.
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See chapter 43.220 RCW.
RCW 50.12.240 On-the-job training—Employer qualifications established by rule.
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The commissioner may establish by rule qualifications for employers who agree to provide on-the-job training for new employees.[ 1985 c 299 s 2.]
RCW 50.12.245 Cooperation with workforce training and education coordinating board.
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The commissioner shall cooperate with the workforce training and education coordinating board in the conduct of the board's responsibilities under RCW 28C.18.060 and shall provide information and data in a format that is accessible to the board.[ 1991 c 238 s 80.]
RCW 50.12.250 Information clearinghouse to assist in employment of persons of disability.
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The employment security department shall establish an information clearinghouse for use by persons of disability and governmental and private employers. The services of the clearinghouse shall include:(1) Provision of information on private and state services available to assist …
RCW 50.12.252 Information clearinghouse—Consultation on establishment.
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In establishing the information clearinghouse, the employment security department shall consult with organizations of private sector employers and persons of disability.[ 1987 c 369 s 3.]Notes:Legislative finding—1987 c 369: See note following RCW 50.12.250.
RCW 50.12.290 Printed materials—Department's duties.
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When an employer initially files a business license application under chapter 19.02 RCW for the purpose, in whole or in part, of registering to pay unemployment insurance taxes, the employment security department must send to the employer any printed material the department recom…
RCW 50.12.300 Professional employer organizations—Reports and records.
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(1) A professional employer organization must register with the department and ensure that its client employers are registered with the department as provided in RCW 50.12.070.(2) By September 1, 2007, the professional employer organization shall provide the department with:(a) T…
RCW 50.12.310 Professional employer organizations—Revocation of authority to act as coemployer.
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A professional employer organization's authority to act as a coemployer for purposes of this title may be revoked by the department when it determines that the professional employer organization has substantially failed to comply with the requirements of RCW 50.12.300.[ 2007 c 14…
RCW 50.12.330 Domestic violence employment poster.
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(1) The department shall create an employment poster regarding domestic violence. The poster shall include space in which an employer shall provide the name or names of community resources regarding domestic violence. The employer shall post the poster and keep it posted in a con…
RCW 50.12.340 Report to legislature.
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By November 1, 2026, the employment security department, in coordination with the workforce training and education coordinating board, shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature and the governor on how the standard occupational classification or job title data …
RCW 50.12.350 Use of social security numbers in correspondence with third parties.
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(1) For the purposes of preventing fraud and protecting personal privacy, the employment security department shall examine its current practices in which it discloses the full social security numbers of persons in its correspondence with nongovernmental third parties.(2) If the d…
RCW 50.12.355 Report—Unemployment trust fund—Minimum weekly benefit increase—Wages subject to tax.
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(1) By December 1, 2021, and annually thereafter until December 1, 2025, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the department must report to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature on the following:(a) Status of the unemployment trust fund, including any fe…
RCW 50.12.360 Unemployment insurance claim adjudicator training program—Report.
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(1) The employment security department must create a training program to prepare a reserve force of skilled unemployment insurance claim adjudicators who can be available quickly when claims volume demands.(2) The program must:(a) Be open to both state and other public employees …
RCW 50.12.365 Plain language required for letters, alerts, and notices.
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(1) The department must designate department employees to assure that letters, alerts, and notices produced manually or by the department's unemployment insurance technology system are written in plainly understood language and tested on claimants before they are approved for use…
RCW 50.12.370 Unemployment insurance claims—Online data dashboard—Quarterly reports, performance metrics.
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The department must:(1) Maintain an online data dashboard;(2) Provide quarterly reports with performance metrics that include:(a) Updates of unemployment rates;(b) Total numbers of claims paid, amount compensated, claims denied, claims pending in adjudication, claims on which pay…