DWS Press Release
November 26, 2018

2019 Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates for Utah Employers Announced

SALT LAKE CITY (November 1, 2018) — A majority of Utah’s employers will continue to see the minimal unemployment insurance tax rate for the 2019 calendar year the Utah Unemployment Insurance Division announced today. In 2019, approximately 75 percent of Utah’s established employers will qualify for the minimum contribution rate of approximately $35.30 per employee per year. Utah’s taxable wage base did see a slight increase from $34,300 to $35,300 over the past year.

2018 will be the fifth consecutive year that Workforce Services collected less Unemployment Insurance taxes from Utah employers. For calendar year 2018, Utah is projected to collect $169 million in unemployment insurance taxes, which is approximately $185 million less (a 52 percent reduction) than the $354 million in tax collected in 2013.

The collected tax is deposited into the Utah Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund to pay benefits to workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own. Even with the continued reduction in taxes collected, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Utah’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund is the fifth healthiest trust fund in the nation.

“We are confident in the accurate calculation of this year’s tax rates and the continued health of Utah’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, both of which help ease employers’ tax burden and encourage economic growth,” said Kevin Burt, director of the Unemployment Insurance Division. “Utah’s unemployment program remains solid because our dedicated staff work carefully to help ensure only eligible individuals receive unemployment benefits, while also providing timely support and assistance to Utah employers.”

For information about the tools Workforce Services provides employers to assists with filing taxes and other required reports, visit jobs.utah.gov/ui/employer.

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