Voluntary Contributions Worksheet

Voluntary contributions are not subject to a refund or credit. Voluntary contributions will not be accepted if all obligations are not met by the employer.  This includes outstanding liabilities, missing returns, and/or failure to submit the requested information.  In those instances, the payment will be applied to any outstanding liabilities.  If there are no liabilities or the payment exceeds the liabilities, the remaining payment may be refunded. 

To reduce your current year contribution rate, we must receive the voluntary contribution payment on or before March 31 the current year.

Use your Notice of U.I. Rate (IA 97) for the current year to decide if a voluntary payment will benefit your account. The Rate Charts available on this website and the following formula will aid you in your calculation. Note: A voluntary contribution may also affect your subsidiary rate.

Multiply your anticipated wages subject to contribution for current calendar year by your actual rate and your desired rate. The difference between the two, minus the Voluntary Contribution, will be your estimated savings.

On January 1, 2014 several provisions of the recent UI reform legislation go into effect.  These provisions affect the Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage base.  The UI wage base will adjust as follows:

• Year 2014     $10,300
• Year 2015     $10,500
• Year 2016     $10,700
• Year 2017     $10,900
• Year 2018     $11,100
• Year 2019     $11,400
• Year 2020     $11,600
• Year 2021     $11,800
• Year 2022     $12,000
• Year 2023     $12,300
• Year 2024     $12,500
• Year 2025     $12,800
• Year 2026     $13,000

After 2026, the wage base is permanently adjusted on January 1 of each year to 16% of the state average annual wage, rounded up to the nearest $100. The state average annual wage is established no later than May 31 of each year. The average annual wage cannot be reduced from the prior-year level.

Note:

This formula does not apply if you have:

• A negative account balance transfer
• An E code rate
• An A or F code (these rates are not adjustable)

Your rate code is the letter in the upper right-hand corner of your Rate Notice.

Refer to letter IA93 for questions about the E code rate.

Send your check payable to NYS Unemployment Insurance to the attention of:

Banking Unit
Employer Account Adjustment Section
W.A. Harriman Campus, Building 12, Room 335
Albany, N.Y. 12226

Note: 

• Write your employer registration number on your letter and check.
• Include a letter stating the payment is a voluntary contribution for the current rate year.
• Do not state or imply any conditions as it may cause us to reject the voluntary payment.

For questions about Voluntary Contributions, call our Employer Hotline toll-free at (888)-899-8810.

Voluntary Contribution: The Unemployment Insurance Law provides an opportunity for employers to make a voluntary contribution prior to March 31 to affect that year's Unemployment Insurance rate and possibly future year rates.

Account Balance: An employer's account balance is determined on 12/31 of every year by taking the account balance as of 12/31 of the prior year and adding all the timely normal contributions paid minus any unemployment benefits charged to an employer's account.

Account Percentage: An employer's account percentage is calculated by dividing the balance of the employer's account on the computation date by the employer's average payroll for the past five payroll years.  If the employer has been liable for less than 5 years, then we divide by the number of payroll years in which the employer was liable.

Negative Account Balance: When the benefits charged to an employer's account exceed the contributions credited to the employer's account.