In Florida, most businesses are required to pay reemployment taxes to the Florida Department of Revenue. These taxes fund the state’s Reemployment Assistance Program, the program which has replaced the state’s Unemployment Compensation program. Like its predecessor, this program provides temporary income to qualifying Florida employees who are out of work and seeking new employment.
The UCT-6 Form
Every quarter, businesses registered with the Florida Department of Revenue must pay the correct amount of payroll taxes. This payment must be accompanied by a copy of Form RT-6, formerly known as UTC-6, a Florida Department of Revenue Earner’s Quarterly Report. This document must be filled out completely and include the name of every individual employed by the business during the taxable quarter and every employee’s earnings during the taxable quarter. Payroll taxes paid by employers to fund programs like reemployment assistance, Social Security and Medicare.
Registration and RT-6 Filing Instructions
State payroll taxes are separate from federal payroll taxes. In addition to registering with the federal government as an employer, a company must register with the Florida Department of Revenue. When an employer registers with the Florida Department of Revenue, the company is assigned a reemployment tax account number. To register, a company must submit a completed copy of Form DR-1, Florida Business Tax Application and provide a federal Employer Identification Number.
Employers must file quarterly earnings reports and accurate copies of Form RT-6 at the end of the month following the end of each fiscal quarter. The due dates are:
- April 30
- July 31
- October 31
- January 31
Employers with 10 or more employees must file their quarterly forms online, whereas smaller employers have the option to file them online or by mail. These forms must be filed after every fiscal quarter, even if the company did not have employees during that quarter.
Reemployment Assistance Program Compliance
All for-profit employers in Florida are required to file RT-6 forms and to pay reemployment taxes if they meet any of these criteria:
- In a calendar year, the company has a quarterly payroll of $1,500 or more.
- The company is required to pay unemployment taxes under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act.
- The company owns all or part of another business that is liable for unemployment taxes.
- The company has one or more employees for part of one day or longer for a period of 20 weeks or longer during the calendar year.
Certain types of employers are exempt from reemployment tax or are subject to different rules regarding payroll taxes. These include non-profit organizations, farms and employers of in-home domestic help.
Willful failure to comply with state reemployment tax requirements is an act of tax fraud. Companies found guilty of committing tax fraud by underreporting their earnings, submitting fraudulent documents and attempting to circumvent their liability by misclassifying employees as independent contractors can face steep fines and other criminal penalties.