Unemployment Insurance Tax Program

The Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) is responsible for the collection, accounting and auditing functions of South Carolina's Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax program. Whether you are starting a new business or are an existing employer, our goal is to help you find the resources and information that you need to succeed. This section contains the general information you need to know about UI taxes in South Carolina. 

Resources

The first step in the UI tax program is determining if you need to establish an Unemployment Tax Account. To do this click on the link below that best discribes your organization.

• For-profit business
• Non-profits
• Government entities
• Reimbursable employer

The next step is to establish a UI tax account number. To do this, register through the State Unemployment Insurance Tax System (SUITS). You also will establish username and password that you will use for this portal as well as the Bridge to Benefits Employer Self-Service Portal. At the end of the registration process you will be assigned a unique employer account number.

For additional information about Unemployment Insurance Tax, see the links below:

• Submitting quarterly wage records
• Pay unemployment insurance tax
• Filing for an extension or a refund

Field Audits

From time to time, field audits are conducted on businesses. Click here to learn more about field audits.

Tools

Tax rate

Lean about the tax rate and find the contribution tax table here.

Interactive Voice Response System

Once you have established an employer account with DEW, you can use our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to access specific account information. The system is available from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily at 1-866-831-1726.

Through the IVR system employers can:

1. File a report indicating you employed zero individuals in the most recently completed calendar quarter.
2. Request 940 Certifications. 
   Each employer that pays its state UI taxes on time is allowed to claim a credit against its federal UI taxes. Each year, DEW certifies the tax rate, amount of taxable wages and amount of tax paid by each employer in the prior calendar year to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) through 940 Certifications. Employers that need a copy of the 940 Certification can make that request through the IVR. Please note that the Employer Accounts System only permits one 940 Certification request per day. If you need additional 940 Certifications, call back the following day.
3. Get your tax rate for the most recently completed calendar quarter.

To use the IVR system you will need a touch-tone telephone, your DEW employer account number and PIN.

Forgot your PIN?

The State Unemployment Insurance Tax System (SUITS) does not use PIN numbers. If you forget or lost your PIN and have been using it to login to the employer benefit's system, you will need to begin logging in using the same username and password that you use for SUITS. PIN Numbers cannot be reassigned or recovered for an account.

Account Variable

Click here to see what might negatively affect your account.