Your help is needed to maintain the integrity of the unemployment insurance system. One way we solicit your assistance is by sending you reports that either ask for verification of information provided by the claimant, ask for additional information, or provide information to you about the status of the claim.
As mentioned in Part 5, there are four required UI benefit reports. In addition to the four required reports, there are a number of other forms that you may receive.
When you receive one of our forms, please review it promptly. Complete and return all those that you are required to return or that ask for information. The reverse side of most forms will include an explanation of the report, instructions for completion, and/or telephone numbers to call for more information. If you find an error on any of the informational reports, notify us as soon as you can so that we can investigate the discrepancy and correct the record.
Remember that your account will be charged for all erroneously paid benefits as the result of a missing, late or incorrect/incomplete required report and if you fail to provide correct and complete information requested during a fact-finding investigation, including erroneously paid benefits that were charged to other employers' accounts.
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SCANNING OF UI FORMS As part of the UI Division's re-engineering project Form UCB-16 Separation Notice and Form UCB-23 Wage Verification/Eligibility Report, have been redesigned for automated scanner processing. These are the first "benefits" forms that are being changed for this purpose. Automated scanner processing is quick, accurate and will help save administrative time and expense. Please use the following guidelines when completing these new forms:
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If all of the information on Form UCB-16 is correct and there are no eligibility issues or non-work payments that apply to the claim, the report does not have to be returned. |
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If any information on Form UCB-16 is incorrect or there is any eligibility issue or non-work payment that applies to the claim, the report must be returned within 7 days. Refer to the following instructions for completion of a Form UCB-16 that must be returned. |
Example of UCB-16 Separation Notice
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Employer’s UI Account
NumberYour UI account number should be printed here. If it is missing or incorrect, enter the correct number in the box provided.
If you do not have an account number, enter "no number assigned" in the box provided.
If the claimant did not work for you, place an "X" in the box provided.
Date Last Worked
and Expected RecallThe date shown on the form is the Saturday date of the calendar week during which the claimant reported last working for you. If the correct last day of work falls in a different calendar week (Sunday through Saturday), please show the correct actual last day of work in the box provided.
The second paragraph will only appear if the claimant reported that (s)he expects to return to work for you. If this is incorrect, place an "X" in the box provided.
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Reason for SeparationThe reason for separation provided by the claimant when (s)he filed this claim for benefits is shown here. If the reason shown is incorrect, indicate the correct reason for separation in the box provided. Attach a separate piece of paper for any supporting details and/or documentation.
Other Eligibility IssuesIf there are any other eligibility questions that apply to the claim, report them in the box provided. Some common eligibility issues are listed on the reverse of Form UCB-16 under the explanation of this item. Also refer to Part 7 of this section of your handbook for a brief explanation of several common eligibility issues.
Provide details about the eligibility issue being reported in the box provided. Attach a separate piece of paper for any supporting documentation you want considered.
Vacation, Dismissal or
Holiday Pay for Days/Weeks after the Last Day of WorkIf vacation, dismissal or holiday pay has been assigned to days or weeks after the claimant's last day of work, this pay should be reported here. See Part 6 for more information about when these types of pay can be treated as wages and should be reported.
Show the type of pay, the week ending date(s) that the pay is assigned to and the gross amount of the pay for each week in the boxes provided.
When reporting holiday pay, show both the holiday and
the date; i.e.
Christmas - December 25
Personal holiday - May 15
Signature, Date and Telephone
NumberSign and date the form.
Provide the name and telephone number (including area codes) of a person who can be contacted during regular business hours if additional information is needed.
Date Report is DueEvery Form UCB-16 will have a due date, however the report only needs to be returned if the reason for separation given by the claimant or any other information on the report is incorrect, or if there is any other eligibility issue or non-work payment that applies to the claim. Return the report as soon as possible to prevent erroneous payments. The report must be received by the department by the due date to be considered timely.
Where to Return the
ReportIf the report must be returned, either send it to the address or FAX it to the number shown on the report. Please do not do both.
| If all of the information on Form UCB-23 is correct and there are no eligibility issues that apply to the claim, the report does not have to be returned. |
| If any information on Form UCB-23 is incorrect or there is any eligibility issue that applies to the claim, the report must be returned by the due date on the report. Refer to the following instructions for completion of a Form UCB-23 that must be returned. |
Example of UCB-23 Wage Verification Eligibility Report
&UI Account No., Name, &
AddressIf the UI account number, name or address listed for your company is incorrect, write in the correct information in the box provided.
If no account number is printed on the report, enter your account number or write "no number assigned" in the box provided.
If the claimant did not work for you, place an "x" in the box provided.
Wages and Other Income
for the WeekReview the wages and/or pay the claimant reported for the specified calendar week.
If any amount of wages or other income is incorrect, the form must be returned with the correct amount(s). You must return the report to correct the wages/pay even if the difference appears to be insignificant. Even a small difference between the wages reported by the claimant and the amount actually earned can affect the amount of benefits payable for the week.
Be sure to report all types of wages/pay for the week in the spaces provided, even for those that the claimant reported correctly. If one of the spaces is left blank, we will assume that the claimant did not receive the wage or income identified by that space.
See Part 6 for the definition of benefit year wages and when other types of income can be treated as benefit year wages.
Hours and Minutes for the
WeekReview information reported by the claimant about hours/minutes worked in the specified calendar week.
If the claimant’s information is incorrect, the form must be returned with the correct amount of hours and minutes You must return the report to give us the correct hours/minutes even if the difference appears to be insignificant.
Include only hours/minutes of actual work.
Additional Work AvailableIf the claimant was asked or scheduled to work more hours than (s)he did work place an "X" in the box provided.
If no, do not complete the rest of this section.
If yes, enter the number of additional hours available, the rate of pay that would have been paid for such work, the date(s) when the work was available and the total amount of additional wages the claimant could have earned in the boxes provided.
Eligibility IssuesOther Eligibility Issues: Place an "X" the appropriate box if any listed or unlisted eligibility issue applies to the claim and you have not yet received a determination regarding the issue.
ü Enter the
last date the claimant worked for you in the box provided.
ü If the claimant refused an
offer of work, also enter the date the work would have started.
ü For unlisted eligibility issues,
place an "X" in the box that says "other" and provide details
about the eligibility issue in the box provided. Attach a
separate piece of paper for any supporting documentation you
wish to be considered. (Refer to Part 7 of this section of your
handbook for a brief explanation of several common eligibility
issues.)
35 Hours of Wages/Pay: This potential issue will only be included on Form UCB-23 if you paid at least 80% of the claimant’s base period wages and the claimant has reported working for you on a weekly claim for benefits (for the calendar week identified on the report). Place an "X" in the box only if:
ü the claimant worked, was paid or could have been
paid had (s)he performed all available work, for a total of 35 or more hours in the week,
AND
ü
the claimant’s base rate of pay (excluding
bonuses, incentives, overtime or any other supplements) for these hours was the same or
greater than the base rate of pay you paid the claimant in the high quarter of his/her
base period (this calendar quarter is identified for you on the report).
Signature, Date and Telephone
NumberSign and date the form.
Provide the name and telephone number (including area code) of a person who can be contacted during regular business hours if additional information is needed.
Date DueForm UCB-23 must be received by the Department by the due date shown on the report to be considered timely.
Where to Return the ReportIf your report must be returned, either send it to the address or FAX it to the number shown on the report. Please do not do both.
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Form UCB-719 must always be returned, even if the claimant did not work for you or you believe that the claimant is not eligible. |
Example of UCB-719 Urgent Request for Wages
Due DateThis is the date your report is due. The same wage information requested by this report is also requested from the claimant. If your report is not received by the Department by the due date, benefits will be paid based on the claimant’s records.
UI Account NumberThis is the UI account number identified as the employer for whom the claimant worked and for which wages are missing. Refer to the instructions for completing the quarterly wage chart when the claimant’s wages were or should have been reported to a different UI account number.
Quarterly Wage ChartFor quarters where some wages have already been reported to Wisconsin for this UI account #, the wages have already been entered in the "GROSS WAGES PAID" column. If these amounts are incorrect, please show the correct amount.
For quarters where no wages have previously been reported, make the following entries:
üEnter the total gross
wages paid in each quarter.
üIf the claimant was your employee
but was not paid wages in the quarter, write "no wages paid".
üIf the wages you paid the
claimant in the quarter were for work performed in excluded employment, enter the wages
and write "excluded" after the wage entry.
üIf the wages you paid the
claimant in the quarter were reported to a different state, enter the wages and write "reported
to (state)" after the wage entry.
üIf the wages you paid the
claimant in the quarter were reported to a different UI Account # than the one shown on
the report, write "wages reported to (correct UI Account #)".
üIf payments were made to the
claimant but you considered him/her to be an independent contractor or self-employed,
enter the amount paid and write "independent contractor" after
the entry.
üIf the claimant did not work for
or with you in any capacity, write "not our employee".
üIf you are a successor in a
business transfer, do not duplicate wages already reported by your predecessor
for this UI account #.
Claimant's First and Last Days
of WorkEnter the month/day/year of the claimant’s first day of work and last day of work for you in the base period.
The quarters printed in the quarterly wage chart are the quarters that are included in the claimant’s base period.
Space for MessagesThis space is used to give you any unique information or instructions that you may need to complete a particular Form UCB-719.
If you are a successor in a business transfer involving this UI account, a message will be printed in this area to remind you not to duplicate wages already reported for the claimant by your business predecessor.
Signature, Date and Telephone
NumberSign and date the form.
Provide the name and telephone number (including area code) of a person who can be contacted during regular business hours if additional information is needed.
Form UCB-20 is used to notify claimants and employers of the results of a fact-finding investigation conducted to resolve issues of benefit eligibility and/or entitlement. See Part 7 for detailed information about common eligibility issues and the investigative procedure.
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If you receive one of these determinations, you are considered the employer party of interest. The employer party of interest is the employer whose interests may be adversely affected by the decision. Review the findings and effect of the decision. If you believe the facts are wrong or that the deputy has improperly applied the law, you may request a hearing. The request for a hearing (appeal) must be received or postmarked by the department by the date specified on the determination. See Section 3 for more information about the appeal process. |
Example of UCB-20 Initial Determination
Claimant Name, Address and
social Security NumberThe name and social security number of the claimant who is affected by the determination are shown here.
The determination is mailed to the most current address on file for the claimant.
UI Account NumberThis is the employer UI Account number of the employer party of interest to the determination being made.
If the number is incorrect, call one of our benefit centers immediately so that we can correct the record.
Employer Name and AddressThe determination is mailed to the most current official name and address of record for the UI Account number listed.
Issue Week and Week EndingThe earliest UI calendar week affected by the determination is printed in this area. (Note: The four calendars at the back of this handbook have the UI week numbers printed next to each calendar week.)
All UI weeks end on Saturday. This is the Saturday of the UI week number identified above.
Applicable Wisconsin LawThe statute of the unemployment law and/or administrative rule upon which the determination is based is printed here.
Findings and Determination of
the DeputyThe legal conclusion reached by the department deputy is printed first.
A brief statement of the facts which support the legal conclusion follow.
The actual impact on the UI claim and the employer UI account is summarized under the "Effect".
The effect will indicate whether benefits are payable, or will ever be payable, from the UI account shown on the determination.
The effect also specifies periods of disqualification, whether erroneous benefits have been paid as a result of the determination and if so, who is at fault for the erroneous payments.
DeputyThe name of the adjudicator who investigated the issue and made the determination.
Date MailedThe date the determination was delivered to the U.S. Post Office for delivery.
Appeal DateThe date by which a timely appeal must be postmarked if mailed or received if faxed.
How and Where to File an AppealInformation about filing an appeal is printed on the back of the determination. If you want to request a hearing, send your appeal to the UI hearings office listed there. The hearings office will process your appeal and can answer any questions you have about the hearing. Use this address and fax number for appeals only. Who to Contact for More InformationIf you would like more information about the determination or have other questions about the benefit claim, contact one of our benefit centers. The addresses, fax numbers and telephone numbers for our benefit centers are printed on the back of the determination. Do not send your request for a hearing to the benefit centers. |
This notice is sent to you whenever the claimant indicates that (s)he quit working for you and the subsequent work requalification requirement was satisfied before the application for unemployment benefits was made.
Example of UCB-29 Notice of Benefit Charging
UI OfficeThe address of the benefit center which is handling the claim and the telephone number to call if you have questions about the notice.
UI Account Number
The account number of the employing unit identified as the employer from whom the claimant quit.
Employer
Name and AddressThe official name and address of record for the UI account number listed are printed directly below the number.
Claimant's Name and Social
Security NumberThe name and social security number of the claimant affected by the notice.
Week in which the Claimant
Quit
The quit is assumed to have occurred during the week that includes the last day of work reported by the claimant. The week ending date that includes the claimant’s last day of work is printed here, along with the corresponding UI calendar week number. (Note: The four calendars at the back of this handbook have the UI week numbers printed next to each calendar week.)
If the claimant quit in a different week, notify the Department immediately.
Notice of Benefit
ChargingThis section informs you whether or not the UI Account identified will be liable for benefits based on work performed prior to the quit.
The accounts of "contributing or taxable" employers are not charged for such benefits.
"Reimbursable" employers, federal employers and out-of-state employers are billed for such benefits.
Form UCF-350 is used to obtain the employer's certification of gross wages earned in weeks for which benefits may have been claimed. While used as part of our fraud control initiatives, our requesting this information does not necessarily imply that the claimant failed to report work or wages properly.
Example of UCF-350 Weekly Earnings Report
The top section of the report
includes the following claim information:Address, phone number and fax number of the UI location requesting the information.
Official name and address of record of the employer for whom the claimant may have worked or is working.
Date report was mailed to you.
Name and social security number of the employee for whom wages are being verified.
The UI account number of the employer listed.
The letter includes:Instructions for completing the report.
Date by which the department is requesting the completed report be returned.
Name of the department deputy sending the report.
Any special instructions or information that may help you complete the report.
&Completing the Report:Please complete the entire bottom portion of the form.
Provide all of the information requested in the top portion of the chart regarding the claimant’s current or former status with your company.
The beginning date (Sunday) and ending date (Saturday) of each calendar week for which wages are being verified, as well as the corresponding UI calendar week number, will be printed on the bottom portion of the chart. You are asked to report the gross earnings for each week listed and the date they were paid, and whether the employee worked 40 or more hours.
Be sure to include wages for all work performed in the week, as well as any other wages assigned to the week, such as vacation, holiday or dismissal pay.
If your company does not use a Sunday through Saturday calendar week payroll, you must adjust your figures to the calendar week dates shown.
Enter "NONE" in the space for each week in which there were no wages earned and/or for which no pay was assigned.
Remarks:
Enter any remarks in this space that you feel may be helpful.
Certification:Be sure to sign and date the report and provide a telephone number where we can reach you during regular business hours if additional information or clarification is needed.
Form UCB-701 lists employees who have established claims based on work with you.
The information entered on the front of the form is obtained from the wage data you submitted quarterly. If you did not file a quarterly report, either your Form UCB-719, Urgent Request for Wages, or the claimant's affidavit of earnings was used to determine the claimant’s potential entitlement.
Example of UCB-701 Computation of Unemployment Insurance Benefits
UI Account NumberThis is the UI account that is potentially liable for unemployment payments based on the claims established during the report period.
Report PeriodThis is the time period that the report covers. All claims established during this period, for which the UI account listed on the report is potentially liable, are included on the report.
Employee/SS NumberThe names and social security numbers for each claim established during the report period are printed in this column.
Liability InformationTotal Maximum - This is the maximum amount of regular benefits potentially payable tot he employee, and it is the maximum amount that may be charged to your account. In some situations, such as a voluntary quitting or a discharge for misconduct, these benefits may be charged to the balancing account or to the administrative account and not to your UI reserve account. You will receive a written determination if these situations apply.
Weekly Maximum - The amount shown is the weekly maximum that could be charged to your account. If the employee had other employers in the base period, the amount shown is your proportional share of each week paid. The proportion potentially chargeable to you is based on the percentage of base period wages paid by you in relation to base period wages paid by all other employers.
Liable Until - The date the employee's benefit year ends is shown here. Benefits based on this computation cannot be carried over to a later benefit year.
Quarterly Gross WagesThe liability information in the prior column is based on the wages paid by you in the base period quarters of the claim. The gross wages paid by this UI account in each quarter of the employee's base period are shown.
Eligibility PendingIf there are eligibility issues yet to be resolved against your account, there will be an asterisk in this column. Actual payment of benefits will not be made until the investigations for such eligibility issues have been completed and you have been mailed written determinations (Form UCB-20) resolving the issues.
Form UCB-708 notifies employers of reduced liability when the resolution of a benefit year issue changes the claimant's remaining entitlement.
Example of UCB-708 Notice of Changed Liability for UI Benefits
UI Account NumberThis is the UI account whose liability for listed claims has been changed by decisions issued during the report period.
Report PeriodThis is the time period that the report covers. All claimants whose entitlement from the listed UI account is changed by a decision issued during this period are included on the report.
Employee's Name/Social
Security NumberThe names and social security numbers of all claimants whose entitlement from the UI account shown was changed by a decision issued during the report period are printed in this column.
Liability RemainingThe first column lists the total potential entitlement remaining against the UI account number shown on the report before the decision was issued that changed the claimant’s entitlement
The second column shows the total potential entitlement remaining from the UI account shown on the report after the decision that changed the claimant’s entitlement was issued.
This report is mailed 4 times each month to notify employers of benefit charges and adjustments made to their UI account. The report is informational only. It is not a bill and does not have to be returned.
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If you want to question the eligibility of a claimant for a payment received or for future payments, contact one of the Benefit Centers listed on the back of this handbook. |
Example of UCB-7074 UI Benefit Charges and Adjustments Report
UI Account No.This is the UI account that was charged and/or credited for payments listed on the report.
Report PeriodThis is the time period that the report covers. All charges and credits posted during this time period will appear on the report. A benefit check was not necessarily paid for this period. The actual calendar week(s) for which payments have been made are listed in Section A.
Section A lists all
initial benefit charges.The report may include payments made to more than one claimant. Individual claimants are listed separately.
Payments for more than one week for a given claimant may have been made during the report period. Each week is listed separately.
A claimant’s UI payment for a given week may have a variety of deductions for distribution to other locations (i.e. federal withholding, child support, and benefits withheld to repay a prior overpayment of benefits, etc.). Each distribution is listed separately on the report but the total of the distributions for a given week should never exceed your weekly liability for the claim.
"Wages Reported" are the total wages earned from all employers in the UI week listed. The claimant may or may not have earned any wages from you in the week(s) listed.
An alpha code may appear in the far right column of Section A. This code references an explanation of the charge on the back side of the report.
Section B lists any adjusting
entry made to the account, including both credits and charges.Any action taken on a benefit claim that changes the employer’s liability for a particular payment will result in an adjustment to an employer’s UI account and will be listed in this section. Some examples include:
Amendments to a claim that affect the proration of liability charges to employers in the claim (even changes that are unrelated to the claimant’s work and wages from a given employer can affect that employer’s prorated share of the liability charges).
A determination that benefits have been overpaid.
A determination that benefits have been paid erroneously because an employer failed to raise a timely eligibility question or provided incorrect or incomplete information on a required report.
A numerical code may appear in the far right column of Section B. This code references a reason for the adjustment on the back side of the report.
Note: Section B can also include quarterly charges from other states. These charges represent the employer’s share of liability for claims filed in other states which combined wages from more than one state to establish the claimant’s benefit eligibility.
Section C shows the net credit or charge to the UI account during the specified time
period.Claimants Who are Still Working for YouIf a claimant works for you in any week for which (s)he is paid unemployment benefits, you will initially be charged for your share of payment in Section A. However, if the employee earned gross wages during that week which are equal to or greater than the average weekly wage paid to the claimant in the same calendar quarter of the previous year, your account will automatically receive a credit for this charge in Section B. The credit may or may not appear on the same report as the charge. (See Part 4 for more information about this credit.) |
Claimants Who have QuitPayments made to a claimant who quit working for you will not appear on this report if you are a contributing (taxable) employer and have been notified that your account will be not charged for benefits based on work performed prior to the quit. However, if you are a reimbursable employer, you are liable for such payments and they will appear on this report. (See Part 7 for more information about your liability for a claimant who quit working for you.) |
Form UCF-7922 is used to audit the wages earned by certain claimants during a quarter in which they claimed and were paid UI benefits. It is used to prevent fraud and abuse by ensuring that the payments made to the claimant were proper.
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Instructions for completing this report are identical to those for completing Form UCF-350 Weekly Earnings Report. |
Example of UCF-7922 Wage/Earnings Audit
Updated: January 16, 2009