PART 4 - Paper Wage Reports

Unemployment Insurance Handbook for Employers (UCB-201-P)
Section 4 - Wage Reporting

1. Reporting Options
2. Guidelines for Paper Reports
3. Preprinted Forms
4. Corrections to Preprinted Information
5. Quarterly Wage Report - Form UC-7823
6. Desktop Printer Wage Reports

A. Reporting Options

Paper Wage Reports may be filed by employers who are not required to file electronically and have fewer than 25 employees to report.

Electronic filing is available and encouraged for all employers. Employers with 25 or more employees must file their reports electronically. Once you are required to file electronically you must continue to file electronically in the future.

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B. Guidelines for Paper Reports

An optical character recognition (OCR) system is used to read information on the quarterly wage reports. Optical scanning reads typed and computer printed data and electronically converts it for computer processing. This system eliminates clerical key entry and is therefore very cost effective and accurate. The OCR can process reports at less than half the cost of clerical data entry.

Report In Specified Format

Submit wage reports on the preprinted forms provided or in the print format specified by the format guide on 8-1/2" x 11" white bond paper.

• Return the original forms, not photocopies.

You can find a copy of the Quarterly Wage Report - Form UC-7823-E in the DWD Internet Forms Repository. If you are unable to print a copy, you can order copies of the Quarterly Wage Report by calling (608) 266-6877 or emailing wagenet@dwd.wisconsin.gov. We supply forms free of charge.

Type or Computer Print

Type or computer print all paper reports (letter quality, no dot matrix please) to ensure readability by the optical scanner. The scanner reads data, which has been typed or printed in black ink on 8-1/2" x 11" white bond paper with:

• Font = OCR-A or OCR-B
• 6 lines per inch
• 10 characters per inch
• Double spacing (one employee per line)
• First Name field = 64 characters or less
• Last Name field = 64 characters or less

Report Social Security Number, Name and Total Gross Wages Paid

Report the social security number, name and total gross wages paid each employee for that quarter. Since Wage Reporting files are accessed by social security number, it is crucial that the number reported be accurate.

Printing Information By Hand

The OCR equipment is able to read computer printed or typewritten information ONLY. All hand written documents must be manually keyed into the computer system. If a typewriter is not available and the report must be completed by hand, PLEASE PRINT ALL INFORMATION WITH BLACK INK.

DO NOT STAPLE FORMS

Note: If you have Internet access, you can file your reports using our web-based application. It is designed for employers with fewer than 150 employees. It is a form-fill application that asks you to fill in the wages of the employees you reported the previous quarter, as you would on your paper wage report, and uses this payroll information to figure your UI tax liability. Call (608) 261-6700 for more information on obtaining access to this site.

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C. Preprinted Forms

Preprinted forms are designed for employers who are not required to file electronically and consistently report on paper.

A preprinted wage report form will be mailed to employers with their quarterly contribution report at the end of each quarter. The wage report form contains preprinted information, including the social security number and name of each employee as reported by the employer in the prior quarter. You must:

1. Complete wage information for employees shown;
2. Add SOCIAL SECURITY number, name, and wages for newly hired employees;
3. Leave the wage entry blank if an employee received no wage for the quarter; and
4. Complete the contribution portion of the report.

Samples of forms follow.

Special Note To Request Forms:

Visit the forms section of our website and locate the UC-7823-E Quarterly Wage Report in the list of forms.

Call: (608) 266-6877

Email: wagenet@dwd.wisconsin.gov

Or Write:

DWD - UI Wage Reporting
P.O. Box 7962
Madison, WI 53707

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D. Corrections to Preprinted Information of Wage Reporting Forms

The preprinted forms contain a preprinted list of employee names and social security numbers. If a name and/or social security number is in error:

1. Enter an "X" in the CHANGE column.
2. Draw a diagonal line through each incorrect number and/or letter.
3. Enter the correct data above the incorrect data.

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E. Quarterly Wage Report - Form UC-7823

This preprinted form is used to report wages paid to each employee within the calendar quarter.

If you are currently reporting with paper forms and have Internet access, you can file using our web-based application.

Instructions for Completion

If employee data is preprinted, enter the total gross wages paid to each employee in the quarter. If employee social security numbers and names are not preprinted or you want to add a new employee, enter the information in line with the example printed on the form. Enter social security number, name (last name, first name) and the total gross wage paid in the quarter.

If an employee listed was not paid during the quarter, leave the wage field blank. The employee's name and social security number will not appear on the next quarter's report.

Correct preprinted data by placing an 'X' in the CHANGE column, drawing a line through the incorrect character and entering correct information directly above.

Special Note To Request Forms:

Visit the forms section of our website and locate the UC-7823-E Quarterly Wage Report in the list of forms.

• Call: (608) 266-6877
• Email: wagenet@dwd.wisconsin.gov
• Write to:
  
  DWD - UI Wage Reporting
  P.O. Box 7962
  Madison, WI 53707

We Supply Forms Free of Charge

Example Form

Example of Form UC-7823

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F. Desktop Printer Wage Reports

Wage Reports may also be created on plain white paper using a standard desktop laser or ink-jet printer. A sample of this type of report is shown below. Note that the report displays the same data as the UC-7823 report, but does not contain any field labels or column headings.

With this wage reporting option, you must also complete a separate Quarterly Contribution Tax Report. For an example and instructions on form UCT-101, see Section 2, Part 4.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETION:

The report should be printed on 8-1/2'' x 11' white bond paper. The first two lines of the report contain header information, which consists of your 10-digit UI Account Number, the Quarter/Year, your Federal Employer Identification Number, and the employer's Legal Name.

The remainder of the report displays Wage Detail information presented in four separate columns: Social Security Number, Employee Last Name (up to 10 characters), Employee First Name (up to 8 characters) and Quarterly Wage.

The first line of Wage Detail should be printed at least 2 inches below the top edge of the page. Up to 23 lines of Wage Detail may be printed on a single page. Additional pages of Wage Detail may be created if you have more than 23 employees to report.

The last line on the report shows the Page Total, which is the total of all wages paid to employees listed on that page.

In order to be read by our OCR scanner, you must use a letter quality printer. Please do not use Dot Matrix printing as it is unreadable by our OCR scanner and must be manually key entered.

Other reporting options using the same print report format are:

1. Use blank forms UC-7823 in your laser printer.
2. File online using our web-based application. After completing your quarterly Tax and Wage reports online, you can mail your payment with a payment coupon or you can make an electronic payment via EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer). See Section 2, Part 4 - Account Reporting (I) or call (608) 261-6700.

Sample Report

Desktop Sample Report

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Updated: December 30, 2019

Content Contact: UI Wage Reporting