108.19(1e)(b)
(b) The levy prescribed under
par. (a) is not effective for any year unless the department, no later than the November 30 preceding that year, publishes a class 1 notice under
ch. 985 giving notice that the levy is in effect for the ensuing year.
108.19(1e)(c)
(c) Notwithstanding
par. (a), the department may, if it finds that the full amount of the levy is not required to effect the purposes specified in
par. (d) for any year, prescribe a reduced levy for that year and in such case shall publish in the notice under
par. (b) the rate of the reduced levy.
108.19(1e)(d)
(d) The department may expend the moneys received from assessments levied under this subsection for the renovation and modernization of the unemployment insurance tax and accounting system, including development and implementation of a new system and reengineering of automated processes and manual business functions.
108.19(1m)
(1m) Each employer subject to this chapter as of the date a rate is established under this subsection shall pay an assessment to the administrative account at a rate established by the department sufficient to pay interest due on advances from the federal unemployment account under title XII of the social security act (
42 USC 1321 to
1324). The rate established by the department for employers who finance benefits under
s. 108.15 (2) or
108.151 (2) shall be 75% of the rate established for other employers. The amount of any employer's assessment shall be the product of the rate established for that employer multiplied by the employer's payroll of the previous calendar year as taken from quarterly contribution reports filed by the employer or, in the absence of the filing of such reports, estimates made by the department. Each assessment made under this subsection is due on the 30th day commencing after the date on which notice of the assessment is mailed by the department. If the amounts collected under this subsection are in excess of the amounts needed to pay interest due, the amounts shall be retained in the administrative account and utilized for the purposes specified in
s. 108.20 (2m).
108.19(1n)
(1n) The department shall publish as a class 1 notice under
ch. 985 any rate established under
sub. (1m) within 10 days of the date that the rate is established.
108.19(1p)
(1p) Notwithstanding
sub. (1m), an employer having a payroll of $25,000 or less for the preceding calendar year is exempt from any assessment under
sub. (1m).
108.19(2)
(2) If the department finds, at any time within a fiscal year for which it has prescribed lower contribution rates to the administrative account than the maximum rate permitted under
sub. (1), that such lower rates will not adequately finance the administration of this chapter or are excessive for that purpose, the department may by general rule prescribe a new schedule of rates in no case exceeding the specified maximum to apply under this section for the balance of the fiscal year.
108.19(2m)
(2m) Within the limit specified by
sub. (1), the department may by rule prescribe at any time as to any period any such rate or rates or schedule as it deems necessary and proper hereunder. Unless thus prescribed, no such rate or rates or schedule shall apply under
sub. (1) or
(2).
108.19(3)
(3) If the federal unemployment tax act is amended to permit a maximum rate of credit against the federal tax higher than the 90% maximum rate of credit permitted under section
3302 (c) (1) of the internal revenue code on May 23, 1943, to an employer with respect to any state unemployment insurance law whose standard contribution rate on payroll under that law is more than 2.7%, then the standard contribution rate as to all employers under this chapter shall, by a rule of the department, be increased from 2.7% of payroll to that percentage of payroll which corresponds to the higher maximum rate of credit thus permitted against the federal unemployment tax; and such increase shall become effective on the same date as such higher maximum rate of credit becomes permissible under the federal amendment.
108.19(4)
(4) If section 303 (a) (5) of title III of the social security act and section
3304 (a) (4) of the internal revenue code are amended to permit a state agency to use, in financing administrative expenditures incurred in carrying out its employment security functions, some part of the moneys collected or to be collected under the state unemployment insurance law, in partial or complete substitution for grants under title III, then this chapter shall, by rule of the department, be modified in the manner and to the extent and within the limits necessary to permit such use by the department under this chapter; and the modifications shall become effective on the same date as such use becomes permissible under the federal amendments.
108.20
108.20
Administrative account. 108.20(1)
(1) To finance the administration of this chapter and to carry out its provisions and purposes there is established the "administrative account". This account shall consist of all contributions and moneys not otherwise appropriated paid to or transferred by the department for the account under
s. 108.19, and of all moneys received for the account by the state or by the department from any source, including all federal moneys allotted or apportioned to the state or the department for the employment service or for administration of this chapter, or for services, facilities or records supplied to any federal agency from the appropriation under
s. 20.445 (1) (n). The department shall make to federal agencies such reports as are necessary in connection with or because of such federal aid.
108.20(2)
(2) All amounts received by the department for the administrative account shall be paid over to the state treasurer and credited to that account for the administration of this chapter and the employment service, for the payment of benefits chargeable to the account under
s. 108.07 (5) and for the purposes specified in
sub. (2m).
108.20(2m)
(2m) From the moneys not appropriated under
s. 20.445 (1) (ge),
(gf) and
(gg) which are received by the administrative account as interest and penalties under this chapter, the department shall pay the benefits chargeable to the administrative account under
s. 108.07 (5) and the interest payable to employers under
s. 108.17 (3m) and may pay interest due on advances to the unemployment reserve fund from the federal unemployment account under title XII of the social security act,
42 USC 1321 to
1324, may make payments to satisfy a federal audit exception concerning a payment from the fund or any federal aid disallowance involving the unemployment insurance program, or may make payments to the fund if such action is necessary to obtain a lower interest rate or deferral of interest payments on advances from the federal unemployment account under title XII of the social security act, except that any interest earned pending disbursement of federal employment security grants under
s. 20.445 (1) (n) shall be credited to the general fund. Any moneys reverting to the administrative account from the appropriations under
s. 20.445 (1) (ge) and
(gf) shall be utilized as provided in this subsection.
108.20(3)
(3) There shall be included in the moneys governed by
sub. (2m) any amounts collected by the department under
ss. 108.04 (11) (c) and
(cm) and
108.22 (1) (a) and
(ac) as tardy filing fees, forfeitures, interest on delinquent payments or other penalties and any excess moneys collected under
s. 108.19 (1m).
108.20(4)
(4) Any moneys transferred to the administrative account from the federal administrative financing account pursuant to
s. 108.161 shall be expended or restored to that account in accordance with
s. 108.161.
108.205
108.205
Quarterly wage reports. 108.205(1)
(1) Each employer shall file with the department, in such form as the department by rule requires, a quarterly report showing the name, social security number and wages paid to each employee who is employed by the employer in employment with the employer during the quarter. The department may also by rule require each employer to include in the report any salary reduction amounts that are not wages and that would have been paid to each such employee by the employer as salary during the quarter but for a salary reduction agreement under a cafeteria plan, within the meaning of
26 USC 125. The employer shall file the report no later than the last day of the month following the completion of each quarter.
108.205(2)
(2) All employers of 100 or more employees, as determined under
s. 108.22 (1) (ae), shall file the quarterly report under
sub. (1) using an electronic medium approved by the department for such employers. An employer that becomes subject to the reporting requirement under this subsection shall file its initial report under this subsection for the 4th quarter beginning after the quarter in which the employer becomes subject to the reporting requirement. Once an employer becomes subject to the reporting requirement under this subsection, the employer shall continue to file its quarterly reports under this subsection unless that requirement is waived by the department.
108.21
108.21
Record and audit of payrolls. 108.21(1)
(1) Every employing unit which employs one or more individuals to perform work in this state shall keep an accurate work record for each individual employed by it, including full name, address and social security number, which will permit determination of the weekly wages earned by each such individual, the wages paid within each quarter to that individual and the salary reduction amounts that are not wages and that would have been paid by the employing unit to that individual as salary but for a salary reduction agreement under a cafeteria plan, within the meaning of
26 USC 125. Each such employing unit shall permit any authorized representative of the department to examine, at any reasonable time, the work record and any other records which may show any wages paid by the employing unit, or any salary reduction amounts that are not wages and that would have been paid by the employing unit as salary but for a salary reduction agreement under a cafeteria plan, within the meaning of
26 USC 125, regardless of the format in which such a record is maintained. If such a record is maintained by an employing unit in machine-readable format, the employing unit shall provide the department with information necessary to retrieve the record. If the department determines that the employing unit is unable to provide access to such a record or that the retrieval capability at the site where the record is maintained is not adequate for efficient examination, the employing unit shall provide a copy of the record to the department and shall allow the department to remove the copy from that site for such period as will permit examination at another location. Each such employing unit shall furnish to the department upon demand a sworn statement of the information contained in any such record.
108.21(2)
(2) The findings of any such authorized representative of the department, based on examination of the records of any such employing unit and embodied in an audit report mailed to the employing unit, shall constitute a determination within the meaning of
s. 108.10.
108.21(3)
(3) If any such employing unit fails to keep adequate work records under this section or fails to file the reports required by this chapter or required by the department under this chapter, the employing unit's contribution liability with respect to the period for which such records are lacking or deficient or for which such reports have not been filed may be estimated by the department in a determination made under
s. 108.10.
108.22
108.22
Timely reports, notices and payments. 108.22(1)(a)(a) If any employer, other than an employer which has ceased business and has not paid or incurred a liability to pay wages in any quarter following the cessation of business, is delinquent in making by the assigned due date any contribution report, or other report or payment to the department required of it under this chapter except a quarterly report under
s. 108.205 or a voluntary contribution, the employer shall pay interest on any delinquent payment at the rate of one percent per month or fraction thereof from the date such payment became due. If any such employer is delinquent in making any quarterly report under
s. 108.205 by the assigned due date, the employer shall pay a tardy filing fee for each delinquent quarterly report as follows:
108.22(1)(ac)
(ac) In addition to any fee assessed under
par. (a), an employer that is subject to the reporting requirement under
s. 108.205 (2) and that fails to file its report in a format prescribed under that subsection may be assessed a penalty of $10 for each employee whose information is not reported in a format prescribed under
s. 108.205 (2).
108.22(1)(ae)
(ae) For purposes of
par. (a), the number of employees employed by an employer is the total number of employees employed by the employer at any time during the reporting period.
108.22(1)(am)
(am) The interest and the tardy filing fees levied under
par. (a) shall be paid to the department and credited to the administrative account.
108.22(1)(c)
(c) Any report or payment, except a payment required by
s. 108.15 (5) (b) or
108.151 (5) (f), to which this subsection applies is delinquent, within the meaning of
par. (a), unless it is received by the department, in the form prescribed by law or rule of the department, no later than its due date as determined under
par. (b), or if mailed is either postmarked no later than that due date or is received by the department no later than 3 days after that due date. Any payment required by
s. 108.15 (5) (b) or
108.151 (5) (f) is delinquent, within the meaning of
par. (a), unless it is received by the department, in the form prescribed by law, no later than the last day of the month in which it is due.
108.22(1)(d)
(d) The tardy payment fee or filing fee may be waived by the department if the employer later files the required report or makes the required payment and satisfies the department that the report or payment was tardy due to circumstances beyond the employer's control.
108.22(1)(f)
(f) Any notice of assurance filed under
s. 108.151 (2) (c) is timely if it is received by the department by its due date or, if mailed, is either postmarked no later than that due date or is received by the department no later than 3 days after that due date.
108.22(1m)
(1m) If an employer owes any contributions, interest or fees to the department under this chapter and fails to pay the amount owed, the department has a perfected lien upon the employer's right, title and interest in all of its real and personal property located in this state in the amount finally determined to be owed, plus costs. Except where creation of a lien is barred or stayed by bankruptcy or other insolvency law, the lien is effective when the department issues a determination of the amount owed under
s. 108.10 (1) and shall continue until the amount owed, plus costs and interest to the date of payment, is paid. If a lien is initially barred or stayed by bankruptcy or other insolvency law, it shall become effective immediately upon expiration or removal of such bar or stay. The perfected lien does not give the department priority over lienholders, mortgagees, purchasers for value, judgment creditors and pledges whose interests have been recorded before the department's lien is recorded.
108.22(2)(a)1.1. If any employing unit fails to pay to the department any amount found to be due it in proceedings pursuant to
s. 108.10, provided that no appeal or review permitted under
s. 108.10 is pending and that the time for taking an appeal or review has expired, the department or any authorized representative may issue a warrant directed to the clerk of circuit court for any county of the state.
108.22(2)(a)2.
2. The clerk of circuit court shall enter in the judgment and lien docket the name of the employing unit mentioned in the warrant and the amount of the contributions, interest, costs and other fees for which the warrant is issued and the date when such copy is entered.
108.22(2)(a)3.
3. A warrant entered under
subd. 2. shall be considered in all respects as a final judgment constituting a perfected lien upon the employing unit's right, title and interest in all real and personal property located in the county where the warrant is entered.
108.22(2)(a)4.
4. The department or any authorized representative may thereafter file an execution with the clerk of circuit court for filing by the clerk of circuit court with the sheriff of any county where real or personal property of the employing unit is found, commanding the sheriff to levy upon and sell sufficient real and personal property of the employing unit to pay the amount stated in the warrant in the same manner as upon an execution against property issued upon the judgment of a court of record, and to return the warrant to the department and pay to it the money collected by virtue thereof within 60 days after receipt of the warrant.
108.22(2)(b)
(b) The clerk of circuit court shall accept, file and enter the warrant in the judgment and lien docket without prepayment of any fee, but the clerk of circuit court shall submit a statement of the proper fee semiannually to the department covering the periods from January 1 to June 30 and July 1 to December 31 unless a different billing period is agreed to between the clerk of circuit court and the department. The fees shall then be paid by the department, but the fees provided by
s. 814.61 (5) for entering the warrants shall be added to the amount of the warrant and collected from the employing unit when satisfaction or release is presented for entry.
108.22(3)
(3) The department may issue a warrant of like terms, force and effect to any employee or other agent of the department, who may file a copy of such warrant with the clerk of circuit court of any county in the state, and thereupon such clerk shall enter the warrant in the judgment and lien docket and the warrant shall become a lien in the same manner, and with the same force and effect, as provided in
sub. (2). In the execution of the warrant, the employee or other agent shall have all the powers conferred by law upon a sheriff, but shall not be entitled to collect from the employer any fee or charge for the execution of the warrant in excess of the actual expenses paid in the performance of his or her duty.
108.22(4)
(4) If a warrant be returned not satisfied in full, the department shall have the same remedies to enforce the amount due for contributions, interest, and costs and other fees as if the department had recovered judgment against the employing unit for the same and an execution returned wholly or partially not satisfied.
108.22(5)
(5) When the contributions set forth in a warrant together with interest and other fees to date of payment and all costs due the department have been paid to it, the department shall issue a satisfaction of the warrant and file it with the clerk of circuit court. The clerk of circuit court shall immediately enter a satisfaction of the judgment on the judgment and lien docket. The department shall send a copy of the satisfaction to the employer.
108.22(6)
(6) The department, if it finds that the interests of the state will not thereby be jeopardized, and upon such conditions as it may exact, may issue a release of any warrant with respect to any real or personal property upon which the warrant is a lien or cloud upon title, and such release shall be entered of record by the clerk upon presentation to the clerk and payment of the fee for filing said release and the same shall be held conclusive that the lien or cloud upon the title of the property covered by the release is extinguished.
108.22(7)
(7) At any time after the filing of a warrant, the department may commence and maintain a garnishee action as provided by
ch. 812 or may use the remedy of attachment as provided by
ch. 811 for actions to enforce a judgment. The place of trial of such an action may be either in Dane County or the county where the debtor resides and shall not be changed from the county in which such action is commenced, except upon consent of the parties.
108.22(8)(a)(a) If benefits are erroneously paid to an individual, the individual's liability to reimburse the fund for the overpayment may be set forth in a determination or decision issued under
s. 108.09. Any determination which establishes or increases an overpayment shall include a finding concerning whether waiver of benefit recovery is required under
par. (c). If any decision of an appeal tribunal, the commission or any court establishes or increases an overpayment and the decision does not include a finding concerning whether waiver of benefit recovery is required under
par. (c), the tribunal, commission or court shall remand the issue to the department for a determination.
108.22(8)(b)
(b) To recover any overpayment which is not otherwise repaid or recovery of which has not been waived, the department may offset the amount of the overpayment against benefits the individual would otherwise be eligible to receive, or file a warrant against the liable individual in the same manner as is provided in this section for collecting delinquent payments from employers, or both, but only to the extent of recovering the actual amount of the overpayment and any costs and disbursements, without interest.
108.22(8)(c)1.1. The department shall waive recovery of benefits that were erroneously paid if:
108.22(8)(c)1.b.
b. The overpayment did not result from the fault of an employee as provided in
s. 108.04 (13) (f), or because of a claimant's false statement or misrepresentation.
108.22(8)(c)2.
2. If a determination or decision issued under
s. 108.09 is amended, modified or reversed by an appeal tribunal, the commission or any court, that action shall not be treated as establishing a departmental error for purposes of
subd. 1. a.
108.22(8m)
(8m) If the department issues an erroneous warrant, the department shall issue a notice of withdrawal of the warrant to the clerk of circuit court for the county in which the warrant is filed. The clerk shall void the warrant and any liens attached by it.
108.22(9)
(9) An individual who is an officer, employee, member or manager holding at least 20% of the ownership interest of a corporation or of a limited liability company subject to this chapter, and who has control or supervision of or responsibility for filing contribution reports or making payment of contributions, and who wilfully fails to file such reports or to make such payments to the department, or to ensure that such reports are filed or that such payments are made, may be found personally liable for such amounts, including interest, tardy payment or filing fees, costs and other fees, in the event that after proper proceedings for the collection of such amounts, as provided in this chapter, the corporation or limited liability company is unable to pay such amounts to the department. Ownership interest of a corporation or limited liability company includes ownership or control, directly or indirectly, by legally enforceable means or otherwise, by the individual, by the individual's spouse or child, by the individual's parent if the individual is under age 18, or by a combination of 2 or more of them, and such ownership interest of a parent corporation or limited liability company of which the corporation or limited liability company unable to pay such amounts is a wholly owned subsidiary. The personal liability of such officer, employee, member or manager as provided in this subsection survives dissolution, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, assignment for the benefit of creditors, judicially confirmed extension or composition, or any analogous situation of the corporation or limited liability company and shall be set forth in a determination or decision issued under
s. 108.10.
108.22 Annotation
Unemployment compensation warrants may be docketed by a clerk of circuit court prior to issuance of the warrants to the sheriff for levy purposes. 61 Atty. Gen. 148.
108.22 Annotation
The department has discretion whether to seek recovery of overpayments due to the department's error. 67 Atty. Gen. 228.
108.225
108.225
Levy for delinquent contributions or benefit overpayments. 108.225(1)(a)
(a) "Contributions" include interest for nontimely payment and any penalties assessed by the department under this chapter.
108.225(1)(b)
(b) "Debt" means a delinquent contribution or benefit overpayment.
108.225(1)(c)
(c) "Debtor" means a person who owes the department delinquent contributions or a benefit overpayment.
108.225(1)(d)
(d) "Disposable earnings" means that part of the earnings of any individual after the deduction from those earnings of any amounts required by law to be withheld, any life, health, dental or similar type of insurance premiums, union dues, any amount necessary to comply with a court order to contribute to the support of minor children, and any levy, wage assignment or garnishment executed prior to the date of a levy under this section.
108.225(1)(f)
(f) "Levy" means all powers of distraint and seizure.
108.225(1)(g)
(g) "Property" includes all tangible and intangible personal property and rights to such property, including compensation paid or payable for personal services, whether denominated as wages, salary, commission, bonus or otherwise, periodic payments received pursuant to a pension or retirement program, rents, proceeds of insurance and contract payments.
108.225(2)
(2) Powers of levy and distraint. If any debtor who is liable for any debt neglects or refuses to pay that debt after the department has made demand for payment, the department may collect that debt and the expenses of the levy by levy upon any property belonging to the debtor. Whenever the value of any property that has been levied upon under this section is not sufficient to satisfy the claim of the department, the department may levy upon any additional property of the debtor until the debt and expenses of the levy are fully paid.
108.225(3)
(3) Duties to surrender. Any person in possession of or obligated with respect to property or rights to property that is subject to levy and upon which a levy has been made shall, upon demand of the department, surrender the property or rights or discharge the obligation to the department, except that part of the property or rights which is, at the time of the demand, subject to any prior attachment or execution under any judicial process.
108.225(4)
(4) Failure to surrender; enforcement of levy. 108.225(4)(a)(a) Any debtor who fails or refuses to surrender any property or rights to property that is subject to levy, upon demand by the department, is subject to proceedings to enforce the amount of the levy.
108.225(4)(b)
(b) Any 3rd party who fails to surrender any property or rights to property subject to levy, upon demand of the department, is subject to proceedings to enforce the levy. The 3rd party is not liable to the department under this paragraph for more than 25% of the debt. The department shall serve a final demand as provided under
sub. (13) on any 3rd party who fails to surrender property. Proceedings shall not be initiated by the department until 5 days after service of the final demand. The department shall issue a determination under
s. 108.10 to the 3rd party for the amount of the liability.
108.225(4)(c)
(c) When a 3rd party surrenders the property or rights to the property on demand of the department or discharges the obligation to the department for which the levy is made, the 3rd party is discharged from any obligation or liability to the debtor with respect to the property or rights to the property arising from the surrender or payment to the department.
108.225(5)(a)(a) If the department has levied upon property, any person, other than the debtor who is liable to pay the debt out of which the levy arose, who claims an interest in or lien on that property and claims that that property was wrongfully levied upon may bring a civil action against the state in the circuit court for Dane County. That action may be brought whether or not that property has been surrendered to the department. The court may grant only the relief under
par. (b). No other action to question the validity of or restrain or enjoin a levy by the department may be maintained.
108.225(5)(b)
(b) In an action under
par. (a), if a levy would irreparably injure rights to property, the court may enjoin the enforcement of that levy. If the court determines that the property has been wrongfully levied upon, it may grant a judgment for the amount of money obtained by levy.
108.225(5)(c)
(c) For purposes of an adjudication under this subsection, the determination of the debt upon which the interest or lien of the department is based is conclusively presumed to be valid.
108.225(6)
(6) Determination of expenses. The department shall determine its costs and expenses to be paid in all cases of levy.
108.225(7)(a)(a) The department shall apply all money obtained under this section first against the expenses of the proceedings and then against the liability in respect to which the levy was made and any other liability owed to the department by the debtor.
