Unemployment tax definition
Unemployment tax is payroll tax used to provide benefits for unemployed workers. There are federal unemployment taxes as well as state-level taxes.
More about unemployment tax
Even though states may collect unemployment taxes, the federal government collects and holds all proceeds from both federal and state levied unemployment taxes. Federally collected funds are used to pay for the operating and administrating unemployment programs through grants, and state revenue goes directly toward paying benefits. Companies are generally “experience rated”, meaning their rate can change, depending on how often their workers file a successful claim.
