NMDWS Waives Penalties and Interest for Late 4th Quarter Taxes, Reports
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2013
Contact: Joy Forehand
Office: (505) 841-8450
Media Inquiries: (505) 250-3926
NMDWS Waives Penalties and Interest for Late 4th Quarter Taxes, Reports
(Albuquerque, NM) - The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) today announced that it will waive penalties and interest for employers who are unable to file 4th quarter wage reports and tax payments by the January 31st deadline because of delays contacting the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Operations Center.
“We understand that many employers are still waiting to speak with a UI customer service agent due to the extraordinarily high volume of calls we are receiving from people with questions about the federal extension of UI benefits and our transition to a modern UI tax and claims system,” said Celina Bussey, Secretary of NMDWS. “We are waiving these penalties and interest on a case-by-case basis to make sure that no employer is penalized for something beyond their control.”
Bussey said that NMDWS tax customer service agents will verify that employers’ delayed filings and payments were directly related to an inability to access a customer service agent in a timely fashion.
While high call volume continues to be an issue for NMDWS, the new UI system is operating smoothly. Eighteen thousand employers have successfully submitted 4th quarter contributions and wage reports and $7.65 million in 4th quarter contributions have been collected since the launch of the new system on January 6.
On Sunday, January 27, nearly 12,000 people certified for their weekly benefits online through their new self-service accounts. This is almost double the number of people who used the online system to certify for benefits on January 6. Also yesterday, 3,500 individuals receiving EUC (federal extension) benefits certified online. UI claimants may certify for weekly benefits any time between Sunday and Friday.
In addition to announcing the waiving of fees, Bussey outlined the many benefits New Mexico’s new, fully integrated UI tax & claims system provides to employers – some for the very first time.
The new UI system provides a single repository of all UI business functions. It enables employers, their agents and third-party administrators to register online and directly manage their own UI accounts – with one log-in and without NMDWS staff assistance. This self-service functionality accelerates the processing of new registrations and appeals, and allows employers to electronically file wage reports, initiate complex processes, and respond quickly to notices of claim filings.
The new UI system also automatically calculates taxable wages and amounts due and accepts electronic payments. The integrated functionality of the new system across UI claims, tax, and adjudication/appeals allows employers’ wage records to be updated at the same time as their UI accounts. The full suite of services also includes real-time access to current and historical documents and a complete tracking of benefit charges.
Bussey reminded employers that they must activate their accounts before they can access the new UI system, view account information, and submit quarterly wage reports. This only takes a few minutes and can be done by visiting www.dws.state.nm.us. Under the “Business” heading, click on “Unemployment Insurance Tax.”
For more assistance, employers can email uitax.support@state.nm.us or call the UI Operations Center toll-free at 1-877-664-6984 and select Option #3.
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