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LABOR NEWS |
| By Rod Chapel, Director Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations |
For release the week of: July 24, 2006
Electronic Method for Employers to Submit Unemployment Insurance Taxes Proves Successful
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations continues to develop new methods and streamline current processes to increase customer service. One new method has made it faster and easier for employers in the state to file a quarterly wage report required by the state's unemployment program. The Unemployment State Tax Automated Reporting (USTAR) system allows employers to file quarterly contribution and wage reports and submit payments through the Internet.
Every quarter Missouri employers are required to report the name, social security number and wages paid for each of their employees. Historically, smaller employers mailed the information on paper forms, while larger employers submitted their data on magnetic tape.
Under the new, secure online service the reporting process is more efficient and provides 24-hour, seven days a week filing for employers. USTAR automatically calculates the total, excess and taxable wages and contributions, which results in a tremendous time savings for employers. In addition, USTAR allows businesses to submit account changes and provides account services. The "Account Services" feature allows employers to review their statement of the account and request 940 recertification from the IRS. The "Account Change" feature allows employers to advise the agency of changes to their account.
The Department piloted the initial release of USTAR in July 2004 with over 500 employers volunteering. USTAR was available statewide on January 4, 2005. The Department continuously receives positive feedback from employers stating their pleasure with the web design, ease of use and time savings from the new system. By the end of calendar year 2005, over 14,000 employers submitted over 450,000 employee wage records through USTAR. Those numbers have grown so far in 2006 to over 16,000 employers and nearly 531,000 employee wage records submitted. Since January 2005, the use of USTAR has saved the Department $74,241.
Reports and payments may be filed at https://www.ustar.dolir.mo.gov/ustar/login.jsp. Assistance for this new service is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at (573) 751-1995.
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