Before you can pay employees, make sure you've registered for payroll in their applicable work state. This can sometimes take several weeks—the sooner you start the process, the sooner you'll have the tax account info required to pay them.
Gusto partners with CorpNet to help you register in the state—learn more below.
If you've already registered in the state, you'll need to enter your tax account details in Gusto in order to pay employees. Learn where to find your tax account information by clicking The company is already registered with the state below.
Once a work address has been added in a new state and a new employee has been hired and assigned a work address in that state, you can get registration assistance in Gusto.
Pricing varies by state—get started below and during step 4, you'll review the price, process, and estimated timeline to completion.
Here’s a snapshot of the process:
CorpNet can walk you through entering any info that they themselves do not enter in Gusto on your behalf.
After you send your order, we’ll email you with status updates and add your order total to your next monthly invoice.
When your order is complete, you’ll receive emails from both Gusto and CorpNet. They’ll detail the next steps which include:
Before your order is completed, you can use the link in the state registration confirmation email from Gusto to check the status of your order.
You can also check the status in your Gusto account:
If an order is already completed, you'll need to contact CorpNet at [email protected] or 1(888) 449-2638 to cancel. They’re open Monday-Friday from 7am-5pm PT.
If your order is still in progress, you can cancel from your Gusto account:
Q: Can I run payroll for my employees before my registration is complete?
A: Not in most cases—you typically need to have a withholding account number and required tax rate(s) in Gusto before you can run payroll.
If you’re registering in a state where there is no income tax withheld, you can use the state-specific “new employer rate” in this article until you receive your company-assigned rate from the agency.
Q: Can I use Gusto to register in a new state if I don't have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) yet?
A: No–you must have a FEIN entered in Gusto to order a state tax registration.
Q: Where can I see all my tax information?
A: You can see all tax details in the following locations:
Gusto’s state tax registration service does not contain tax, legal, financial, or HR advice. Since rules and regulations change over time and can vary by location, consult a lawyer, HR expert, or accountant for specific guidance.
Q: My company is a nonprofit and I'm unable to enter 0% in the responsible party section, what do I do?
A: Some states have a 1% minimum for the responsible party ownership percentage. Those states are: ID, KS, MN, OH, SC, DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, and RI.
Registration orders will need to be placed directly through CorpNet, outside of Gusto, or you'll need to register directly with the agency yourself.
Register your company at the SC Department of Revenue online. You should receive your SC Withholding File Number and tax deposit schedule within 24 hours after registering online, or 3 weeks if registering by mail. Please keep this time frame in mind when planning your first South Carolina payroll. If you have any questions about the process, you should call the agency at (803) 898-5000 or email [email protected].
Most companies are liable for state unemployment when they pay $1500 of wages in any calendar quarter or have one employee during any 20 weeks in a calendar year. You can find out if you are liable and register your company at the SC Department of Employment and Workforce online. You should receive your six digit Employer Account Number in 2-3 weeks after registering. This is also known as your South Carolina State Tax ID. If you have a seven digit number with a leading zero, please omit the zero when entering your number.
If you are a new employer, you will receive your unemployment tax rate after you have registered with the state. Click here to view state-by-state new employer rates and wage bases.
When entering your unemployment tax rate in your account, please do not enter the Department Administrative Contingency Assessment (DACA) rate of 0.060% as Gusto includes this rate automatically.
Most tax rate notices include an Unemployment Insurance Tax rate, a Trust Fund Replenishment rate, and the 0.60% DACA rate in the total rate - you'll need reduce the total rate by this percentage before entering the rate in Gusto.
For instance, a total rate of 0.870% on your notice would be entered into Gusto as 0.81% (0.870% - 0.060% = 0.810%). The total should be the sum of the "Unemployment Insurance Tax" rate and the "Trust Fund Replenishment" rate found on the notice (less the DACA rate of 0.60%).
Owner's wages
If you have owners or partners listed in your South Carolina State Unemployment Insurance Tax System (SC SUITS) account who have received an exemption from South Carolina unemployment insurance (UI) taxes, then these owner's wages must be excluded from your quarterly wage reports to the state or your entire tax filing will be rejected by the state.
To add a tax exemption for this owner for South Carolina Unemployment Insurance taxes, following the steps listed in this article—this ensures we do not report their wages in error.
Checking the company’s owner’s information on file with the state
If you have an online SC SUITS account, follow these instructions to view or update owner information:
In order for Gusto to help troubleshoot tax issues, we'll need you to authorize Gusto as your third-party agent (TPA). Gusto will become your TPA for the agency below:
To become your third-party agent, a notarized form authorizing Gusto as your payroll provider must be submitted to the agency—to make this easy, we’ll prepare the necessary document for you to e-sign in Gusto. Then, we’ll submit the form directly to the agency.
Add Gusto as your third party agent
This form will only populate once you’ve assigned a SC work address to your first SC employee.
We’ll submit this to the agency directly on your behalf—you’re all set for now.
If you’ve run payroll in South Carolina in the past, you can find your SC Withholding File Number on notices received from the State of South Carolina Department of Revenue, or by calling the agency at (803) 896-1450.
If you've run payroll in South Carolina in the past, you can find your Employer Account Number on the Employer Package, Liability Letter, and Employer Quarterly Contribution and Wages Report (Form UCE-120) received from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. This number is typically six digits. If you have a seven digit number with a leading zero, please omit the zero when entering your number.
Unemployment tax rate
You can find your Unemployment Tax Rate on the Rate Notice from the SC Dept. of Employment and Workforce. If you're unsure, you should call the agency at (803) 737-3080 or email [email protected].
Click here to view state-by-state UI rates and wage bases.
When entering your unemployment tax rate in your account, please do not enter the Department Administrative Contingency Assessment (DACA) rate of 0.060% as Gusto includes this rate automatically.
Most tax rate notices include an Unemployment Insurance Tax rate, a Trust Fund Replenishment rate, and the 0.60% DACA rate in the total rate - you'll need reduce the total rate by this percentage before entering the rate in Gusto.
Owner's wages
If you have owners or partners listed in your South Carolina State Unemployment Insurance Tax System (SC SUITS) account who have received an exemption from South Carolina unemployment insurance (UI) taxes, then these owner's wages must be excluded from your quarterly wage reports to the state or your entire tax filing will be rejected by the state.
To add a tax exemption for this owner for South Carolina Unemployment Insurance taxes, following the steps listed in this article—this ensures we do not report their wages in error.
Checking the company’s owner’s information on file with the state
If you have an online SC SUITS account, follow these instructions to view or update owner information:
In order for Gusto to help troubleshoot tax issues, we'll need you to authorize Gusto as your third-party agent (TPA). Gusto will become your TPA for the agency below:
To become your third-party agent, a notarized form authorizing Gusto as your payroll provider must be submitted to the agency—to make this easy, we’ll prepare the necessary document for you to e-sign in Gusto. Then, we’ll submit the form directly to the agency.
Add Gusto as your third party agent
This form will only populate once you’ve assigned a SC work address to your first SC employee.
We’ll submit this to the agency directly on your behalf—you’re all set for now.
Where to find the forms available in your account
Head to the Taxes & compliance section and select Tax documents. Use the tabs on the page to toggle between federal, state, W-2, and 1099 forms.
Asterisks info—only if applicable