California registration and tax info

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. Learn more about paying your first employee in a new state by watching this quick tutorial.

Gusto partners with CorpNet to help you register in the state—learn more below.

Click Register a company with the state or Find account numbers and rate info—the company is already registered with the state to learn more about:

Registering and entering the tax account info in Gusto.
Finding your tax account number(s) and rates and entering them in Gusto.

State tax registration with our partner CorpNet

Gusto partners with CorpNet to help you register your business in new states.

How it works

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. Here’s a snapshot of the process:

We’ll collect some basic business information from you.
Gusto and CorpNet will check the information for accuracy.
Your registration application(s) are usually submitted within 3-5 business days.
Check the mail for registration info—the state will typically send your tax account numbers and rates to you directly.

CorpNet can walk you through entering any info that they themselves do not enter in Gusto on your behalf.

Get started with state tax registration

Sign in to Gusto as an admin.
Click the Taxes & compliance section and select Tax setup.
Under “[State name] Tax Setup”, click Have us register for you.
- The state you want to register in will only appear in this location once a work address has been added in a new state and an employee has been assigned a work address in that state.
Review the price, process, and estimated timeline to completion.
- We will not charge you the registration service fee until you send us your order.
Click Continue.
Answer a couple eligibility questions.
- Note: Gusto can only register for you if you don't yet have a state account already.
Click Save & continue.
Enter some company information.
- We’ll pre-populate the information we already have.
Click Save & continue.
Tell us about your responsible party–this is the person who is to be held accountable for the company’s good standing and a point of contact within the organization for tax purposes.
Click Save & continue.
Enter some state-specific operational information.
Click Save and continue.
Review all information thoroughly–if any information is incorrect it may delay the process.
- Heads up: state and local agencies may charge additional fees and increase the estimated turnaround time shown. CorpNet will let you know if that happens.
Check the box to acknowledge all info is accurate and you agree to the Terms of Service.
Click Send registration order.

After you send your order, we’ll email you with status updates and add your order total to your next monthly invoice.

Checking the status of your order

When your order is complete you’ll receive emails from both Gusto and CorpNet. They’ll detail the next steps which include:

Reviewing registration details
Any other state-specific instructions

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 head to the Taxes & compliance and select Tax setup, scroll to the state tax setup section and click the link to Check the status of your registration.

Changing your order

To update your order, contact CorpNet at [email protected] or 1(888) 449-2638. They’re open Monday-Friday from 7am-5pm PT.

FAQs

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–head to the Taxes & compliance and select Tax setup, and scroll to the applicable state tax setup.
CorpNet–create a CorpNet account and login at any time to review information.
State online account–once you’ve gained access to your agency accounts, your tax details will also be available there.

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.

Click the dropdowns below to learn how to register with the state agency.

California tax agency

CA Employment Development Department (EDD) - income tax withholding and unemployment tax

EDD account registration—withholding and income tax

Register with the EDD

Check out this video tutorial for registration guidance: enroll as an employer in e-Services for Business (YouTube).

Start by heading to the EDD's e-services for businesses site.
Enroll for a username and password by clicking Enroll on the right-side of the page.
Enter your personal information and click Continue.
Once you've created the account, sign in to your E-services for Businesses profile.
Select New Customer.
Choose Register for Employer Payroll Tax Account Number.
You'll be asked for information about your business and its operations in California—here are a few tips for certain questions that may affect your payroll with Gusto:
- “First quarter your wages exceeded $100.”
  - Gusto will only begin filing your taxes once you run a payroll with California wages.
  - You may choose the prior quarter or current quarter.
    - If you choose a prior quarter, you'll be responsible for filing returns with the agency on your own in the interim.
- “Taxpayer Representative Contact Information."
  - Do not add Gusto as a Taxpayer Representative.
- "Are you an authorized Payroll Agent?"
  - Select No.
- "Does this business use professional assistance for payroll reporting?"
  - Select No.
- "Agency where you want your tax mailings sent?"
  - Enter your own company name and mailing address. This ensures that your company receives any important communications from the EDD.
Submit your completed online registration application to finish this step.
- To expedite getting your account number, provide all requested documentation to the agency up front.
  - Registration for non-profit employers can take a little longer if the organization does not provide their non-profile paperwork with their registration (i.e. your 501(c) determination letter from the IRS).
Once your request is sent:
- If you registered online and there's no information missing from your registration, you'll get an account number immediately.
- If there's an issue with the information that was provided, the turnaround time to get an account number is typically three days, provided the employer provides a response to any requests timely.

To view the status of your request/registration, log in to e-Services for Business. If you have any questions, contact the agency directly.

If you submitted paperwork in person (rather than online), registration can take up to 7 days.

Enter the tax account information in Gusto

Once a valid California work address has been added in Gusto for one or more employee(s), you can add your tax account information:

Click the Taxes & compliance section and select Tax setup.
Scroll to the "California Tax Setup" headline and select Manage taxes.
Enter your EDD account number and agency-assigned unemployment rate—your EDD number will be an eight-digit number in the format 123-4567-8.
- Account number: if you need to update your account number after one has been entered, contact us from the Help section of your account—there may be tax implications if taxes have already been paid or filed to an incorrect account number.
- Unemployment tax rate: if you have not yet received your agency-assigned rate, you can use the current year's “New employer rate” from the state-specific table in this article.
  - Once you have your agency-assigned rate, follow these steps to update the rate in Gusto—only needed if the rate is different from the rate shown in Gusto.

Find account numbers and rate info—the company is already registered with the state

If you've already registered in the state, you'll need to enter your tax account details in Gusto in order to pay employees.

You'll need to be registered with the below agency in order for Gusto to file and pay taxes on your behalf:

CA Employment Development Department (EDD) - income tax withholding and unemployment tax

If you still need to register, click the Register a company with the state dropdown above in this article.

Find your EDD tax account number and unemployment rate

If you've run payroll in California in the past, you can find your EDD tax account number and unemployment rate:

In your online e-Services account.
On a previously filed form —Form DE-9 or DE-9c.

If you're unable to find your account number or unemployment tax rate, contact the agency directly at (888) 745-3886.

Enter the tax account information in Gusto

Once a valid California work address has been added in Gusto for one or more employee(s), you can add your tax account information:

Click the Taxes & compliance section and select Tax setup.
Scroll to the "California Tax Setup" headline and select Manage taxes.
Enter your EDD account number and agency-assigned unemployment rate—your EDD number will be an eight-digit number in the format 123-4567-8.
- Account number: if you need to update your account number after one has been entered, contact us from the Help section of your account—there may be tax implications if taxes have already been paid or filed to an incorrect account number.
- Unemployment tax rate: if you have not yet received your agency-assigned rate, you can use the current year's “New employer rate” from the state-specific table in this article.
  - Once you have your agency-assigned rate, follow these steps to update the rate in Gusto—only needed if the rate is different from the rate shown in Gusto.

San Francisco "Gross Receipts" and "Overpaid Executive" payroll expense taxes

Gusto does not support paying or filing for the two taxes below.

Gross Receipts Tax

Most companies doing business in San Francisco are subject to a gross receipts tax.

Gusto does not file or pay this tax because we don't have the information about your business that we would need to do so.

Check out the SF Treasurer's website to learn more about this tax, including how to file and pay online.

Overpaid Executive Tax—effective Jan 1, 2022

The Overpaid Executive Tax (also referred to as the Overpaid Executive Gross Receipts Tax) was approved by San Francisco voters on November 3, 2020 and becomes effective on January 1, 2022.

Gusto does not file or pay this tax because we don't have the information about your business that we would need to do so.

What to know about the tax:

It imposes an additional gross receipts tax of 0.1% to 0.6% on taxable gross receipts from businesses in which the highest-paid managerial employee earns more than 100 times the median compensation of employees based in San Francisco.
Businesses that pay the Administrative Office Tax will pay an additional 0.4% to 2.4% on their payroll expense in San Francisco in lieu of the additional gross receipts tax.
The Overpaid Executive Tax is filed as part of the "Annual Business Tax Return".

For more information, check out this website.

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “CCPA”) was passed by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Jerry Brown, Governor of California, in June 2018.

The CCPA is a comprehensive consumer privacy law that grants consumers new rights regarding their personal information and creates data protection obligations for certain companies doing business in California.

The CCPA was effective on January 1, 2020. If your company has one or more of the following characteristics, it’ll be subject to the CCPA’s requirements:

It has annual gross revenues in excess of $25,000,000.
It annually buys, sells, or shares the personal information of 50,000 or more California consumers, households, or devices.
It derives 50 percent or more of its annual revenue from selling California consumers’ personal information.

If any of #1-3 above applies to your business, you’ll need to do the following to comply with the CCPA once it goes into effect:

Respond to consumer requests to disclose the personal information you’ve collected about them;
Delete certain types of personal information if and when requested;
Allow consumers to opt out of the “sale” (or sharing) of their personal information;
Provide notices and receive consents from consumers for certain activities;
Contractually limit data sharing by third parties, maintain an updated privacy policy, and more...

We've updated our privacy policy to make it CCPA-compliant.

For more information about the CCPA, you can visit the website of the State of California Department of Justice.

If you have questions about how the new law will affect your company, please reach out to a lawyer who can provide guidance specifically tailored to your situation.

Forms we file in California

CA Report of New Hires (DE34)*
Payroll Tax Deposit Coupon (DE88)*
Quarterly Contribution Return and Report of Wages (DE 9)
Combined Payroll Tax Payment Coupon (DE 9C)

Asterisks info—only if applicable

Filings marked with an asterisk (*) are coupons, payment vouchers, or other forms that are filed electronically, and will not appear in your Tax documents tab.

Filings marked with a double-asterisk (**), are forms that will only be available for January 1st, 2020 and beyond.

Agency website(s) and contact info

California Employment Development Department (888) 745-3886