Having payroll issues? Learn how to troubleshoot blocked payroll.
Before you can pay employees in a new state, you must register with the stateβs tax agencies. This lets you file and pay the right taxes.
π₯ Watch a quick video to learn how registering in a new state works
π See our blog for full state business guides
Expand the sections below to learn more. Use CMD + F (or CTRL + F) to search for words in the article.
Let Gusto Business Compliance register your business in this state and keep you compliant after that. We'll register you with the state, act as your registered agent, file your annual reports, watch your government mail, and give you a concierge team. Learn more about Gusto Business Compliance.
Prefer not to use Business Compliance? We can still help you register in this state through our partner Middesk, with no monthly subscription. Order a one-time state tax registration.
Expand the sections below to see if you qualify, what's covered, how to sign up, and what happens next.
You can add Business Compliance if all of these are true:
You run payroll with Gusto. Business Compliance is not sold on its own.
You're on the Solo, Simple, Plus, or Premium plan. It's included with Premium at no extra cost.
Your business is a corporation or an LLC. Corporations include S corporations and nonprofit corporations. An LLC qualifies however it's taxed.
New sign-ups are not available for professional entities, including professional corporations and professional limited liability companies (PLLCs). If you already have a Business Compliance subscription as a professional entity, your coverage continues as it is.
Business Compliance is not available yet for sole proprietors, general partnerships, limited partnerships, or limited liability partnerships (LLPs). It's also not available for cannabis-related businesses, on any plan.
Not sure if you qualify? Chat with us before you sign up.
Business Compliance works state by state. Each state you add includes:
Registered agent β we accept legal and government mail for your business in that state.
Change of registered agent β we file the change so your mail comes to us.
Foreign qualification β we register your business with the Secretary of State so you can legally work there.
State tax registration β we register you with the state's tax agencies when you hire or start working there, including local tax agencies and Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) agencies wherever Gusto is able to register with them.
Annual report filing β we file the yearly report that keeps your business in good standing.
Government mail monitoring β we scan mail from state agencies into Gusto. Each notice comes with a plain-language summary of what it means and what to do next.
Proactive alerts β we tell you about deadlines before they're due.
You also get a compliance concierge team, no matter how many states you cover.
Cost: $85 per state, per month, billed monthly. Adding a state commits you to 12 months of coverage in that state. It's included with Premium at no extra cost. State filing fees are charged at cost, vary by state and business type, and show on your invoice.
Local tax and PFML coverage follows what Gusto's state tax registration supports, and not every agency can be registered through Gusto. Delaware and Maine do not allow a third party to register for Paid Family and Medical Leave, so you'll register with those agencies yourself. If we cannot register one of your agencies, we'll show it on your registration page under what you'll complete on your own. See Let Gusto help you with state tax registration.
Sign in to Gusto.
Go to Taxes & Compliance.
Select Business compliance.
Answer the questions about your business and the states where you work.
Review the price and what's included, then confirm.
After your first state is set up, you'll see its registrations and anything left to do.
When you add an employee or work location in a new state, that state shows up under Your states as Setup in progress, with your next step. Steps often include telling us more about your business there and moving your registered agent to us.
Select Start on a task to finish it, or View state details to see everything for that state. When every step is done, the state changes to Active.
To be your registered agent in a state, we file a change of registered agent with that state.
When a state needs this, you'll see a task on that state's card under Your states. Select Start to begin.
Keep your current registered agent until we confirm the transfer is done. A gap in coverage can put your business out of good standing in that state.
Once a state is active, we take over the ongoing work. We review your government mail, track your deadlines, and give you a concierge team to ask about any of it.
Your Business compliance page also shows your Compliance documents and Tax account details for each state.
Because we're your registered agent, legal mail for your business comes to us.
Other mail from state agencies is scanned into Agency notices on your Business compliance page. Each notice shows the state it came from, when it arrived, and a plain-language summary of what it means and what to do next. Select Unread or State to filter the list.
Still not sure what a notice means? Select Ask concierge about this mail on that notice. Your concierge team will follow up and explain what, if anything, you need to do.
If a notice is about your state payroll taxes, your concierge team brings in our tax resolution team. Learn more in How to handle a tax notice from an agency.
When you sign up, you get a compliance concierge team. They'll:
Learn about your business and the states where you work.
Check in regularly to make sure your filings are on track.
Explain any government mail you're unsure about.
Answer questions about your account.
To reach them, select Talk to a compliance concierge on your Business compliance page, or email [email protected].
We track filing and renewal deadlines for the states you cover. This includes annual reports, franchise tax filings, and business license renewals.
You'll get a notice in Gusto and by email before each deadline.
We file what we can for you. If a filing needs your approval, we'll send it to you with time to review.
Go to Taxes & Compliance β Business compliance β Manage subscription.
To stop coverage in one state, select Remove next to that state.
To cancel Business Compliance, select Leave Business Compliance.
Each state you add runs for a 12-month term, and you're billed monthly over that term. If you want to remove a state or leave Business Compliance before that term is up, email your compliance concierge team at [email protected] first. They'll tell you what happens to the rest of the term.
If Business Compliance is included with your Premium plan, you'll see a note on this page.
Before you remove a state: We'll stop being your registered agent there. Most states require one, so appoint a new agent to stay in good standing. We'll also stop tracking that state's mail and deadlines.
These services are charged separately from your subscription, on your regular Gusto invoice. Order them from your Business compliance page when you need them:
Certificate of good standing β $99 per certificate. Official proof that your business can operate and is in good standing. You may need one for a loan, a contract, or investors.
State account closure β $549 per order. We close your state tax accounts when you stop working in a state.
State filing fees are charged on top of these prices, at cost. They vary by state and by business type, so you'll see your total before you confirm the order. The filing fee appears as its own charge, separate from the service itself.
Legal and tax advice. We do not give legal or tax advice. For advice about your business, talk to a lawyer or an accountant.
Payroll taxes. Gusto payroll already handles the taxes tied to paying your team. Business Compliance covers what your business owes as a business.
Forming a new business. We register an existing business in a new state. We do not form new businesses.
Sales tax. We do not register you for sales tax or file sales tax returns.
Professional and industry licenses. We do not get or renew licenses for your profession or industry, or handle their reporting.
Reinstatements and reopened accounts. We do not reinstate a business with the Secretary of State or reopen closed payroll tax accounts.
General mail. We monitor payroll and compliance notices from government agencies, not your other mail.
Q: Why does my business need to register in a state?
A: Once you have an employee, a location, or other business in a state, that state's rules apply to you. This includes registration, filings, taxes, and renewals. It's separate from registering to run payroll there.
Q: How is this different from the payroll taxes Gusto already handles?
A: Gusto payroll handles the taxes tied to paying your team. Business Compliance covers what your business owes as a business, like Secretary of State registration, annual reports, and registered agent service.
Q: I'm already registered in my state. Do I still need this?
A: Registering is just the first step. Staying in good standing is ongoing. We keep you there by acting as your registered agent, watching your mail, filing your annual reports, and alerting you before deadlines.
Q: How much does Business Compliance cost?
A: $85 per state, per month, billed monthly. When you add a state, you are committing to 12 months of coverage in that state. It's included with Premium at no extra cost. State filing fees are charged at cost, and they vary by state and business type. One-time services are charged separately from your subscription. You'll see the price before you confirm.
Q: How do Business Compliance charges show up on my bill?
A: They appear on your regular Gusto invoice, not a separate bill. Your subscription, each one-time service you order, and state filing fees show up as their own charges, with the state named, so you can see what each one is for.
Q: I already paid for a one-time registration. What happens if I add Business Compliance?
A: Email your compliance concierge team at [email protected]. They'll review your account and share your options.
Expand the sections below to learn how to register with state agencies.
You'll work with the following Indiana agencies when registering for payroll taxes:
Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR): Handles income tax withholding.
Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD): Handles unemployment tax.
Indiana does not have a single, comprehensive business license. However, all businesses operating in Indiana are subject to regulatory requirements that may involve several state agencies.
INBiz is Indiana's one-stop resource for registering and managing your business and ensuring it complies with state laws and regulations. After you set up an INBiz account and file with the Secretary of State (if necessary), you can register with:
The Department of Revenue
The Department of Workforce Development
About 2β3 business days after you register online, you'll receive a 10-digit Taxpayer ID and a 3-digit location code.
Gather the information needed to register your business. Use Indiana's BT-1 checklist to get ready.
Go to the INBiz website.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Register Now.
Find Tax Registration and click Register Now.
Complete any remaining steps.
If you have questions about registration, call the Indiana Department of Revenue at (317) 232-2240.
Most companies become liable for Indiana unemployment insurance tax once you've paid one Indiana employee at least $1.00. This threshold varies by business type (general, nonprofit, and similar), so contact the Department of Workforce Development at (800) 891-6499 to confirm when your company will be liable.
If you need to run payroll but do not yet meet the above requirements, you can still do so. Enter the new employer rate for Indiana in Gusto for now, and update the rate once you receive it.
You should receive your unemployment account number instantly after registering online. Your unemployment tax rate (total premium rate) will be on the notice you receive from the Indiana DWD.
Go to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development website.
Find the Resources section and click First Time User.
Make sure Employer is selected, enter your FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number), and click Next.
Complete any remaining prompts.
You'll also need to enter Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes for your employees in Indiana.
Once you complete registration, take these steps:
Give Gusto third-party access (TPA) so we can help manage your taxes with the agency.
Enter your tax account information in Gusto once you add a valid Indiana work address for one or more employees.
Set up employee county withholding for Indiana county taxes.
If you've already registered in Indiana, you need to enter your tax account details in Gusto. You need to be registered with one or more of the following agencies for Gusto to file and pay taxes on your behalf:
Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR): Handles income tax withholding.
Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD): Handles unemployment tax.
If you still need to register, see the Register for IN income and unemployment tax on your own section earlier in this article.
Once you add a valid Indiana work address in Gusto for one or more employees, you can enter your state tax account information.
To add your Indiana tax account information:
Go to Taxes & compliance, then select Tax setup.
Find Indiana Tax Setup and select Manage taxes.
Follow the instructions below for each tax type.
Important: If you edit a tax account number after payments or filings have been made, there may be tax implications. Learn how to pull reports in Gusto that can help you correct any historical tax issues related to tax account number updates.
Next to Withholding Taxpayer ID, click Edit to enter your 10-digit Taxpayer ID (TID).
Note: For Gusto to pay and file your taxes successfully, your FEIN and Taxpayer ID in Gusto must exactly match what the agency has on record. Sign in to your INTIME account to confirm that the FEIN, Taxpayer ID, and account status all match what's in Gusto. You can find the FEIN in the top-left corner of your INTIME account.
Your INTIME account: The Taxpayer ID appears on your welcome screen.
Notices from the Indiana Department of Revenue
If you cannot find your Taxpayer ID, contact the agency at (317) 232-2240.
Next to Location Code, click Edit to enter your 3-digit location code.
If there is only one location, most employers will have a location code of 001.
If you have a consolidated account, you'll typically have a location code of 900.
If you see consolidated filing account instead of a number in INTIME, use 000 as the location code in Gusto.
Your INTIME account: Go to the Summary tab and check each tax account box for the associated Location Number.
If you cannot find your location code, contact the agency at (317) 232-2240.
Next to Unemployment Account Number, click Edit to enter your unemployment account number.
Notices from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Your Uplink account
If you cannot find your account number, contact the agency at (800) 437-9136.
Next to Unemployment Tax Rate, click Edit to enter your total premium rate. Make sure to enter the total or applied rate, which includes the interest surcharge.
Your rate notice from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development: The rate appears in the Total Premium box.
Your Uplink account
If you cannot find your rate, contact the agency at (800) 437-9136.
If you do not have your assigned rate yet, enter the new employer rate for Indiana in Gusto in the meantime. Update the rate once you receive it.
Indiana requires SOC codes for unemployment tax reporting. Enter SOC codes for your employees in Indiana.
For information about Indiana county taxes, see the Employee withholding setup (local county taxes) section below.
Indiana county taxes are based on employee withholding elections using Form WH-4. Gusto uses Form WH-4, which your employees fill out, to determine how much state income tax is withheld and to determine the amount of county taxes for the year.
Employers are required to withhold taxes in the county where an employee lives. This is based on the address the employee lived at on January 1 of each calendar year.
If an employee lives in a taxing county on January 1, they're subject to that county's resident rate for the entire year.
If an employee lives in a county that does not have a tax (including out-of-state employees), the employee pays taxes to the county of their work location at the nonresident tax rate.
County taxes are paid directly to the state and allocated to the appropriate counties. You can find a list of Indiana counties with active tax rates from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.
Employers must report each employee's county in Gusto. Gusto will remind you with a to-do item on your Home page at the end of each year.
If an employee moves, the county does not change until January 1 of the following year. The employee will see their previous Indiana county tax on their paystubs for the remainder of that year.
If an employee did not live in Indiana on January 1 of the current year, enter Out of State.
To enter an employee's county of residence (as of January 1, according to Form WH-4):
Go to People, then select Team members.
Click the employee's name.
From the Taxes tab, find the Indiana Taxes section.
Click Edit.
Change the county.
Click Save.
If an employee plans to move on or before January 1, you can update their work address and home address in Gusto. Make sure their county is correct as well.
You do not need to fix prior-year payroll. Indiana law locks the county of residence as of January 1. If the WH-4 had the wrong county from the start, the employee fixes it on their personal tax return β not through a payroll correction.
Files Indiana Form IT-40 with Schedule CT-40, using the correct county of residence as of January 1.
Gets credit on the return for the tax that was withheld, even if it was under the wrong county code.
Sees any rate difference as a refund or a balance due on their personal return.
Amend Form WH-1.
Amend Form WH-3.
Issue a W-2c (corrected W-2).
Indiana's INTIME guidance confirms a corrected W-2 may be issued, but it is not required.
If you catch the error in the same tax year, update the WH-4 county in Gusto so future paychecks use the right county. You do not need to go back and catch up prior pay periods in that same year.
Third-party authorization is required for the agencies below:
Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD): Required for payments and filings.
Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR): Required for amended returns (as needed).
To give Gusto access to submit payments and filings to this agency:
In the left menu, click Maintain Account, then click Third Party/Agent Info.
On the Third Party Administrator screen, click Add TPA.
Find Gusto in the search by entering one of the following:
Agent Number: 116975
Business Name: ZenPayroll, Inc.
Click TPA Search.
Select the authorization level: Tax TPA.
Add Gusto as an External Account User. Do not add Gusto as a Correspondence Agent.
Sign back in to Gusto to confirm you've granted access.
On your Home page under Things to do, click Give Gusto access to Indiana Department of Workforce Development account.
Check the box to confirm you've completed the task in your tax account.
Click Submit.
The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) requires Gusto to have Power of Attorney (POA) access to your INTIME account to:
File amended returns on your behalf
Help keep your tax information up to date
Troubleshoot tax issues
To grant access:
Gusto will request access to your INTIME account.
On your Home page in Gusto, look for the task Give Gusto access to Indiana Department of Revenue account.
Once the task appears in Gusto, sign in to your INTIME portal and approve Gusto's POA access.
If you do not have an INTIME account yet, use the INTIME user guide to create one. Then sign in to your INTIME portal and approve Gusto's POA access.
Go back to Gusto:
On your Home page, click the same task.
Check the box to confirm you gave Gusto access in INTIME.
Click Submit.
If Gusto has trouble getting authorization, we will notify you.
If you cannot grant access in the INTIME portal:
Complete the pre-filled IN POA-1 form that the Indiana DOR sent by mail when Gusto requested access.
Mail the form back to the DOR to authorize Gusto.
Use this list to find Indiana's tax forms and where to view each one.
WH-3 (Annual Withholding Tax)
UC-5A (Quarterly Wage and Employment Report)
State W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement)
New Hire Report
To view these forms, go to Taxes & compliance, then Tax documents, and select the State tab.
WH-1 (Withholding Tax Voucher)
To view these filings, sign in to the Indiana agency portal.
To see what we've paid for you, run the Agency payments report.
Use this list to reach Indiana's payroll tax agencies by phone or website. It covers income tax withholding and unemployment insurance.
Phone numbers and links can change. If one does not work, search the agency's official website for the latest contact info.
Income tax withholding β Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR): (317) 232-2240
Unemployment insurance β Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD): (800) 891-6499
Learn how to close or reopen tax accounts.