WA State Payroll Taxes Statute of Limitations

[Harvey Lucas]

I have a Washington State client who owes payroll taxes to the Washington State Employment Security Dept for wages paid in 1987.

There is currently no collection action.

I can find lots of information on the statute of limitations for Federal Tax debts but practically nothing for Washington State Payroll tax debts.

Is there a Statute of limitaions on Washington State Payroll tax debts, ie, Employment Security Deptartment?

Thank You,
Harvey Lucas

[Golden Rocket]

Forget about it?

Harvey, I've been waiting to see if anyone answered your post. I think it is a good subject but maybe some of us don't really quite know how to respond.

There are more questions than just yours. How did you find out he owes the money? If from your client, how did your client know that he owes the money? The chain of events seems to capture more imagination than whether Washington has a statute.

Another question: if this is payroll tax, how can he actually owe Washington if they have no income tax? The only possibility left is SUTA or Disability and those two taxes are typically administered by someone other than the Revenue dept. I do believe if Washington has such a statute, it would be less than 19 years, except for fraud. And if it is indeed fraud that takes us back to how anyone even knows he owes the money.

We have a guy (Sea-Tax) who lives up there and posts with us occasionally -- maybe he knows. Sorry not to be able to give you a straight answer. But I think there are some other twists and turns too.

[sea-tax]

I have a Washington State client who owes payroll taxes to the Washington State Employment Security Dept for wages paid in 1987.

There is currently no collection action.

I can find lots of information on the statute of limitations for Federal Tax debts but practically nothing for Washington State Payroll tax debts.

Is there a Statute of limitaions on Washington State Payroll tax debts, ie, Employment Security Deptartment?

Thank You,
Harvey Lucas

Harvey ,
I am not certain what the statute is on Employement Security Taxes, as I have never had an employer company that far behind. I know the statute for an audit is 4 years for all washington agencies. You may want to look on the Employment Security website, you can find it by google.
My advice is if they have not come by now then they will never come. Good Luck.