State tax settings

This guide covers: reading state setup status, adding a new state, providing the SUTA account number, providing the withholding account number, and handling "Applied For" status.

Every state where you have employees needs at least one tax account — SUTA (state unemployment) is universal; state withholding (SIT) is required everywhere except the nine no-income-tax states. Payrollix won't transmit a state filing without these numbers, so getting them entered correctly is the gating step for the state side of your tax stack. The state-taxes page is the SMB self-service view; accountants can do the same from the dashboard's per-client settings.

Read the state setup status

What it does: Lists every state on the client's account with the current SUTA and withholding account numbers and their status.

Where: SMB portal → State Tax Accounts (/smb-portal/state-taxes). Accountants: Dashboard → Clients → [client] → Settings.

Steps:

1. Open the page. Each state appears as its own card.
2. The status badge per account is one of: Not registered (gray) · Applied For (yellow) · Active (green) · Inactive (gray) · Closed (red).
3. SUTA appears on every state card. State Withholding appears only on income-tax states — the nine no-income-tax states (AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY) hide the withholding field entirely.
4. If you've added no states yet, you'll see a yellow note: "No state tax accounts on file. Add a state above…"

Who: SMB user (own company) on the SMB portal. Accountant + SUPPORT on the dashboard.

Notes: Status auto-flips to Active as soon as you type a real account number and save, and back to Not registered if you clear it.

Add a new state

What it does: Creates a state-tax-accounts row so you can start tracking SUTA/withholding for that jurisdiction.

Where: State Tax Accounts page → Add state button (top right).

Steps:

1. Click Add state.
2. Type the two-letter state code (e.g. CA, NY, TX). The field is auto-uppercased and capped at 2 characters.
3. Click Add.
4. The new card appears below with both SUTA and withholding (if applicable) ready for entry.

Notes: You only need to add a state where you have employees and a payroll-tax obligation. Adding a state doesn't register you with the agency — registration happens on each state's portal or via paper application.

Provide the SUTA account number

What it does: Tells Payrollix which state-unemployment account to file under for this state.

Where: State Tax Accounts page → the state's card → State Unemployment (SUTA) field.

Steps:

1. Find the card for the state.
2. In the State Unemployment (SUTA) field, type the account number exactly as the state issued it (format varies — usually digits, sometimes with a dash or check digit).
3. The status badge auto-flips to Active as soon as you enter a value.
4. Click Save (top right of the card).

Notes: While you wait for the state to issue your real number, leave the field blank and check Applied For (registration pending) — Payrollix will render "Applied For" on reporting-agent forms until you update with the real number.

Provide the withholding account number

What it does: Sets the state income-tax withholding account for the state.

Where: State Tax Accounts page → the state's card → State Withholding field (only shown for income-tax states).

Steps:

1. Find the card for the state.
2. In the State Withholding field, type the SIT account number issued by the state's revenue department.
3. The status badge auto-flips to Active.
4. Click Save.

Notes: Some states have a single combined number for SUTA and SIT (e.g. paired agency files); enter the same number in both fields if so. If the state issues separate numbers for unemployment (handled by the labor department) and withholding (handled by revenue), enter each in its own field.

Use "Applied For" while registration is pending

What it does: Records that you've filed with the state but don't have a number yet — Payrollix will print "Applied For" on RA forms and remind you to update.

Where: Any account field → Applied For (registration pending) checkbox below the input.

Steps:

1. Check Applied For (registration pending).
2. The input field is disabled and shows the placeholder "Will render 'Applied For' on RA forms".
3. A date picker appears — enter the date you submitted your registration to the state.
4. Click Save.
5. Once the state mails you a real number, uncheck the box, type the number, and save — status flips to Active automatically.

Who: SMB user / accountant.

Notes: Applied For is a signal to Payrollix that the registration is in flight; it's not a substitute for the real number. State returns filed while a number is Applied For typically file under a temporary identifier and need to be re-keyed once the real number arrives.

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Related: State tax filing coverage · What you need to provide for tax filing · Your filing authorization · SUI claims & rates.