NCSUITS FAQs

Are there two separate portals for "agents" and "employers"?

Yes. Employers and agents log in using the Employer Login link and their own login credentials. This takes them to their own Employer or Agent portal. Agents can look up an employer account number in the Agent Portal and don’t need to use the Employer Portal.

What is a ‘Doing Business As’ name and why should I add it to NCSUITS?

A Doing Business As (DBA) name is the public name your business uses if it’s different from your legal name. Adding your DBA in NCSUITS helps prevent delays and confusion when employees file for unemployment or contact DES.

To add it: Log in → Account Maintenance → Business Information → Enter your DBA → Save. Also include payroll service names if they appear on paystubs.

How do you close an account?

To close an account, go to the Employer Maintenance section in NCSUITS and choose Inactivate Account.

Can the same email address be used for multiple account registrations if I have several North Carolina businesses?

No, employers must use separate email addresses for different account registrations. 

If an account was inactive or closed by the system, does an employer need to register a new account in NCSUITS?

• If it’s been two (2) years or more, you must register for a new account.
• In most cases, if it’s been less than two (2) years, you can reactivate the old account.

My business is now part of a holding company. Do I need a new account?

No. You can continue to use the same account number.

I file reports for several companies using their login info. Do I need to switch to the Agent Portal?

If you are a third-party agent, it is preferred that you apply for and obtain an agent account. However, you can still submit reports by logging into each employer portal if the employer has approved and allowed you to create login credentials for their account.

What exactly is an agent?

An agent is someone that an employer has contracted with to act on their behalf to handle claims, file quarterly wage reports and/or pay quarterly taxes with DES.

Could an agent be a payroll company that submits our unemployment payments and wages?

Yes, a payroll company would be considered an agent.

Do employers who submit their own payroll and file their own reports need to make themselves an agent?

No. Continue to submit payroll and file reports through your employer account in NCSUITS.

We do not use an outside agent, but I work for an employer and file the returns. Do I enter myself as the agent? 

No. If you work for the employer, you can access the employer account online to file the quarterly tax and wage reports. You should not apply for an Agent account.

Does the employer contact need to register additional agents, or can they do it themselves?

Employers can link their accounts to multiple agents as long as each agent has a separate role. An employer cannot have more than one agent serving the same role.

How do I assign a new agent in NCSUITS?  

If you are an employer, you can link your account to an agent in NCSUITS. If you choose Agent Authorization, you will be able to choose the roles. Your approval will grant access to the Agent instantly.

How do I see if I already have an agent linked?

In your NCSUITS account, go to Quick Actions and click Agent Assignment. On this page you can add an agent or see whether an agent is assigned to your account.

Can an agent set up an employer account? 

Yes. DES approves the account and linkage. The agent and the employer will have separate login credentials.

What happens if I change agents—for example, changing from one payroll company to another?

The Agent and the employer have separate login credentials. An employer may remove an agent from their account at any time.

Is our account number and ID number the same thing?

Yes. In NCSUITS, it is referred to as your Employer ID number.

How do I request an agent number if I need to add someone to do the payroll reporting and make the payments?

If the person is your employee, add them as a user under your Employer ID. Multiple employees can access NCSUITS under one Employer ID. However, each employee will need to have their own login credentials to access the system. 

If you want to link an agent to your account, go to Agent Authorization where you will be able to choose the roles. Your approval will grant access to the Agent instantly.

Where can I find the rules for accepted file formats and specifications?

Check the Employer's Guide to Wage Report and Payment File Specifications guidance. It explains the file formats used when submitting electronic quarterly reports.

Is there a template available for the CSV file that can be uploaded?

The Employer's Guide to Wage Report and Payment File Specifications guidance document gives more information about the file formats used when quarterly reports are submitted electronically.

What types of file formats does DES accept?

Users can upload files in ICESA, EFW2 or CSV formats. The Employer's Guide to Wage Report and Payment File Specifications guidance document explains each one.

Can NCSUITS convert a .txt file to one of the acceptable formats?

No, NCSUITS cannot convert a .txt file to an acceptable format.

Is ICESA an Excel format?

No, it is not.

If I enter all the information manually online, do I need to worry about the file format? 

No, you don’t have to worry about file format.

If I use QuickBooks, do I need to export a file to use if I can't enter all the info manually?

Yes. If you can't enter your wage report data manually, you will need to upload a file containing the wage report information from QuickBooks.

If the last day of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or State holiday, is the due date for the return the following business day?

Yes, if the quarterly due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or State holiday, the due date becomes the following business day that isn’t a Saturday, Sunday, or State holiday. 

My business is an LLC, but I have zero employees and no payroll. Do I need to file a quarterly tax and wage report? 

If you are a liable employer required to pay unemployment insurance taxes, you must file quarterly wage reports and pay quarterly taxes. You should do this through NCSUITS. 

If you are not liable, you do not need to file.

Can I combine my North Carolina account with my account from another state?

No. Each state operates independently for unemployment insurance taxes. Accounts from other states cannot be combined with an NCSUITS account.

Do the current file layouts include out-of-state wages?

Yes, the current file layouts include fields for reporting wages from other states.

Do I have to report out-of-state wages?

Yes, NCSUITS uses the wage data you report—including out-of-state wages—to calculate what taxes you’ll owe in North Carolina.

What if an employee works for more than one state? What code do I use for that?

There is a MU (Multiple State) code. 

Here are the steps you’ll need to take to enter the MU code:

1. Add the taxable wages from each state that the employee worked in.
2. Enter the combined amount in the Out-of-State Taxable Wages field. 
3. Choose MU-Multiple State from the Out of State Code drop-down list.

Can employers pay and file by paper?

Yes. Employers with less than 10 employees may file reports by paper. Employers with 10 or more employees should file reports in NCSUITS to avoid the Improper Filing Penalty.

How will payments by check be handled? 

The employer would need to generate a Payment Voucher in NCSUITS, print it, and include it in the envelope with the paper check.

If I owe money from a past quarter, will my new payment go toward that first?

That depends:

• Any payments submitted that are within $.01 of the current quarter due amount will automatically be applied to the current quarter.
• Otherwise, the payment will go to the oldest balance first.

If I file early, can I schedule a payment?

Yes. If you pay by ACH Debit, you can schedule a payment up to the quarter’s due date.

Can an employer schedule a payment after the filing date but before the deadline?

Yes, you can still schedule an ACH Debit payment for a future date up to the current quarter’s due date.

Can an employer still file online and submit a paper check?

Yes. The employer would need to generate a Payment Voucher in NCSUITS, print it, and include it in the envelope with the paper check.

Do employers need to update their existing payment methods if they currently use ACH credit?

Employers can still use ACH Credit but will need to generate the addenda record for the ACH Credit payment within NCSUITS.

Does ACH Credit require a confirmation number on the file?

It will require an addenda record that is generated in NCSUITS.

What happens if I pay too much?

If you make a duplicate or overpayment:

• It will show as a credit on your account.
• There will be a Request Refund option available on an employer’s Payments panel if this occurs.
• If you choose not to request a refund, DES will apply it to your next due amount.

If an employer has two separate payrolls (executive and hourly), is there a way to keep the executive payroll confidential through separate login / account permissions?

No. Users who are given the Wage Reporting role will be able to see all of the wages reported. You should only give this access to users who are allowed to see ALL wage data.

Can an employer enter salaried payroll and field payroll on the same day?

This is considered a Supplemental Wage Report. 

• The first report filed is the Original Wage Report.
• There are options to file Original, Amended and Supplemental Wage Reports. Immediately after filing the Original Wage Report, you can then file any Supplemental Wage Report(s).
• Any secondary reports for that quarter would be Supplemental Wage Reports. There is no limit to how many Supplemental Wage Reports an employer can file.

Will we still respond to unemployment claims via DES, as we have in the past?

You will continue to use MyNCUIBenefits for all claims activities. Employers have to access MyNCUIBenefits through NCSUITS.

Is there a template for the wage report upload?

Yes, sample files are available on the NCSUITS Documents page.

What information must be included in the wage report upload, and in what order?

The Employer's Guide to Wage Report and Payment File Specifications document gives more information about the file formats used when quarterly reports are submitted online.

What does an employer give to an agent to file wage reports?

You need to provide them with your 10-digit Employer ID, tax rate and wage data.

Does the "Copy from prior submission" option allow changes for the current quarter?

Yes. Once you copy the employee data from the selected quarter, you can add, delete or change any of that data, along with adding the new wage data for each employee.

When submitting reports, does the N record need to reflect the leading zeros for the account number?

Yes, all files submitted should always contain the full 10-digit Employer ID number.

Are names and Social Security numbers saved each quarter?

Yes, there is a Copy option to import employee data from any of the eight, most recent quarterly reports.

How do you print a copy of the submitted quarterly report or previously filed quarters?

Go to the Wage/Debt Summary section, find the Report History tab, and click View. This will download a copy of the report on your computer.

What should I do if I’m filing my last quarterly report?

After you file the last report, go to the Account Maintenance section and choose Inactivate Account.

Can I upload a PDF version of the wage reports?

No. You can only upload one of the accepted file formats: ICESA, EFW2 or CSV.

How can I find my tax rate information?

You can view your tax rate in two ways:

1. The current tax rate appears on the right of your main NCSUITS portal screen under Employer Information. 
2. You can also go to Your Options and click Tax Rate, and then select the year that you want to view.

Can we submit a test file before the reporting deadline to make sure our new application generated the file correctly?

You can use the Validate Wage Files tool at ANY time, as many times as you need, to see if there are any errors. The Employer's Guide to Wage Report and Payment File Specifications guidance document gives more information about the file formats used when quarterly reports are submitted electronically.

Do you have samples of files that weren’t accepted and what errors will look like?

Yes. There are samples of acceptable files on the NCSUITS Documents page. Within NCSUITS, there is a Validate Wage Files tool where you can upload your file to see if there are any errors.

How do I know what errors mean when I try to file my quarterly report?

There are error code explanations on the DES website by file format type. You can view these online under Additional Documents on our documents page.

Is there a way to edit an uploaded file before submitting?

There is a Validate Wage Files tool available in NCSUITS, which allows an employer to upload a file and get feedback on whether it contains any errors.

Is there a way to manually submit an adjustment after uploading?

After the original report is processed, an employer can either upload another file containing an adjustment report or adjust the report manually.

Does the system give totals when uploading a file for wages or excess wages amount due?

Your uploaded file must contain a record that includes totals.

Are we able to manually edit the file after using the validation tool?

Yes. If there are any errors when you test the file with the Validate Wage Files tool, you can fix them and then test the file again before uploading it for submission.