Alaska New Employer Information
Congratulations on your decision to become a new employer in Alaska! You will need a few things in place before you run your first payroll.
For help registering your business in Alaska, check out our partner, CorpNet.
Federal and State Tax Accounts
Federal Tax Accounts:
- Although it is not required, we recommend new employers register for this federal tax payment system. You can easily register online. You will need to have this account to make tax payments online, or view payments made on your behalf by Patriot Software.
- To find out more about EFTPS, please read our article, “What Is EFTPS?”
State of Alaska Tax Accounts:
- Register as a new employer with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development for a state unemployment tax account number.
- You can open an Alaska Unemployment Tax account by completing an Alaska Employer Registration Form, or apply online.
- Employers in Alaska will receive a new State Unemployment Tax Assessment (SUTA) rate every year.
- SUTA tax rates for new employers depend on industry. Alaska employers who do not have a rate use the 2025 standard rate of 1.5%.
State-mandated Insurance:
- You must have workers’ comp insurance if you have at least 1 employee in Alaska. You can sign up for workers’ comp insurance through a private provider or state-operated fund. Learn more about workers’ comp requirements in Alaska here.
- Patriot’s online payroll offers free pay as you go (PAYG) workers’ comp integration with our partner, NEXT Insurance. You can get a free quote with NEXT here.
Setting Up Your New Employee:
- Be sure you have met the minimum wage requirements for the federal government and Alaska. The Alaska minimum wage law is more stringent than the federal minimum wage law, so you must comply with the higher Alaska minimum wage.
- The Alaska minimum wage is $11.91 per hour in 2025.
- You need to display the minimum wage poster for your employees where they can read it.
Once you have all the necessary information, you will be able to set up your payroll for your business. Read, What Information Is Needed To Set Up Payroll?
You will be required to keep employee payroll records for at least three years. For more information, please read our help article, “What Employers Should Know About Employee Payroll Records”.
This is not an all-inclusive list. Please visit your state and federal government websites for more information.
Let us know if you have any questions. We are here to help!
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