WA Cares Act Update- November 2024

Last week, Washington voters rejected state ballot Initiative 2124, which aimed to change the law governing the WA Cares Fund. The initiative would have allowed Washingtonians to opt out of paying assessments for and receiving benefits from, the state-run long-term health care insurance program.

Because Initiative 2124 did not pass, the law remains unchanged and employers are still required to collect premiums or pay employee premiums on their behalf if the employer chooses to do so. In 2024, the WA Cares premium rate is 0.58% of each employee’s gross wages (i.e., Gross Wages x .0058 = total premium for employee). The WA Cares premium is paid by the employee; the employer does not pay any share of premiums for its employees unless it chooses to do so. Finally, some employees may be exempt from contributing to WA Cares premiums. It is the employee’s responsibility to formally notify their employer of the exemption.

Associated Industries is hosting a webinar about the WA Cares Fund on Monday, November 18th at 1:00 PM. Please click here for more details and to register.