Hawaii Payroll Tax and Registration Guide

Use this checklist to make sure you’ve covered everything required to set up your account as a Hawaii employer so OnPay can accurately file and pay taxes on your behalf: 

OnPay handles the filing of all state and local taxes for businesses in Hawaii, including:

If you are an existing employer who has previously run payroll in Hawaii, you likely already have the IDs and online accounts needed for OnPay to process your tax filings. 

If you are a new employer in Hawaii, you will need to register your business with the Hawaii Department of Taxation and the Hawaii Department of Labor. This must be completed for OnPay to be able to file and pay your Hawaii taxes.

Withholding Tax Account Number

Existing Hawaii Employer: 

You can find your Withholding Tax Account Number on the Withholding Tax Return (Form HW-14)

New Hawaii Employer: Register with the Hawaii Department of Taxation 

• Click here and to register your business
• Click on “Get started” and follow the prompts.
• The registration process can take 2-3 days.
• your request will be processed in 3 weeks if registering by mail or the same-day if you register in person at the Hawaii Department of Taxation office.
• To obtain your withholding account number, print, and complete Form BB-1. Mail to the address on the form.
• You will need to register with this department if you have employees that both live and work in Hawaii, or for any employees that calculate Hawaii withholding taxes regardless of where they live/work. If your business is located outside of Hawaii, but your employees work or live in Hawaii you will likely need to register with this agency.

Unemployment Account Number, Unemployment Tax Rate, and Employment Training Fund Assessment Rate

Existing Hawaii Employer: 

• You can find your Unemployment Account Number on the Contribution Rate Notice or Quarterly Wage Report (Form UC-B6).
• Your Unemployment Tax Rate can be found in the contribution rate box of the Tax Rate Notice. New employers generally have a rate of 3.0% for SUTA (this includes a 0.01% E&T assessment) with a wage base of $51,600.
• Your Employment Training Fund Assessment Rate can be found in the assessment rate section of the Tax Rate Notice

New Hawaii Employer: Register with the Hawaii Department of Labor

• Click here and follow the instructions to register your business.
• You should receive your unemployment number and contribution rate about 2 weeks after registering. 
• You will need to register with this department if you have employees that work in Hawaii. If your business is located out of the state, but some of your employee's primary work location is in Hawaii, you will likely need to register with this agency.

All Hawaii Employers: TPA access required

• Create an online profile for your business on the Hawaii Unemployment Insurance website.
• Once you’ve created your profile for your Employer Login, email us at hello@onpay.com, and we will send an access request to your account. We’ll also email you once we’ve sent the request.
• Once the request for access has been sent, you’ll need to accept the pending request by doing the following: 

1. Log in to your Hawaii Unemployment Insurance Account under “Employer Login”
2. Select “User Management”
3. Accept the access request

OnPay works with government entities on your behalf, reporting new hires to state labor departments, calculating tax rates, and filing financial reports. To do this effectively, you will need to authorize OnPay to act on your behalf. To do so, please follow the instructions in this article.