Washington unemployment compensation bonds.
From $100.
Under RCW 50.44.070, the commissioner may require a Washington nonprofit that elects the reimbursable method, paying the state back for actual unemployment benefits rather than paying tax contributions, to file a surety bond or instead deposit money or securities. Premiums are 2% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Washington unemployment compensation bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
Enter the amount ESD set, consent to a soft pull, and file with the Department. Here is the whole thing:
Apply once, online
Your business details, the bond amount ESD required, and the effective date — plus a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
File with the Employment Security Department
Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to submit to ESD to keep your reimbursable status. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Department insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the unemployment compensation bond covers
Most Washington employers pay unemployment tax contributions. Some — notably certain nonprofits and government entities — can instead elect the reimbursable (cost-reimbursement) method, under which the Employment Security Department (ESD) pays unemployment claims and then bills the employer for reimbursement.
Because ESD fronts those benefits, RCW 50.44.070 lets the commissioner require a nonprofit organization that elects payments in lieu of contributions to file a surety bond, or instead deposit money or securities, as security for the amounts it will owe. The amount is what the commissioner deems sufficient to cover the reimbursement payments, capped at what the organization would have paid that year under the contribution provisions, and a bond stays in force for at least two taxable years.
It is not insurance for you — if ESD makes a valid claim and the surety pays, you repay the surety. ESD sets the amount based on your expected exposure. Confirm the figure on your ESD notice, enter it, and we issue the bond from $100, with a quick soft credit check that never affects your score.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Employment Security Department. Pay online and receive the executed bond, ready to submit to ESD to keep your reimbursable status. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the Department insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Washington bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Keep your reimbursable status today.
From $100, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.