Kansas Employment Law Review & Registration Information

After your business entity is formalized with the Kansas Secretary of State and you have your EIN and governing documents, there may be other state agencies that you need to remain in compliance with. Please see below for an overview of agencies to register with once you’re ready to run your first payroll.

Income tax withholding

To pay income tax and unemployment tax in Kansas, companies have to register with the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Kansas Department of Labor.

New employers can register for income tax withholding by visiting the Kansas Department of Revenue website. Companies can also register by mail. The request will be processed in 3 to 5 days if registering by mail. Please keep this time frame in mind when planning your first Kansas payroll.

Once you’ve read the overview of the process, click Customer Service Center at the top to get started. Scroll below the login fields, and click Register now.

Call the agency at (785) 368–8222 a few days after registering to receive your account number and deposit schedule.

If you’ve run payroll in Kansas previously, you can find your Tax Account Number on the Withholding Tax Deposit Report (KW-5) from the Department of Revenue or you can call the agency at (785) 368–8222. This account number typically ends in 01 unless the account has been closed and re-opened.

If you’ve run payroll in Kansas previously, you can find your Unemployment Tax Number on the Notice of Liability or Quarterly Wage Report & Unemployment Tax Return (K-CNS 100) from the Kansas DOL or you can call the agency at (800) 292–6333.

Unemployment tax

Most companies are liable for unemployment tax when they have one employee working any portion of a day in 20 different weeks in a calendar year or have paid $1500 in payroll in a calendar quarter. You can find out if you are liable and register online with the Kansas Department of Labor. You should receive your account number and contribution rate instantly after registering online, or in 2–3 weeks if mailing in a registration form.

Contribution Rate

The Kansas Contribution Rate appears in the “Contribution Rate” box of the Experience Rating notice that employers receive from the Kansas Department of Labor. To find out what your Contribution Rate is, call the agency at (785) 296–5027.

Overview of Payroll Related Forms to be filed in Kansas

• Annual Withholding Tax Return & Transmittal (KW-3)
• Quarterly Wage Report and Unemployment Tax Return (K-CNS 100)
• Wage and Tax Statement (State W2)
• Withholding Tax Deposit Report (KW-5)*
• Annual Withholding Tax Return (for use by EFT filers only) (KW-3E)
• KS New Hire Report

This article is an overview of Kansas employment law considerations, including compliance considerations, and does not cover every legal right or obligation, consideration, exception, or restriction. These decisions are complex and should be well researched and discussed with a professional before being made.

To schedule a consultation with a SEED Law attorney, you can give us a call at (816)945–4249 or schedule your consultation today here.

Additional Resources:

• Kansas Department of Revenue (785) 368–8222
• Kansas Department of Labor (785) 296–5000