FL Form RT-6 - Electronic Filing Instructions

Greg Hatfield Updated by Greg Hatfield

Florida law requires an employer with ten or more employees in any calendar quarter, or "person" who "prepared and reported" on behalf of 100 or more employers during the preceding state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), to file the Employers Quarterly Report (RT-6) and remit the tax due "electronically".

The FL RT-6 Electronic Filing screen is accessed from the FL RT-6 Electronic Filing entry in the Module Library list.

See also Form RT-6.

This module prepares the file for Form RT-6 filing on the BSWA website (a third-party contracted by Florida DOR) but does not initiate any form of payment. Users must make payment separately using the appropriate method. See the DOR website for information on making electronic payments for reemployment taxes.

STEP 1 - You must register on the BSWA website. Click the "Transmit via Internet" button and then, when the DOR website is loaded, on the right half of the page under "Upload a file using SecureNet" click the "Reemployment tax" link to connect to BSWA. Click the link "Click Here for Instructions" to learn about registration and using the website. Click on the MyFlorida image and then click the "New User" button to register. After receiving an email with the UserID and password, you will be able to login and submit files (see Step 3).

Note: CFS Payroll System does not include payment information in the electronic file. Employers required to pay electronically must pay separately using the DOR website (ACH debit), telephone (ACH debit), or their bank (ACH credit). Contact the DOR for payment requirements. You can register and enroll on the Department of Revenue website http://floridarevenue.com/taxes/eservices/Pages/default.aspx by clicking the "Enroll Online at DOR" button. When the DOR website loads, read the information regarding registration and enrollment. e-Services enrollment will allow the taxpayer, or preparer, to pay electronically on the DOR website.

If you are a registered agent with DOR, make sure that all of your clients are linked to your agent number prior to submitting quarterly unemployment reports. If the clients are not linked to your agent number, you will receive an error (error code E43: agent not authorized to file on behalf of the employer). Please contact your client and verify the following information:     - you are the authorized agent    - the employer's account is active and required to file    - the employer doesn't have a contractual agreement with another payroll service for a subgroup of employees. If all of the above answers are yes, you should enroll your client on-line or complete the UCS-10 (Reemployment Tax Agent/Client Change) form to link the unemployment account number to your agent number. This form can be obtained from the DOR website. If any of the above answers are no, you probably should not submit the quarterly report for that client.

STEP 2 - Create the production file. (Users of CFS Payroll System do NOT need to submit a test file. CFS has submitted a test file and the file format has been accepted.) First, create and save Form RT-6 data files as if you were submitting them on paper. Next, on the electronic filing screen select the filing quarter in the dropdown list. Employers with saved Form RT-6 data files will be marked "Ready" in the status column.

The status column lists the status of Form RT-6 for each employer for the filing period selected. The meaning of each status is listed below.

Ready

One Form RT-6 data file has been saved for this filing period and it may be included in the electronic file.

None

No Form RT-6 data file has been saved for this filing period.

Duplicate

More than one Form RT-6 has been saved for this filing period and the program cannot choose which to include. To include a file for this employer you must delete the extra files. Only one file may be saved for the filing period.

MM/DD/YY - File Name

Form RT-6 for this filing period was included in an electronic file with the specified file name on that date. The Form RT-6 data file may NOT be included in another electronic file unless the status is reset. See STEP 7.

Only those marked "Ready" can be included in a file. Check the box next to the employers you want to include in the file. Click the "Create File" button, navigate to a directory where you will save your FL XML files, enter the file name and click OPEN to save the file. We recommend you create a directory to save all your FL XML files. "FLreturnTemplate.XML" is used by the program a as model to create the user's file. DO NOT overwrite or send this file to Florida DOR.

When the file is successfully created, the file name will be copied to the computer clipboard. This allows you to use CTRL+V to paste the file name into the browse window when selecting the file to upload. To use this shortcut, the file must be created right before uploading it.

STEP 3 - Transmit the file to DOR using the BSWA website. Click the "Transmit via Internet" button and then, when the DOR website is loaded, near the bottom of the page under "Upload a file using SecureNet" click the "Unemployment tax" link to connect to BSWA. Click on the MyFlorida image. Enter your UserID and Password. Select Send a File, select REEMPLOYMENT TAX, XML FILING, and PRODUCTION. Browse to locate and select the file created and saved in the previous step. If you created the file immediately before logging in, then you can press CTRL+V to copy the filename into the browse window. Send or Upload the file.

Note: CFS Payroll System does not include payment information in the electronic file. Employers must pay separately using the DOR website or by check. Contact the DOR for payment requirements.

STEP 4 - Check for email confirmations or rejections for transmissions. An email will notify you that there is a confirmation file available. Log in to the BSWA site and click Receive a File, click on the desired acknowledgement file, open the file to view any error codes or confirmation. The file is in XML format and errors, if any, are clearly marked. A separate Confirmation Number will be present in the file for each accepted employer return. If the DOR calculates a different amount for taxable wages (error code W40) the employer will typically still receive a confirmation number if there are no other errors. In this case the user should contact the DOR to rectify the difference and determine the actual amount of tax due.

For files that do not receive Confirmation Numbers, correct all errors and resubmit the file/accounts so they are processed by the due date for the filing period.

STEP 5 - If you must resubmit, first correct the errors on Form RT-6 for each affected employer. Next you must reset the status of the affected employers on the list by placing a check next to each employer name and clicking the RESET STATUS button. This allows those employers to be included in another file for that filing period. You may now create the file again as described in STEP 2.

NOTE: Corrections or amendments applicable to previously filed reports may not be submitted electronically (NO CREDIT WAGES). Corrections and amendments must be made by using the Form RT-8A (CORRECTION TO QUARTERLY UNEMPLOYMENT REPORT) even though the original wage report may have been submitted electronically.

Contact the Florida DOR directly or visit their website at http://floridarevenue.com/taxes/eservices/Pages/filepay.aspx to answer additional questions.

How did we do?

CT UC-2/5A/5B - Bulk File Upload Support

FL Form RT-6 - Florida Quarterly Reemployment Compensation and Wage Report

Contact