Federal Unemployment Tax Act

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The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (or FUTA, I.R.C. ch. 23) is a United States federal law that imposes a federal employer tax used to help fund state workforce agencies. Employers report this tax by filing Internal Revenue Service Form 940 annually. In some cases, employers are required to pay the tax in installments during the tax year.

FUTA covers a federal share of unemployment insurance (UI) and job service program administration costs in every state. In addition, FUTA pays one-half the cost of extended unemployment benefits during periods of high unemployment. It also provides a fund that states can borrow from when necessary to pay benefits.