How do I register for Illinois payroll taxes?

Registering for Illinois Payroll Tax Account Numbers

Illinois requires employers to register with the Department of Revenue and Department of Employment Security. You can register for both online.

Department of Revenue FEIN & Sequence Number

• Register online
• Format: 99-9999999 
• To find an existing account number, call: (217) 785-3707

Department of Employment Security Account Number

• Register online
• Formats: 9999999, 9999999-9
• To find an existing account number, call: (800) 247-4984

Illinois Payroll Taxes

Payroll Tax Rates

The Department of Employment Security will assign your unemployment insurance tax rate. There is a fixed Funding Building rate of 0.425% for all employers.

Payroll Tax Deposit Schedules

All unemployment taxes are deposited quarterly.

The Department of Revenue will assign your withholding deposit schedule based on your accumulated withholding during the lookback period. The lookback period is the 12-month period ending on June 30 of the previous year. If you accumulated:

• $12,000 or less in withholding, you’ll deposit monthly
• more than $12,000 in withholding, you’ll deposit semi-weekly