Employers: Updated Rules Simplify Doing Business With GDOL

Alongside the work to modernize Georgia's unemployment insurance system, the largest such effort in state history, GDOL is updating its rules so the department runs at the speed of business, is easier to work with, and upholds uncompromised standards of accountability. These changes are part of a broader effort to modernize how GDOL serves Georgia's employers - removing friction while strengthening system integrity from the technology behind our systems to the processes that guide how we operate.

A Smoother Path for Reporting New Hires

Employers can now file quarterly wage reports on time using a department-approved placeholder number while a new hire's Social Security Number (SSN) is still being collected. To maintain compliance, employers must document reasonable, timely efforts to get the number and file a corrected report promptly once it's obtained - ensuring a missing SSN alone won't hold up the report while keeping oversight intact. This change gives you a clear, workable process when dealing with a new hire who hasn't yet provided documentation. It balances business flexibility with strict accuracy, keeping wage records complete from the start, cutting down on manual wage investigations, and preventing improper claims.

Social Security Placeholder & Process

The placeholder Social Security Number (SSN) can be entered in place of the missing SSN when electronically submitting tax and wage reports through the Employer Portal. Employers will be allowed to use leading zeros plus the number of employees with a missing SSN as a wage record placeholder, as in the following example:

• 000-00-0001: 1st employee record with missing SSN
• 000-00-0002: 2nd employee record with missing SSN
• 000-00-0025: 25th employee record with missing SSN

Employers using an SSN placeholder should correct the affected wage report promptly after obtaining the worker's valid SSN. The Department generally interprets “promptly” to mean within 30 days after the employer obtains the valid SSN. Placeholders are intended for occasional use when a valid SSN is unavailable at filing. Promptly updating wage reports helps ensure complete and accurate records and avoids applicable penalties under Georgia Rules 300-2-2-.02 and 300-2-7-.01.

In order to submit an amended or corrected wage report, employers must submit a completed Report to Add New Wages and/or Correct Reported Wages, DOL-3C form and mail it to:

Georgia Department of Labor
Attn: Employer Accounts
148 Andrew Young International Blvd, NE
Suite 752
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1751

The Report to Add New Wages and/or Correct Reported Wages, DOL-3C form can be found on File Tax and Wage Reports and Make Payments.

Modernizing Separation Notices and Workplace Posters

GDOL is updating how employers provide Separation Notices and required posters to better reflect how businesses operate today, including remote and hybrid work environments.

For Separation Notices, employers are now encouraged to provide the notice electronically but may still provide a signed hard copy. Regardless of the delivery method, employers should continue to make sure the employee receives the notice on the last day of work, or if the employee is unavailable, within three days.

For required posters, employers with traditional worksites should continue to display the posters physically. Employers with remote or hybrid workforces may use electronic options or provide the information directly to employees where permitted.

These changes give employers more practical ways to meet requirements while making sure employees receive and can easily access important information about their rights.