Code Section

803.  

(a) As used in this section, “entity” means an employing unit that is authorized by Article 4 (commencing with Section 701) or by Section 801 or 802 to elect a method of financing coverage permitted by this section.

(b) In lieu of the contributions required of employers, an entity may elect any one of the following:

(1) To pay into the Unemployment Fund the cost of benefits, including extended duration benefits and federal-state extended benefits, paid based on base period wages with respect to employment for the entity and charged to its account in the manner provided by Section 1026, pursuant to authorized regulations that shall prescribe the rate or amount, time, manner, and method of payment or advance payment or providing a good and sufficient bond to guarantee payment of contributions.

(2) Two or more entities may, pursuant to authorized regulations, file an application with the director for the establishment of a joint account for the purpose of determining the rate of contributions they shall pay into the Unemployment Fund to reimburse the fund for benefits paid with respect to employment for those entities. The members of the joint account may share the cost of benefits, including extended duration benefits and federal-state extended benefits, paid based on the base period wages with respect to employment for those members and charged to the joint account in the manner provided by Section 1026. The director shall prescribe authorized regulations for the establishment, maintenance, and dissolution of joint accounts, and for the rate or amount, time, manner, and method of payment or advance payment or providing a good and sufficient bond to guarantee payment of contributions by the members of joint accounts, on the cost of benefits charged in the manner provided by Section 1026.

(c) Sections 1030, 1031, 1032, and 1032.5, and any provision of this division for the noncharging of benefits to the account of an employer, do not apply to an election under subdivision (b). The cost of benefits charged to an entity under this section shall include, but not be limited to, benefits or payments improperly paid in excess of a weekly benefit amount, or in excess of a maximum benefit amount, or otherwise in excess of the amount that should have been paid, due to any computational or other error of any type by the Employment Development Department or the Department of Benefit Payments, whether or not the error could be anticipated.

(d) The cost of benefits charged to an entity under this section shall include credits of benefit overpayments actually collected by the department, unless the department determines that the payment was made because the entity, or an agent of the entity, was at fault for failing to respond timely or adequately to requests of the department for information relating to the individual claim for unemployment compensation benefits. The department shall make this determination when the entity or agent fails to respond timely or adequately in two instances relating to the individual claim for unemployment compensation benefits. This subdivision shall apply to benefit overpayments established on or after October 22, 2013.

(e) In making the payments prescribed by subdivision (b), there shall be paid or credited to the Unemployment Fund, either in advance or by way of reimbursement, as may be determined by the director, any sums he or she estimates the Unemployment Fund will be entitled to receive from each entity for each calendar quarter, reduced or increased by any sum by which he or she finds that his or her estimates for any prior calendar quarter were greater or less than the amounts which should have been paid to the fund. The estimates may be made upon the basis of statistical sampling, or any other method as may be determined by the director.

Upon making that determination, the director shall give notice of the determination, pursuant to Section 1206, to the entity. The director may cancel any contributions or portion thereof that he or she finds has been erroneously determined.

The director shall charge to any special fund, that is responsible for the salary of any employee of an entity, the amount determined by the director for which the fund is liable pursuant to this section. The contributions due from the entity shall be paid from the liable special fund, the General Fund, or other liable fund to the Unemployment Fund by the Controller or other officer or person responsible for disbursements on behalf of the entity within 30 days of the date of mailing of the director’s notice of determination to the entity. The director for good cause may extend for not to exceed 60 days the time for paying without penalty the amount determined and required to be paid. Contributions are due upon the date of mailing of the notice of determination and are delinquent if not paid on or before the 30th day following the date of mailing of the notice.

(f) An entity that fails to pay the contributions required within the time required shall be liable for interest on the contributions at the adjusted annual rate and by the method established pursuant to Section 19521 of the Revenue and Taxation Code from and after the date of delinquency until paid, and an entity that without good cause fails to pay contributions required within the time required shall pay a penalty of 10 percent of the amount of the contributions. If the entity fails to pay the contributions required on or before the delinquency date, the director may assess the entity for the amount required by the notice of determination. This subdivision does not apply to employers electing financing under Section 821, for amounts due after December 31, 1992.

(g) Article 8 (commencing with Section 1126) of Chapter 4 of Part 1, with respect to the assessment of contributions, and Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 1701) of Part 1, with respect to the collection of contributions, apply to the assessments provided by this section. Sections 1177 to 1184, inclusive, relating to refunds and overpayments, apply to amounts paid to the Unemployment Fund pursuant to this section. Sections 1222, 1223, 1224, 1241, and 1242 apply to matters arising under this section.

(h) (1) The director may terminate the election of an entity for financing under this section if the entity is delinquent in the payment of advances or reimbursements required by the director under this section. After a termination, the entity may again make an election pursuant to this section, but only if it is not delinquent in the payment of contributions and not delinquent in the payment of advances or reimbursements required by the director under this section.

(2) In the case of an Indian tribe (as described by Section 3306(u) of Title 26 of the United States Code), the director shall terminate all elections for the tribe and all subdivisions, subsidiaries, and business enterprises wholly owned by that tribe if the tribe or any subdivision, subsidiary, or business enterprise wholly owned by that tribe is more than 90 days delinquent in the payment of contributions, bonds, advances, reimbursements, or applicable penalties or interest required under this code, after notice to the tribe. After a termination, the Indian tribe may again make an election pursuant to this section, but only if it is not delinquent in the payment of contributions, bonds, advances, reimbursements, or applicable penalties or interest required under this code.

(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an entity shall not be liable for that portion of any extended duration benefits or federal-state extended benefits that is reimbursed or reimbursable by the federal government to the State of California.

(j) After the termination of an election under this section, the entity shall remain liable for its proportionate share of the cost of benefits paid and charged to its account in the manner provided by Section 1026, which are based on wages paid for services during the period of the election. That liability may be charged against any remaining balance of a prior reserve account used by the entity pursuant to Section 712 or 713. Any portion of the remaining balance shall be included in the reserve account of the entity following a termination of an election under this section which occurs prior to the expiration of a period of three consecutive years commencing with the effective date of the election. For purposes of Section 982, the period of an election under Section 803 shall, to the extent permitted by federal law, be included as a period during which a reserve account has been subject to benefit charges.