Taxable Wage Base
$8,000
Maximum wages subject to SUI tax per employee per year
SUI Rate Range
0.65% – 6.85%
Experience-rated range for eligible employers
New Employer Rate
2.70%
Standard rate applied before experience rating applies
Voluntary Contributions
Allowed
Employer may make voluntary contributions to lower their rate
PFML Program
None
No state-mandated PFML program
Protest Deadline
15 days
Days from notice receipt to file a protest with Alabama Department of Labor
§ compliance & regulatory profile
Beyond SUI
Voluntary Contribution Opportunity: Alabama allows employers to make voluntary contributions to their SUI reserve account, which can lower their experience rate for the following year. Timing and deadlines vary — contact Alabama Department of Labor for details.
Workers CompStandard NCCI rating jurisdictionOSHAFederal OSHA jurisdictionIncome TaxHas state individual income tax
Official Agency Website
Alabama Department of Labor
§ context
About Alabama SUI Rates
Alabama employers pay State Unemployment Insurance (SUI/SUTA) taxes on the first $8,000of each employee's wages per year. New employers start at a rate of 2.70% before experience rating applies. Once rated, Alabama SUI rates range from 0.65% to 6.85%.
SUI rates are set annually by Alabama Department of Laborbased on each employer's experience rating — the ratio of benefits charged to the employer's account relative to taxable wages paid. Errors in SUI rate notices are common; Kreto verifies your assigned rate against payroll data and flags discrepancies before protest deadlines pass.
Got a Alabama SUI notice?
Upload it to Kreto — we classify it, verify the rate against your payroll, and tell you exactly what to do. Free to try.