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You must create a ct.gov account and register your business before you can begin the batch contribution process.
Step-by-Step
Download the File Specification Toolkit and read it along with the step-by-step instructions for the best understanding of the process.
FILE SPECIFICATION TOOLKIT
Request CT Paid Leave SFTP server access
Enroll your clients and remind them to register
If you are an employer remitting your own contributions, you skip this step.
If you are a third-party administrator, enrolling your clients through the batch process allows you to remit contributions on their behalf. However, this does not mean their registration is complete. Client employers must complete their own registrations after being enrolled.
To enroll your clients, you will need to upload an enrollment file to the Inbound folder on the SFTP site. Refer to the File Specification Toolkit for detailed file specifications to create your enrollment files.
After your enrollment file has been processed, an acknowledgment file will be available in your Outbound folder. Please review the acknowledgement file to validate whether the enrollment was successful or if there are errors that you need to correct. If your enrollment was unsuccessful, please correct the errors and resubmit.
Submission Frequency
Enrollment files must be submitted quarterly. If you take on a new client employer or end a client employer relationship in the middle of a quarter, submit an enrollment file at the time these changes occur, rather than waiting until the end of the quarter.
The quarterly enrollment files should be submitted before return files are submitted and contributions are remitted.
Contributions are due on the last day of each quarter; however, penalties and interest will not be charged if contributions are submitted before the last day of the month following the end of the quarter.
Remind Your Client Employers to Register but Not Remit
Enrollment of your client employers is not the same as registration. Notify your client employers they must complete their registration through the CT Paid Leave portal and provide them with a link to How to Register as an Employer with CT Paid Leave to follow the step-by-step registration process.
Also notify your client employers that they should NOT make contributions to the CT Paid Leave Authority since you will be remitting on their behalf.
Prepare and upload return files to SFTP server
The return file conveys information about contributions made on behalf of your client employers, itemized down to the employee Level. Return files are reviewed at the employee level and accepted or rejected at the employer level.
CT Paid Leave accepts batch return files in two file formats: XML or CSV. Both file formats contain the same information. Refer to the File Specification Toolkit for detailed file specifications to create your return files.
Submission Frequency
CT Paid Leave requests that return files are submitted quarterly. If preferred, you may submit return files more frequently, if you are also remitting contributions to match. Each return file must be attributed to a quarter and should not span multiple quarters.
Review Acknowledgment Files
Following upload and processing of the return file, an acknowledgment file will be uploaded to your outbound SFTP folder.
Download and review the acknowledgement file to verify the success of the submission, or in the case of an unsuccessful submission, correct the errors and resubmit.
Remit contribution through financial institution
Batch contributions are made by sending an ACH Credit NACHA file to your financial institution, who will then deliver the funds to CT Paid Leave's financial institution also following the NACHA format. Refer to the File Specification Toolkit for detailed file specifications to create your NACHA payment.
The CT Paid Leave Authority requires you to include two addenda records to capture critical information used to attribute the contributions to the correct employers for the correct contribution periods.
Prior to remitting your first contribution, follow the steps in the File Specification Toolkit to submit a penny test.
Once you complete a successful penny test, you may remit contributions.
Prepare and upload amended return filings (when changes are necessary)
Amended returns are only available for batch contributions; not contributions remitted through the CT Paid Leave portal.
Changes Possible with Amended Returns
- Changes to employee data
- Changes to reported wages
- Changes to contribution amount
Changes Not Possible with Amended Returns
All other changes must be made by CT Paid Leave staff manually after receiving your request through a Contact Us inquiry. Such manual changes include but are not limited to the following:
- Changes to pay period start and end dates
- Changes to TPA or Employer FEINs
- Changes to reporting quarter or reporting year
- Changes made to an invoice submitted by a different TPA
Employer contribution refunds
Employers who overpaid on their contributions will see that they are owed a refund in My Account. Refunds are not automatically dispersed in case there will be additional amendments.
Employers should request a refund by contacting us. Select Employer Refund Request as the contact reason when completing the contact form.
Once a request for a refund has been submitted to the CT Paid Leave Authority, in general, these requests are processed in approximately 30 days after final determination that the refund is approved.
Remit additional contributions (when necessary)
When amending returns resulting in underpayments, remit additional contributions through your financial institution following the same ACH Credit NACHA file format used for initial contributions.
Acknowledgment Files
The acknowledgment file documents the status of the submitted file after processing and communicates any processing errors encountered back to the submitter. The acknowledgment file will maintain count of accepted and rejected employers. Any errors associated with an employer will appear in an XML block for that employer. If no error is encountered for a given employer, no employer xml block will exist in the acknowledgment file.
Download Acknowledgment Files
Keep acknowledgment files as proof of your file submission. Files will only be available on the SFTP server for 60 days before they are automatically removed.
Refer to the File Specification Toolkit for additional information on acknowledgment file format, error codes and warning codes.
Warnings
If your file had warnings, it included mistakes or was incomplete but we were able to process the data.
Do not resubmit. Please use the information to correct your future files.
Errors
If your file had errors, we were unable to process the data. A copy of your original file will be uploaded to the outbound folder with the file extension .error appended to the file name.
You will need to correct the errors and resubmit the file.
Non-Compliant Accounts
Non-compliant with missing return and missing contribution
- The third-party administrator (TPA) and employer will be sent communications through email or US postal mail stating that the reporting of contribution wages is missing.
- The TPA/employer must upload a return file with wages for the quarter and contribution of 0.5% of wages.
- The TPA/employer must submit a NACHA payment matching the contribution amount on the return file. Wages should contain wages for the quarter, the same as specified on the return.
- CT Paid Leave will calculate the penalty and interest owed based on the information provided in the return file. The total amount due will be the sum of the contribution amount, penalty and interest.
- The contribution received will be applied to the total amount due in the following order: Penalty, Interest, Contribution Amount.
- The TPA/employer must pay off the remaining balance either through the online portal or by making an additional batch payment. The total amount due is available from the online portal or most recent correspondence. When paying through the online portal, the payoff balance will be calculated in real-time for you.
Non-compliant with return file received but no payment received or the payment was late
- The third-party administrator (TPA) and employer will be sent communications through email or US postal mail providing a breakdown of contributions, penalty, and interest owed. These amounts are calculated from the received return.
- The TPA/employer must submit a NACHA payment for the total outstanding amount communicated on their email/letter.
- The contribution received will be applied to the total amount due in the following order: Penalty, Interest, Contribution Amount.
- If there is any remaining balance owed, CT Paid Leave will send another email/letter with the remaining balance owed and will provide a link and QR code to remit the payment using Paylink.
- The TPA/employer must pay the remaining amount owed through Paylink or through another NACHA payment.
Non-compliant with payment received but no return file received or a late return file was received
- The third-party administrator (TPA) and employer will be sent communications through email or US postal mail stating that a contribution payment was received but return filing is outstanding for a particular year and quarter.
- CT Paid Leave will assess a $50 penalty for filing a late return file.
- The TPA/employer must submit a return file with wages for the quarter and contribution of 0.5% of wages.
- The TPA/employer must pay the $50 penalty either through the Paylink link or QR code in the communication received, or by remitting another NACHA payment. If remitting another NACHA payment, the wages on the NACHA file should match wages for the quarter, and the contribution should reflect the $50.00 penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only batch return files will require employee data. Third-party administrators (TPAs) that support employers for payroll will submit a quarterly Return File. This file will represent the Paid Family leave contributions collected for the applicable time period. The return file will provide employer and employee level data for that respective time period. Follow the file layout specifications from our File Specifications Toolkit.
We do not require any individualized employee information from employers using the portal to remit payments.
