Do you have employees working in Kentucky?
Is your Kentucky business going through a slow period?
Thinking about permanent layoffs that will cost you valuable, experienced workers?
The Office of Unemployment Insurance may have a solution!
The Kentucky Work Share Program (KYWS) is an alternative to layoffs for certain employers. When business is slow, the KYWS program provides partial benefits to help you preserve employee jobs, avoid layoffs, and ensure that workers are ready to resume their normal work schedule when business increases.
Want to find out if this program may save your business money?
Use the provided calculator to find out if KYWS Program can save your business money.
Questions? Please email KYWorkshare@ky.gov.
NOTE: Results are NOT a guarantee of savings. This calculator provides an estimate of savings for your business through KYWS.
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Work Share Results for Employer
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| Total Benefit Charges if Layoffs occurred |
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| Total Benefit Charges if KYWS program is utilized |
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| Total KYWS program savings/losses |
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Work Share Results for Employees
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| Average weekly salary of WS participants |
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| Average weekly benefit amount |
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| Employee Wage loss if fully laid off |
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| Employee Wage loss in WS plan |
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- Enter "Total number of KY employees" that work for the participating employer
- Enter "Number of layoffs that may be averted". This is the number of potential permanent layoffs if your business could not participate in the KYWS program.
- Enter "Number of employees participating in the KYWS program" that will be affected by a reduction in weekly work hours.
- Enter "Number of hours to be reduced weekly". This is the number of hours your employees' normal work week will be reduced by.
- For example: A normal work week consists of 40 hours. The business intends to reduce the normal work week to 32. The "Weekly hour reduction" will be 40-32=8.
- Enter "Average weekly salary of KYWS participants". This is the weekly salary of each KYWS program participant added together and divided by the number of participants.
- For example: KYWS Program participants will be 5. Total weekly wages for all 5 participants are $2500. The average weekly wage is $2500/5=$500.
- Press the green Calculate button.
- "Total Benefit Charges if Layoffs occurred"
- Based on your entry of "Number of layoffs that may be averted" and general UI data, if you were to permanently layoff those workers, your Employer Reserve Account could be charged this amount of dollars. A reduction to your Employer Reserve Account may adversely affect your future Tax Rate.
- "Total Benefit Charges if KYWS program is utilized"
- Based on your entry of "Number of employees participating in Work Share" and general UI data, if you were to participate in KYWS program, your Employer Reserve Account could be charged this amount of dollars. A reduction to your Employer Reserve Account may adversely affect your future Tax Rate.
- "Total KYWS program savings or losses"
- Based on the potential Benefit Charge results listed in 1 and 2, your business could:
SAVE $ = a positive number means if you use the KYWS program your business will not be charged as many benefits to your Employer Reserve Account. Less charges means less negative impact to your future Tax Rate.
LOSE $ = a negative number means that the number of KYWS program participants will not save your business money if permanent layoffs are available. If you would still like to retain trained/skilled staff, please consider adjusting the number of employees you would have participate in the KYWS program.
The Unemployment Insurance Employer Guide is a useful resource in understanding your tax liabilities and obligations.
https://kewes.ky.gov/Documents/EMPLOYER_GUIDE.pdf
- "Average weekly salary of WS participants" is what you entered in the first section
- "Average weekly benefit amount" is based on the average weekly salary, multiplied by 52 weeks in the year, and that total multiplied by the Weekly Benefit Amount Percentage.
- Average Weekly Salary X 52 = Average Annual Salary
Average Annual Salary X Weekly Benefit Amount Percentage (1.1923%) = Average Weekly Benefit Amount
For Example: The average salary is input as 500 per week.
500 X 52 = $26,000
26,000 X 1.1923% = $310
This estimates that your KYWS participants would receive an average of $310 per week of UI benefits if they became fully unemployed.
- "Employee Wage Loss if fully laid off" is the result of taking the employee's Average Weekly Benefit Amount and subtracting their Average Weekly Salary. If employees became permanently unemployed, this is the average amount they would lose in a week's time.
- "Employee Wage Loss in KYWS plan" is the result of a KYWS participant's Average Weekly Benefit amount at the KYWS program reduction percentage (between 10%-40%) and subtracting the Average Weekly Salary at the same KYWS program reduction percentage.
The Claimant Guide: Your Rights & Responsibilities is a useful resource for your employees to understand their responsibilities to the program.
https://kcc.ky.gov/career/Documents/PAM400.pdf