Employer Self Service (ESS) FAQs

• If you are an officer, owner, or direct employee of the entity being issued a W-2 by that entity, then these are the steps for establishing an original administrator on an existing account:

  1. Secure a copy of the most recent Quarterly Wage and Employment report filed for the business. If it is close to the quarter due date, you may need the last two reports, as the security check relies on the most recent quarter posted by IDWD.
  2. Go to the UPLINK / ESS website at https://uplink.in.gov/ESS/ESSLogon.htm
  3. Click “New User”
  4. Answer the question – Is this User ID going to be for a UI Employer or Agent- “EMPLOYER”
  5. Answer the question – Do you already have an existing Indiana DWD account number for the account type selected above – “YES”
  6. Enter your FEIN number.
  7. Click “NEXT”
  8. Answer the three security questions.
  9. Complete the fields to create the username and password. If your email address is already associated to an account in ESS, you will need a unique email address to create a new internal user account.If you get a message that says “account already in use”, it means that the username you have selected is being used by someone else and you need to create a unique username.
  10. Accept the affirmation of responsibility and identity.
  11. Print the New User Account Confirmation Screen.
  12. Check your inbox for an email verification to arrive, if it arrives in your junk/spam folder you will need to move it to your inbox for the link to work properly.
  13. Click the link to verify your email address and be taken to the login screen to access your account.
  Please note that the system will not allow you to use the same email address twice. If you are needing to access multiple SUTA account numbers through Employer Self Service, you will need to associate/link the additional accounts from the account under which you created the logon credentials. To do this, you will need to complete the following steps:
  1. Login to the account in ESS using your internal user credentials.
  2. Once logged in, from the left-hand navigation menu, under “Maintain Account”, select “Add Additional Account.”
  3. Enter the three pieces of information requested (FEIN, SUTA Number and Gross Wages of Most Recent Quarter/Year Filed) for each account number you are wanting to associate. This is required information and cannot be provided to you by DWD. If you do not know the most recent gross wages filed on an employer account, you would need to review your records to determine that information.
  4. Once you’ve entered all the information, click Add, Save, Update, or whatever the applicable option is on your screen. Once saved, the accounts should be linked.
  5. To access a linked account, click “Select an Employer” from the left-hand navigation menu. It should then provide you with a list of any associated accounts from which you can choose. You should also be given the option to access a particular immediately after logging into ESS through the primary account.

• If you are an officer, owner, or direct employee of the entity being issued a W-2 by that entity, then the steps for account recovery are as follows:

  1. Secure a copy of the most recent Quarterly Wage and Employment Report filed for the business.  If it is close to the quarter due date, you may need the last two reports as the security check relies on the most recent quarter posted by IDWD.
  2. Go to the UPLINK / ESS website at https://uplink.in.gov/ESS/ESSLogon.htm
  3. Click “Forgot Password”
  4. Click “Replace Administrator”
  5. Answer the three security question using the Quarterly Wage and Employment Report (SUTA account number, FEIN, and gross wages of the most recent quarter/year filed)
  6. Complete the fields to create the username and password.  If your email address is already associated to an account in ESS, you will need a unique email address to create a new internal user account.  If you get a message that says “account already in use”, it means that the username you have selected is being used by someone else and you need to create a unique username.
  7. Accept the affirmation of responsibility and identity.
  8. Print the New User Account Confirmation Screen.
  9. Check your inbox for an email verification to arrive, if it arrives in your junk/spam folder you will need to move it to your inbox for the link to work properly.
  10. Click the link to verify your email address and be taken to the login screen to access your account.

• If you are an agent, please follow these steps to enroll if you do not already have an agent number:

  1. Go to the UPLINK / ESS website at https://uplink.in.gov/ESS/ESSLogon.htm
  2. Click New User
  3. Answer the question – Is this UserID going to be for a UI Employer or Agent  - “AGENT”
  4. Answer the question – Do you already have an existing Indiana DWD account number for the account type selected above – “NO”
  5. Click “NEXT”
  6. Complete the fields to create the user name and password.  If your email address is already associated to an account in ESS, you will need a unique email address to create a new agent account.  If you get a message that says “account already in use”, it means that the username you have selected is being used by someone else and you need to create a unique username.
  7. Accept the user agreement.
  8. Print the New User Account Confirmation Screen.
  9. Check your inbox for an email verification to arrive, if it arrives in your junk/spam folder you will need to move it to your inbox for the link to work properly.
  10. Click the link to verify your email address and be taken to the login screen to access your account.
  Once you are enrolled as an agent, work with your clients to determine the nature of your relationship with the client.

• If the Agent and the employer want the Agent to receive all tax or benefits or tax and benefit mail, but do not wish to have the Agent access the employer’s account on-line, the employer will need
  to log into their ESS account and select the agent ID to act as a correspondence agent by following these steps:

  1. Secure a copy of the most recent Quarterly Wage and Employment Report filed for the business.  If it is close to the quarter due date, you may need the last two reports as the security check relies on the most recent quarter posted by IDWD.
  2. Go to the UPLINK / ESS website at https://uplink.in.gov/ESS/ESSLogon.htm
  3. Click “Forgot Password”
  4. Click “Replace Administrator”
  5. Answer the three security question using the Quarterly Wage and Employment Report (SUTA account number, FEIN, and gross wages of the most recent quarter/year filed)
  6. Complete the fields to create the username and password.  If your email address is already associated to an account in ESS, you will need a unique email address to create a new internal user account.  If you get a message that says “account already in use”, it means that the username you have selected is being used by someone else and you need to create a unique username.
  7. Accept the affirmation of responsibility and identity.
  8. Print the New User Account Confirmation Screen.
  9. Check your inbox for an email verification to arrive, if it arrives in your junk/spam folder you will need to move it to your inbox for the link to work properly.
  10. Click the link to verify your email address and be taken to the login screen to access your account.

• If the Agent and the employer want the Agent to have access the employer’s account on-line, but not to receive mailings on behalf of the employer, the employer will need to log into their
  ESS account and select the agent ID to act as an external authorized user by following these steps:

  1. Select Maintain Users from the menu on the left side of the screen.
  2. Select User Information .
  3. Select ADD from the left side of the bar entitled External Account Authorizations (Agents)
  4. Click Search.
  5. Type in the Agent name or ID of the agent to be designated to receive tax mail, benefits mail, etc.
  6. Click Search.
  7. A list of enrolled agents will populate in the Search Results section of the screen.
  8. Click the circle to the left of the Agent to be designated to access your account on-line.
  9. Click NEXT at the bottom of the screen.
  10. Select the Auth Level* from the drop down.
  11. Read and accept the affirmation of responsibility.
  12. Click “NEXT”
  To delete either type of agent, select the agent using the selection toggle and click delete.  Accept the affirmation of authority and click delete again.
  If the Agent and the employer want the Agent to act as both an external authorized user, i.e. to have on-line access to the account, and to be a correspondence agent, the employer should use the above to designate the agent in both places.
  NOTE – an employer may only have one benefits correspondence agent and one tax correspondence agent.  An employer may have an unlimited amount of internal authorized users and external authorized users.  We encourage the employer to list two internal Administrators on their account as they can create additional internal users as well as reset existing users.
  Agents may not, per Indiana Administrative Code, act as an internal authorized user in ESS.

To see what is going on with your Employer Self Service (ESS) account—such as missing reports, money due, or other account issues—follow these steps:

Log in to ESS: Go to the Uplink ESS login page and enter your credentials.
Dashboard Overview: After logging in, your dashboard will display a banner indicating if your account is in good standing or if something requires your attention.
Fix Issues: If there are missing reports or money due, you will see a "Fix Now" option. Click this to file any missing reports or make overdue payments.
Navigation Menu: Use the left-hand navigation menu to review account status, view reports, and check payment history.
Correspondence: You can also review any notices or correspondence from the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) within your account.
If you need more help, check the ESS FAQ or contact the Customer Service Center at 1-800-891-6499.

To find your Indiana SUTA (State Unemployment Tax Act) number:

1. Check Your Registration Confirmation:
When you register with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), you receive a confirmation letter or email that includes your SUTA account number. Also all documents from DWD should have the account number listed.

2. Log in to Uplink ESS:
Your SUTA number is displayed in your Uplink Employer Self Service (ESS) account under your business profile or account information.

3. Contact DWD:
If you cannot locate your SUTA number, call the DWD Employer Call Center at 1-800-891-6499 (option 2).

Each username is associated with a single email address.  If you wish to use a new email address, you will need to create a new username with the appropriate email address.