About the Program
501 Alliance pools funds from our members and pays out claims on a direct reimbursement relationship with the state. The unused funds in the pool are invested, and the interest earned covers 501 Alliance’s operating expenses and reduces the contribution rates of our member agencies.
Contributing and reimbursing employers with the state have experienced lower costs when switching to 501 Alliance from the UIA. Current members also realize substantial tax rate advantages based on their individual experience rating.
UIA
The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is the state agency that administers unemployment compensation. Some form of coverage is required, and it is funded by a tax to the employer or by direct reimbursement of unemployment charges. This tax can be controlled. Join 501 Alliance and the need for unemployment compensation can be filled by a lower-cost alternative.
Program Cost
$0. It's that simple. There are no membership fees or additional costs to join. Every dollar of your quarterly payment goes into your own account to pay current or future claims for unemployment benefits. Our members are also not required to provide a surety bond or a letter of credit to the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).
Program Websites
There are three websites that members will access – 501 Alliance, MiWAM and CaseBuilder. Details on the process for each site are below.
501 Alliance Website
The 501 Alliance website is where quarterly contribution reports are filed and payments need to be made by the 25th day after the quarter ends. Payments can be made by check or ACH. This is also where you can access training and view your contribution rate. Your finance person or payroll provider will want access to this site.
MiWAM
The Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) is the state’s system. You or your payroll provider will need to login here each quarter before the 25th day after the quarter ends. You only need to submit a 1028 (employees wages). Do not pay the UIA or request credits. 501 Alliance pays all your charges and obtains credits when due. The amount shown in your MiWAM account does not reflect what you owe 501 Alliance and can be ignored. The 501 Alliance pays your charges once a quarter so it is normal for charges to accumulate in your MiWAM account. Your rate with 501 Alliance only changes once a year so you will pay that each quarter regardless of your MiWAM balance. When rates are re-calculated each year, your claim charges, credits and payments to 501 Alliance all impact if your rate goes down, up or stays the same.
CaseBuilder
501 Alliance uses CaseBuilder (owned by Equifax) to communicate with you when claims come in. The login is separate from the 501 Alliance website and MiWAM. When a current or former employee files a claim, we will email you and communicate with you through CaseBuilder. The UIA only gives a short amount of time to reply so it’s important not to ignore any communication here. You will want at least two HR contacts here in case someone is out of the office when a claim comes in and separation info is needed. You can add contacts to CaseBuilder by sending name, phone and email to 501 Alliance.
Member Services
Check out all of the valuable services available to members – from claims processing to verification of benefits and rate projections to unemployment hearing advocates, and more.
Join the 501 Alliance Community
Take advantage of 501 Alliance membership. Apply today.