State unemployment tax is a percentage of an employee’s wages. Each state sets a different range of tax rates. Your tax rate might be based on factors like your industry, how many former employees received unemployment benefits, and experience. You pay SUTA tax to the state where the work is being done. If your employees all work in the state your business is located in, you will pay SUTA tax to the state your business is located in. The $7,000 is often referred to as the federal or FUTA wage base. Generally, if you paid wages subject to state unemployment tax, you may receive a credit of up to 5.4% when you file your Form 940. If you're entitled to the maximum 5.4% credit, the FUTA tax rate after credit is 0.6%. Employers pay federal unemployment tax based on employee wages or salaries. The FUTA tax is 6% (0.060) on the first $7,000 of income for each employee. Most employers receive a maximum credit of up to 5.4% (0.054) against this FUTA tax for allowable state unemployment tax. Consequently, the effective rate works out to 6%.