Louisiana Employer Compliance Kit 2027: State Checklist, Deadline Calendar and Excel Tracker

Who it is for

Owners, office managers and bookkeepers who run payroll for employees working in Louisiana, from the first hire to the year-end forms.

Not the right fit if

Your employees work outside Louisiana: get that state's kit, or the 2027 Employer Compliance Bundle for several states. Not a payroll service, and not a legal review of your policies.

Why it is different

• Built only from our Louisiana data files, checked November 2026 against 21 official pages, among them US Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective January 2026; US Department of Labor: FUTA Credit Reductions (page updated September 11, 2026); US Department of Labor: 2026 State Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Solvency Report (February 2026); IRS: FUTA credit reduction (page last reviewed September 8, 2026); Louisiana Department of Revenue: Employee Withholding Exemption Certificate (L-4); Official page; R.S. 23:995, Civil penalties, Louisiana State Legislature; Act No. 402 (2011 Regular Session), HB 646 enrolled.
• 4 items the official pages didn't state are left out of the checklist and put on a short look-up list with the page to check, never guessed.
• The workbook recalculates with zero formula errors and dates the Louisiana new-hire steps for you.

What is inside

• Start here. How to use the kit, the 15 confirmed Louisiana rules at a glance and the 4 items to confirm, each with the official page to check: open a state unemployment tax account (US Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective January 2026); new employer tax rate (US Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective January 2026); quarterly wage reports and payments (US Department of Labor: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective January 2026); meal breaks for adults (La. R.S. 23:213, Minors under sixteen; recreation or meal period).
• Louisiana 2027 checklist. Eight steps from unemployment tax registration to year-end filing, each confirmed rule with its source link and check date, from Louisiana Workforce Commission, Louisiana Directory of New Hires, Louisiana Workforce Commission, Office of Workers' Compensation. What it confirms: taxable wage base for 2027: Not announced yet when we checked in November 2026; taxable wage base for 2026 (the latest published): $7,000 per employee in 2026; state income tax withholding: State income tax applies; report each new hire to the state: Within 20 days of the hire date (new hires and rehires); e-Verify for private employers: A private employer is protected from the state's civil penalties if it verified every employee through E-Verify, or kept a copy of each employee's photo ID plus one listed citizenship or work document; minimum wage now (2026): No state minimum wage law, per US DOL; minimum wage change in 2027: No state rate; the federal $7.25 continues unless Congress changes it; tipped employees: Cash wage of at least $2.13 an hour in 2027, with tips making up the rest; paid sick leave: No statewide paid sick leave law for private employers; rest breaks for adults: no state rule; No state rest-break requirement: Louisiana isn't in the US DOL table of state paid rest-period rules (revised January 1, 2023), which says states not listed don't require paid rest periods; breaks for workers under 18: Minors under 16 can't work any 5-hour period without at least 30 minutes for a meal; workers' compensation insurance: The statute requires an employer to secure compensation for its employees, by insurance, a group self-insurance fund or approved self-insurance; final pay when you let someone go: On or before the next regular payday or no later than 15 days after the separation, whichever comes first; final pay when an employee quits: On or before the next regular payday or no later than 15 days after the separation, whichever comes first; state copies of W-2s and 1099s: File any Form 1099 that reports Louisiana income tax withheld.
• 2027 deadline calendar. 6 dates our Louisiana files state: 1 state W-2 and 1099 filing dates from Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR), with weekend dates flagged and a month-by-month planner for your own.
• New hire and pay change checklist. One page per hire, with the report to Louisiana Directory of New Hires (new hires reported in 20 days) and the I-9 steps, and one per pay change.
• Louisiana compliance workbook (Excel). The Louisiana dates in a deadline tracker with days left and status, a new-hire sheet that dates each step from the start date (new hires reported in 20 days), and a pay-change sheet that flags any rate below the 2027 floor.