2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 40. Labor › §40-1-208. Employer.

EMPLOYER.
"Employer" means:
1. Any employing unit, except as provided under paragraphs 10 and 11 of this section, which:
a.
for some portion of a day, but not necessarily simultaneously, in each of twenty (20) different calendar weeks, whether or not such weeks are or were consecutive, within either the calendar year or the preceding calendar year, and for the purpose of this definition if any week includes both December 31 and January 1, the days up to January 1 shall be deemed one (1) calendar week and the days beginning January 1 another such week, has or had in employment one or more individuals, irrespective of whether the same individuals are or were employed in each such day, or
b.
in any calendar quarter, in either the calendar year or preceding calendar year paid for service in employment wages of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) or more;
2. Any individual or employing unit, whether or not an employing unit at the time of the acquisition, which acquired substantially all of the organization, employees, trade, business, or assets thereof, of another which at the time of such acquisition was an employer subject to the Employment Security Act of 1980; or which acquired a part of the organization, employees, trade, or business of another employing unit which at the time of such acquisition was an employer subject to the Employment Security Act of 1980;
3. Any individual or employing unit, whether or not an employing unit at the time of acquisition, which acquired substantially all of the organization, employees, trade, business, or assets thereof, of another employing unit, if the employment record of such individual or employing unit subsequent to such acquisition, together with the employment record of the acquired unit prior to such acquisition, both within the same calendar year, would be sufficient to constitute an employing unit and employer subject to the Employment Security Act of 1980 under paragraph 1 of this section; or any individual or employing unit which acquired substantially all of the organization, employees, trade, business, or assets of another employing unit if such employing unit subsequent to such acquisition, and such acquired unit prior to such acquisition, both within the same calendar quarter, together paid for service in employment wages totaling One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) or more;
4. Any employing unit which, together with one or more other employing units, is owned or controlled, by legally enforceable means or otherwise, directly by the same interest, or which owns or controls one or more other employing units, by legally enforceable means or otherwise, and which, if treated as a single unit with such other employing unit, would be an employer under paragraph 1 of this section;
5. Any employing unit which, having become an employer under paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 or 12 of this section has not, under Section 3-202 of this title, ceased to be an employer subject to the Employment Security Act of 1980;
6. For the effective period of its election pursuant to Section 3-203 of this title any other employing unit which has elected to become subject to the Employment Security Act of 1980;
7. Any department of this state, any other state, and all instrumentalities thereof, including any political subdivisions and their instrumentalities, for which service in employment, as defined in paragraph (3) of Section 1-210 of this title, is performed, except as provided under paragraphs 10 and 11 of this section;
8. Any employing unit for which service in employment, as defined in paragraph (4) of Section 1-210 of this title, is performed, except as provided under paragraphs 10 and 11 of this section;
9. For purposes of paragraphs 1, 8, 10 and 11 of this section, employment shall include service which would constitute employment but for the fact that the service is deemed to be performed entirely within another state pursuant to an election under an arrangement entered into in accordance with Section 4-702 of this title by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and an agency charged with the administration of any other state or federal unemployment compensation law;
10. Any employing unit for which agricultural labor as defined in paragraph (5) of Section 1-210 of this title is performed. In determining whether or not an employing unit for which service other than agricultural labor is also performed is an employer under paragraph 1, 7, 8 or 11 of this section, the wages earned or the employment of an employee performing service in agricultural labor shall not be taken into account;
11. Any employing unit for which domestic service in employment as defined in paragraph (6) of Section 1-210 of this title is performed. In determining whether or not an employing unit for which service other than domestic service is also performed is an employer under paragraph 1, 7, 8 or 10 of this section, the wages earned or the employment of an employee performing domestic service shall not be taken into account;
12. Any employing unit which is not an employer by reason of any other provisions of the Employment Security Act of 1980 shall nevertheless be an "employer" if either:
a.
within the calendar year or preceding calendar year, service is or was performed, with respect to which the employing unit is liable for any federal tax against which credit may be taken by the employing unit for contributions required to be paid by it into a state unemployment fund, or
b.
the employing unit is required to be an "employer" as a condition for approval of the Employment Security Act of 1980 for full tax credit to be allowed against the tax imposed by the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, 26 U.S.C., Section 3301 et seq.; or
13. If two or more employers share common ownership, management, or control, the Commission may combine their merit rating accounts, including their actual contribution and benefit experience, annual payrolls, and contribution rates into one account.
Added by Laws 1980, c. 323, § 1-208, eff. July 1, 1980. Amended by Laws 1990, c. 333, § 1, emerg. eff. May 31, 1990; Laws 1993, c. 219, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Laws 1997, c. 30, § 2, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 2005, c. 182, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2005; Laws 2006, c. 176, § 1, eff. July 1, 2006; Laws 2008, c. 132, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2008.