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BEACON Account Activation and Registration for Employers and Third-Party Agents - Unemployment Insurance Modernization

BEACON is the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance’s fully-modernized unemployment insurance system, which integrates all benefits, appeals, and tax functions. To use BEACON:

  • Existing employers and third-party agents must activate an account, and
  • New employers and agents must register for an account.
     

An employer or agent only needs to activate or register for an account once. During the activation or registration process, the individual will create a username, password, and three security questions and answers.

After an employer activates or registers for an account, the employer can log in to BEACON to authorize third-party agents to complete unemployment insurance tasks on their behalf. To learn more, see the BEACON Employer Agent Authorization tutorial video.

Account activation and registration instructions for employers and third-party agents are included below.

  1. How do employers create an account in BEACON?

    Existing Employers

    If you have a Maryland unemployment insurance employer account number:

    When you activate your employer account, you will need to provide your Maryland unemployment insurance employer account number and either the:

    • amount of the most recent payment you submitted to the Division of Unemployment Insurance; 
    • total gross wages reported on your most recently-filed unemployment insurance tax report; or
    • an activation code sent by U.S. mail.

    For more information about activating a BEACON account, see:

    New Employers

    If you are a new employer and you do not have a Maryland unemployment insurance employer account number:

    You will need to provide the following information during the registration process.

    • Contact Information
    • Business Owner/Officer Information
    • Date Wages Will Be/Were First Paid for Services Performed in Maryland
    • Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
    • Business Name (including Legal, Trade, and Doing Business As Names)
    • State in which the Business was Formed
    • Date of Business Formation/Incorporation
    • Business Entity Type
    • Mailing Address
    • Address of Where Work is Performed in MD
    • Mailing Address for Benefit Charge Statements
    • IRS 501(c) 3 Exemption Letter (if Applying for Non-Profit)

    For more information, see:

  2. How do agents create an account in BEACON?

    Existing Agents

    If you are an existing agent and want to activate your account:

    To activate your agent account, you will need to enter your Maryland unemployment insurance agent account number and an unemployment insurance employer account number for one of your clients. You will also need to enter either the:

    • Amount of the last payment you made for this client (whose unemployment insurance employer account number you entered); or
    • The total gross wages reported for this client.

    For more information, see:

    New Agents

    If you are a new agent:

    • Select “Register for an Account" and follow the prompts.

    To register your agent account, you will need to provide your contact information (name, email address, and phone number), as well as information about your client, including the business’s legal name, FEIN, email address, and address.

    For more information, see:

  3. Who can employers/agents contact for more information?

    For assistance with activating or registering an employer/agent account in BEACON, email ui.employeractivation@maryland.gov or call 410-767-8997. Employers or agents who have additional questions about BEACON can call the Employer Call Center at 410-949-0033.