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Hiring Check-Up: Are You Using the Right New Hire Forms?

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New Hire Forms

Recruiting a new hire can be a long and tedious process. Writing job descriptions, posting to job sites, reviewing applications, and scheduling and conducting interviews and reference checks can make the recruitment of a new hire challenging. It can be a huge relief when an offer is finally extended and ultimately accepted by a candidate.

However, human resource professionals know that there is still more to be done after the candidate accepts the position, and there are several forms that need to be completed to properly onboard the new hire. While each state or locality may have its own requirements for new hires, there are some basic forms that employers should be having new hires complete during the onboarding process.

I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification

Form I-9 is used to verify the identity and employment eligibility of an individual. This form collects the individual’s citizenship information, and requires that the employer or an authorized representative review and verify a valid form(s) of identification within three business days of the employee’s first day of employment. Employees who do not complete the form or present acceptable identification documents within the allowable period may be terminated. In conjunction with form I-9, E-Verify is an online system that can assist employers in confirming an individual’s eligibility to work in the United States.

Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate

Employees should complete and submit form W-4 so the appropriate federal income tax can be withheld from their pay. If an employee does not submit a properly completed form W-4, the employer should withhold federal income taxes from the employee as if they submitted a form stating they are single with no other entries. The IRS provides a tool to help employees who may be unsure of how to complete the form.

 

State Withholding Certificates

If your employee is subject to state or local income taxes, there may be additional state- or local-level forms to be completed.  Nearly every state requires employers to withhold state income tax from employees’ paychecks (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not have state income tax).   Some states utilize the Federal Form W-4 to dictate how withholding should be calculated, while other states have created their own withholding certificates.  Employers should provide employee’s with the proper state withholding form, as applicable, and utilize the information provided by the employee to calculate state income tax.

 

Direct deposit and pay statement preferences

State laws may dictate whether employees need to opt-in to receive pay via direct deposit and/or receive electronic vs. paper pay statements.  If you will be offering direct deposit to employees you should have employees complete a Direct Deposit Authorization form to authorize the deposit of the employee’s net check to the bank account specified.

Other internal or company-specific forms

The business may have other agreements and forms that might need to be acknowledged and signed by new hires. These could include non-compete agreements, employee handbook acknowledgments, drug or background screening consent forms, and non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements. Some of these may be specific to employees who are hired into certain roles within the company. If the employee is eligible to receive benefits, the applicable enrollment forms should also be collected.

 

How can we help?

Keeping track of all of the different forms and legal requirements when it comes to onboarding new hires can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many modern HR systems provide solutions to make the document collection process much more efficient and organized. Electronic forms and e-signatures are becoming the accepted norm for many of the required documents, and paperless onboarding can be a huge improvement over manual and paper-heavy workflows. The team at Valor Payroll Solutions can help your business implement a modern approach to your HR workflows and take your HR to the next level. Contact us today!

Christina Hageny

Christina Hageny

President - Valor Payroll Solutions

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