Is your company in compliance with form I-9 regulations? What would you do if faced with an I-9 audit? Employers and HR professionals involved in hiring and on-boarding new employees work with the Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services form used to verify employee identity and establish U.S. employment eligibility. There are very specific rules and regulations for the use of this form that are outlined in the M-274 Handbook for Employers. Failing to properly complete, retain, and/or make available for inspection form I-9 as required by law may incur penalties of $110 to $1100 for each violation. Can you afford to be out of compliance?
Here are three important compliance issues you need to know about I-9 forms:
Here are three important compliance issues you need to know about I-9 forms:
The Three-Day Rule
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rules require employers to complete I-9 forms within three business days of the new employee’s first day of work. Completion of the form means the employee has filled out and signed and dated section one on the first day of employment, and provided identification documents to be verified by the employer within three business days.
When to Purge I-9 Documents
ICE rules require employers to keep I-9 forms either one year after the date of termination or three years after the date of hire, whichever is greater. For this reason, make it a regular practice to audit your terminated employees’ I-9's and purge documents older than either one year after the employee term date or three years after the employee hire date.
Purge I-9 forms of terminated employees to free up storage space, protect sensitive information of previous employees, and minimize your risk of errors being found during an audit. The Society for Human Resource Management recommends keeping a log of purged I-9 files that notes the date of purge.
Valid Identifying Documents
Hiring managers and employers need to make sure they are getting the right combination for identifying documents for I-9 validation. The employee needs to present a document from List A OR a document from List B AND a document from List C; if they do not, the I-9 documentation is incomplete. Employers can refer to the M-274 Handbook for Employers for examples of valid identification documents and how to correctly the complete the I-9 form for compliance.
If you’d like more information or need assistance with your I-9 compliance, please contact us at [email protected] or call 1-844 MY ACCTG.
Simplicity Consulting is a professional accounting and administrative services firm run by a talented team of professionals. With a combined experience level of over 40 years, we provide high-quality, innovative services to small and medium sized businesses.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rules require employers to complete I-9 forms within three business days of the new employee’s first day of work. Completion of the form means the employee has filled out and signed and dated section one on the first day of employment, and provided identification documents to be verified by the employer within three business days.
When to Purge I-9 Documents
ICE rules require employers to keep I-9 forms either one year after the date of termination or three years after the date of hire, whichever is greater. For this reason, make it a regular practice to audit your terminated employees’ I-9's and purge documents older than either one year after the employee term date or three years after the employee hire date.
Purge I-9 forms of terminated employees to free up storage space, protect sensitive information of previous employees, and minimize your risk of errors being found during an audit. The Society for Human Resource Management recommends keeping a log of purged I-9 files that notes the date of purge.
Valid Identifying Documents
Hiring managers and employers need to make sure they are getting the right combination for identifying documents for I-9 validation. The employee needs to present a document from List A OR a document from List B AND a document from List C; if they do not, the I-9 documentation is incomplete. Employers can refer to the M-274 Handbook for Employers for examples of valid identification documents and how to correctly the complete the I-9 form for compliance.
If you’d like more information or need assistance with your I-9 compliance, please contact us at [email protected] or call 1-844 MY ACCTG.
Simplicity Consulting is a professional accounting and administrative services firm run by a talented team of professionals. With a combined experience level of over 40 years, we provide high-quality, innovative services to small and medium sized businesses.
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