Businesses, both small and large, need new hires to fill out forms with key information about them before they can begin working. Whether it’s for tax purposes or government compliance, employers are required to collect certain information on new hires. This post covers four of the most common forms for new hires.
Today, it’s far more common for new hires to fill employment forms out electronically. This requires making a PDF a fillable form, which means that the recipient can open the PDF, type their information in the fields, and then save a copy with their information filled out. Employers can set up fillable forms online. PDF.Live provides several forms with built-in fillable fields. You can download these new hire forms for free and send them to your new hire to easily fill out on their computer or smartphone.
So, which forms do you need for your new hire? What follows are four important employer forms.
Disclaimer: PDF.Live is not a law firm, and we are not attorneys or CPAs. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a qualified employment attorney or tax professional, as form requirements vary by jurisdiction and change frequently.
Form I-9
The I-9 form is the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) Employment Eligibility Verification form, and generally every employer must complete one for each new hire. Employers must keep the I-9 on file either physically or electronically so that they can present it to government officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Labor, or the Department of Justice. The USCIS website has detailed information on the I-9 requirements.
An I-9 contains a new hire’s name, Social Security number, and citizenship information. The new hire provides documents that identify them and authorize them for employment. A document can do both, or just one, but new hires must provide enough documents to do both. Some examples are:
- A U.S. passport
- A foreign passport
- Driver’s license
- Government ID card
- Birth certificate
When the employee submits the forms with copies of the documents, it must also be filled out by the employer within three business days after the employee’s first day of employment. The employer must inspect the employee’s documents and verify that they’re eligible to work in the U.S. They then enter the pertinent information from the documents in the I-9.
The I-9 also has supplemental sections for a preparer/translator and a verification section for rehire or in the event of a name change.
Form W-4
The W-4 form is the IRS’s Employee’s Withholding Certificate form. It tells an employer how much federal income tax to withhold from an employee’s pay based on the employee’s financial situation. If an employee doesn’t submit one, the employer typically withholds at the default single rate, which usually means more tax comes out of each paycheck than necessary.
A W-4 form contains the employee’s identification information and other information:
- Single or married filing jointly
- How many dependents they claim
- Other income they’re receiving from other jobs
- Tax deductions
- Any extra withholding amount
The bulk of Form W-4 is filled out by the employee, as there are many different tax deductions. Employers don’t have to submit this form to the IRS (unless audited), as it’s only used for payroll.
Form W-2
The W-2 form is the IRS’s Wage and Tax Statement. Employers use the form to report the employee’s wages, tips, and other compensation, and tax withholdings. While not technically a new hire form, employers submit this form to the Social Security Administration (SSA) every year. They also provide the employee with a W-2 for filing taxes.
The W-2 form is pretty simple, as it just contains:
- Employee identification information
- Wages, tips, and other compensation
- How much was withheld for taxes
- Federal income tax withheld
- Social Security tax withheld
- Medicare tax withheld
The employee usually submits their W-2 as part of filing their income taxes annually. An employer is legally required to submit a W-2 no later than January 31 every year. They must submit the form electronically or mail it to the SSA, as well as give their employee the form.
Direct Deposit Form
A direct deposit authorization form isn’t required for every employment situation, but it is necessary to process payroll for employers who require direct deposit where it’s permissible to do so. The form identifies the employee and how to submit payment to their bank account. This isn’t an official government document, so it doesn’t have a standard form template, but commonly includes:
- Employer name, address and phone number
- Employee’s name, address and phone number
- Financial institution name, address and phone number
- Account type (checking/savings)
- Account number
- Bank routing number
- Amount to be deposited (if depositing to different accounts or banks)
- Signature and date — employee’s authorization to deposit payments
A direct deposit form authorizes the employer to deposit wages into the employee’s account until employment is terminated. Employers also have to keep an employee’s information on file, which includes direct deposit information, for four years after filing for the IRS to review. It’s best practice to keep these records for seven years in the event of an audit, for example.