Updated October 30, 2023
IMPORTANT: New Form I-9 Required for all newly-hired workers
Effective November 1, 2023, employers must use the new Form I-9, per the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Whether you're hiring your first employee or your 50th, it's important to know what forms you need to withhold taxes, and pay your team.
What we'll cover
- Form I-9 (Edition 08/01/23)
- Form W-4
- Direct Deposit Enrollment Form
- Why is direct deposit important?
Is it required by law for my employees to fill out these forms?
In short, yes. All new employees must complete Forms I-9 and W-4 upon hiring. And it's equally important for you to retain copies of these documents in case of an audit. The information from these forms is also needed to pay employees using OnPay.
Form I-9 (Edition 08/01/23)
Effective November 1, 2023, employers must use the new Form I-9.
Also known as the Employment Eligibility Verification form, Form I-9 verifies that an employee is eligible to work in the USA, and must be completed by each new hire, even if you're using E-verify*.
Overview of Form I-9 changes
On August 1, 2023, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the release of a revised Form I-9, to better accommodate hiring remote workers, as well as to make the form easier to download or just fill out electronically.
- New mobile and PDF reader-friendly formatting
- Streamlined process, with added definitions of key actors and required tasks
- Consolidated redundant information fields
- Simplified instructions, reducing them to 8 pages from 15
- Clarified definitions of “noncitizen authorized workers”
- Improved guidance for the Lists of Acceptable Documents
- Added a checkbox to indicate when employers have remotely examined Form I-9 documents for E-Verify
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Relocated less-commonly used sections to their own supplemental forms:
- Section 1 - Preparer/Translator Certification is now found in Supplement A
- Section 3 - Reverification and Rehire is now found in Supplement B
- The abbreviations charts is now found in the M-274
* Not sure if you're required to complete E-verify checks in your state? Not all employers are. Check USCIS or contact the state for further information on E-verify.
Form W-4
Form W-4 is also known as the Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate. It tells an employer how much to withhold for federal income taxes from their employee's check. The information on this form is entered into OnPay to calculate the employee's taxes correctly.
Direct Deposit Enrollment Form
For their checks to be paid by direct deposit, employees must fill out the attached form and provide a voided check to verify the account information they have provided is correct.
Why is direct deposit important?
Studies show that direct deposit is the number-one method of payment that employees prefer. Not only is direct deposit easier, faster, and safer than other methods, it's the most cost-effective way for employers to pay employees.
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