Getting Off-Site Employees On-Board with Form I-9
Also Known As: How to have a compliant remote workforce.
It’s an age-old challenge… this may help.
First a review of Form I-9…
Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of all individuals hired for employment in the United States (US). Both employees and employers (or authorized representatives of the employer) must complete the form. On the form, an employee must attest to his or her employment authorization. The employee must also present his or her employer with acceptable, original documents evidencing identity and employment authorization. The employer must examine the employment eligibility and identity document(s) an employee presents to determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the last page of the form. Employers must retain Form I-9 for a designated period and make it available for inspection by authorized government officers. NOTE: State agencies may use Form I-9. Also, some agricultural recruiters and referrers for a fee may be required to use Form I-9.
The challenge…
U.S. Research shows:
- 63% of companies have off-site employees.
- One in five employees work remotely, and this number is on the rise.
5 Challenges for Properly Completing Form I-9 for a Remote or Out-of-State Employee
- Accuracy
- Completer must physically and personally inspect a new hire’s acceptable identity and employment authorization documents
- Must be filled out within three days of an employee’s start date
- Fines have doubled since July 2016 for not completing Section 2 on time with a physical document review
- ICE is ramping up worksite audits
Apparently Equifax has developed a service to assist employers with these challenges (see attached). I have not used this service, nor am I necessarily endorsing it, but the attachment’s first 5 pages are a great tutorial or refresher for employers.
If you are familiar with this service or if you are using this service I would be very interested in your feedback.
Using this service or not, do not overlook the importance of a properly and timely executed Form I-9s for all new hires. Remember, PLB Resources is in the business of helping employers with what they know, they do not know. We are here to assist and all initial consultations are complimentary.