I-9 Verification Services for Employment

Form I-9 verifies an employeeߴs eligibility to work in the United States. Employers must complete an I-9 employment eligibility verification for every full- and part-time W-2 employee they hire. You donߴt need to complete I-9 verifications for contractors, volunteers, or anyone else who isnߴt required to complete a W-2. You should always consult your own independent legal counsel to understand your I-9-related compliance requirements.

I-9 verifications are essential to help prevent hiring employees who arenߴt eligible to work in the United States. Automating the process with I-9 verification services, like those Checkr provides through its integration with Tracker I-9, makes it easy to gather, store, and track employee I-9 documents while maintaining compliance with regulatory guidelines.

During I-9 verification, employers collect personal identifying information from new W-2 employees and review their work eligibility documents (such as a passport, driver’s license, and/or social security card).

Form I-9 has three sections. The employee completes Section 1, while the employer completes Section 2 and possibly Section 3, depending on the situation. Hereߴs a brief overview of each section.

The I-9 verification process begins by having the employee complete Section 1 by recording personal information such as name, date of birth, address, citizenship or immigration status, etc. When you order Form I-9 through Checkr, employees can transfer information we collected during the background check process directly into the I-9 process, saving time, improving accuracy, and helping to ensure I-9 compliance.

You must review and verify the employeeߴs identification and employment eligibility documents in Section 2. There are a few ways to do this with Checkr, giving you and your employees the flexibility to choose the best option.

You donߴt need to complete Section 3 for every employee. You only need to complete it if youߴre reverifying information a current employee provided during their initial I-9 background check because their employment authorization or documentation of employment authorization expired.

If an employee legally changes their name or you rehire someone who worked for you within the last three years, you may complete Section 3 of their original I-9 form or complete a new I-9.

E-Verify is a website that compares information on an employeeߴs I-9 to records from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) to ensure they match. E-Verify requirements vary by employer and state.

Employers that work on federal contracts or subcontracts that include the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause must use E-Verify’s I-9 services. Some states, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah, require most or all employers to use E-Verify.

Other states, including Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, require employers to use E-Verify in certain situations. Any employer may use E-Verify services voluntarily, even if the law doesnߴt require it.

When you use Checkr to complete I-9 verifications, you can set up your account to automatically submit Form I-9 to E-Verify after completing Section 2. You should consult your own independent legal counsel to understand your E-Verify obligations and whether E-Verify is right or required for your business.

After completing Section 1, employees must provide documentation for I-9 verification of their identity and employment eligibility in the United States. I-9 documents that satisfy both requirements include:

If an employee doesnߴt have a document listed above, they can provide two documents—one to verify their identity and one to verify their employment eligibility.

Documents that establish identity may include:

I-9 verification documents that establish employment authorization may include:

Employees must complete Section 1 of Form I-9 on or before their first day of employment. Employers must complete Section 2 within three days of the employeeߴs start date.

I-9 verification services, like Checkr, help streamline the I-9 employment eligibility verification process by pulling information collected during the background check into Form I-9. This eliminates manual processes, reduces errors, and allows you to access all digital I-9 resources—including E-Verify —in one place.

Employers that use E-Verify get a result within seconds, letting them know whether the information the employee entered matches the records on file with the DHS and SSA.

Remote I-9 verification is only available to employers enrolled in E-Verify. If you’re enrolled in E-Verify, you may examine documents via video chat and remain compliant with the I-9 employment verification process. Employers that arenߴt enrolled in E-Verify must review employee documents in person.

Consolidate your background check and I-9 workflows into a single dashboard with Checkr. With one simple hiring to onboarding flow, you can eliminate redundancies and expedite previously manual tasks. Plus, our partnership with Tracker I-9 and integration with E-Verify helps ensure your I-9 verifications are accurate and compliant with current regulations, minimizing risk for your organization.

Free up your human resource team to focus on higher priority tasks, like facilitating an outstanding first day on the job for your employees, by automating and fully digitizing the I-9 process. Get started now.

The resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Consult your own legal counsel to understand your I-9 compliance and legal requirements and obligations. Any decision to use any Tracker or Checkr product is solely your own and at your own risk.