New I-9 Form released

Did you come to our seminar on March 5, 2013? If so, you may remember me discussing a proposed new I-9 form. Well, the final form has been released, and is now available for use. There is a 60-day grace period, but after May 7, 2013, the prior versions of the form can no longer be used. Employers may be subject to penalties between $110 to $1,100 per form if continuing to use a prior version of the form after that date.

The biggest change is that the form is now two pages, instead of one. Although the estimated time burden has nearly tripled, going from 13 minutes to 35, the form’s layout is now more straightforward. There is a nice delineation that the first page is for the employee, and the second for the employer. The field to list the first day of employment is now on its own separate line, instead of buried in a paragraph of text as in previous versions. There is also better headings and organization for the Identity and Employment Authorization fields in Section 2.

Note that employers do not need to complete the new Form I-9 for current employees for whom there is already a properly completed Form I-9 on file, unless re-verification applies. For more information about reverification procedures and how to avoid potential discrimination issues, check out the new and updated M-274, Handbook for Employers, or contact us.