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All new employees should fill out these essential forms before they start work.
When you hire a new employee, there are many forms they are required to complete before they start working as part of their onboarding process. Several of these forms are required by the government, while others are necessary documents for your business. All of the required forms, however, must be completed for your new employees to be secure in their job and to establish benefits and payroll. New employees’ essential forms fall into three categories: employment eligibility forms, tax forms, and business-specific forms.
Form I-9 For Employment Eligibility
Before you can add new employees to your team, you are responsible for confirming their employment eligibility. You can do this through Form I-9.
This form is in three sections: the employee fills out the first, the employer fills out the second, and the third is for reverification or rehires. The form will ask for the employee’s name, address, SSN, and citizenship status. The employee must bring in original documents to prove their eligibility and identity.
Tax Forms
When hiring new employees and adding them to your payroll, you need to submit federal and state W-4 tax forms.
Form W-4
This form is required by the IRS to determine the amount of federal income tax to withhold. The form will ask for the employee’s name, SSN, address, and marital status, and the employee can change their information on Form W-4 at any time throughout the year.
State W-4
If there is state income tax in your state, you must also collect state tax withholding forms. There are only a handful of states that do not have state income tax, so you will most likely need to complete these forms. You may also need to withhold local income tax from employee wages, but these taxes are typically a percentage of employee wages and are not determined by a form.
Emergency Contact Form
The following few forms may also be essential for new employees to complete. An emergency contact form tells you who to contact in case of an emergency at work. The employee will supply one or two names, phone numbers, and addresses of people who can be contacted on their behalf.
Employee Handbook Acknowledgement Form
Creating an employee handbook with details on employment laws, employee conduct, payroll, and other business policies can be a handy resource for all employees. You may want to provide an employee handbook with an acknowledgment form for the employee to fill out, verifying that they read the handbook and understand the policies.
Bank Account Information Form
If your new employees elect to receive their wages via direct deposit, or your state requires direct deposit, you will have to collect the employees’ bank account information. The information form should request:
- The employee’s name
- Type of account, either checking or savings
- Name and routing number of the bank
- Employee’s bank account number
Benefits Forms
If you offer small business employee benefits, you must collect forms indicating the employee’s involvement in the programs. These programs may include:
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Retirement plans
You should provide information about the benefits you offer, and collect forms from employees indicating whether they accept or decline the benefits. Once all of the above essential forms are completed, you can store them in your business records.
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Unlike other accounting firms, The Harding Group, located in Annapolis, MD, will never charge you for emails or phone calls and will strive for open communication with our clients. Whether you are interested in business advising, tax preparation, bookkeeping and accounting, payroll services, Training + support for QuickBooks, or retirement planning, we have the expertise and years of experience to help. We serve clients in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore, Severna Park, and Columbia. If you are ready to take the stress out of taxes, contact us online or give us a call at (410) 573-9991 for a free consultation. For more tax tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.