Table of Contents
New employee forms are computerized or paper papers that collect information about new hires such as their address, tax withholdings, and employment eligibility. W-4s, I-9s, and job applications are examples of new hire forms that guarantee your company complies with labor rules while also making scheduling, communication, and payroll processing simpler.
We examine the most frequent compliance, Policy on Employment, company-specific, and Experience of Employees forms that your small business will need for new recruits in the sections below.
Compliance
In the event of an audit, you may be asked to provide or present compliance paperwork to a government agency. They are divided into three categories: those required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), those needed by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), and those necessary to comply with labor regulations. Here are several examples:
- Forms for state and federal tax withholdings are available from the IRS (e.g., W-4 and W-9)
- Form for Employment Eligibility (I-9)
- State-specific disclosures and reporting on new hires
Government websites, such as IRS.gov, provide compliance forms. Furthermore, several states provide an employer website with all of the needed compliance documents you’ll need if you employ people in that state. It becomes more difficult, though, if you have employees in various states, each with their own set of rules. Some states, for example, have their own tax withholding forms in addition to the W-4.
In most circumstances, your payroll provider will be able to provide you with the necessary documents in these states. This is most often done automatically if you utilize HR software or deal with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). If you don’t have a payroll provider, you may download the new employee paperwork from the websites below and fill them out yourself.
Employees must complete the I-9 form as a federal identification verification (employment verification) document, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Employees must show documents demonstrating their legal ability to work in the United States by their third day on the job. A driver’s license and social security card (or a US passport) are usually acceptable forms of identification.
The W-9 is the federal tax form used by independent contractors. It’s used to collect tax information from non-employee employees who earn $600 or more per year.
To prove that you’ve employed a new employee, fill out the state new hire reporting form and send it to the appropriate state. It’s utilized for statistics and child support payments. The information must be submitted to the state within 20 days of employing a new team member in most states.
Policy on Employment
Policy on Employment forms are additional new hire documents gathered during the onboarding process. They protect your business in case of an employment dispute and make your policies and expectations clear.
The employee signs the signed offer letter to indicate that they agree to the employment position, title, start date, compensation, and benefits. Before you provide the employee with any new hiring papers, you need to have the signed offer letter.
The work agreement for managers, executives, and contractors is confirmed by a formal employment contract (or agreement), which includes penalties for non-performance. This letter is similar to the signed offer letter, except it contains additional information.
An NCA protects your firm by barring the employee from competing with you while they are employed or after they leave. This agreement will guarantee that your workers do not utilize the information they have gained to work for a firm that competes directly with yours.
An NDA, often known as a confidentiality agreement, safeguards your company by prohibiting employees from disclosing secret intellectual information. This contract guarantees that your staff will not divulge trade secrets to rivals.
Employees may sign up for healthcare or insurance benefits using benefit enrollment forms. It also collects data on the employee and their families for the express purpose of enrolment.
The organization may explicitly set out its anti-discrimination policy by having all workers sign a non-discrimination policy. It serves as evidence in the event of any form of job discrimination.
A sexual harassment policy informs workers on the company’s sexual harassment policy. This policy may either be a stand-alone document that each employee signs, or it can be included in the business handbook.
Specific to a company
Depending on the size of your firm, your sector, or your individual requirements, you may need to add certain new employee papers to your new hire paperwork. These may be gathered before to or during orientation, or they can be included in your new recruit checklist.
Certain businesses, such as education, healthcare, and banking, may demand testing and background checks. If you do background checks, keep the findings in a safe place since they may safeguard your company in the event of a lawsuit alleging discriminatory employment practices.
Drug testing are performed to ensure that your workplace is free of drugs. They might be industry-specific, such as healthcare or transportation, or they can be completely optional.
For payroll reasons, a direct deposit form is used to gather workers’ bank account information. Routing numbers and bank account numbers are included on these papers, as well as distribution amounts that govern how much money is deposited into each account for workers at the time of payroll.
A job application is used to gather basic information about candidates. It gives employee background, job history, and contact information, as well as protecting you from charges of hiring discrimination.
Experience of Employees
These are optional employee forms that improve the Experience of Employees, on-the-job performance, and work culture. These new hire forms aren’t required by law but are used instead to create a great impression on the new hire and improve your overall employment brand.
Employee objectives are collected and progress is tracked using a goal setting form. This may both encourage workers and assist them in identifying methods to achieve employee appreciation.
Employees may use an orientation checklist to have a better understanding of their first days on the job. Providing a copy to the employee makes it easier for them to stay on track with what is expected of them.
An evaluation might provide insight into an employee’s work style and habits. Assessment instruments like DISC or Myers Briggs may be used to collect data.
This includes information about the employee that is “great to know,” such as their birthdate, favorite dish, and ideal career. A simple MS Word or MS Excel spreadsheet may be used to collect this data.
Employee retention depends on getting a new worker started on the right track. It’s also critical from the aspect of employer branding.
You’ll need a place to save all of this new employee paperwork, either in file folders (which we don’t advocate) or electronically, utilizing a free document storage solution like Rippling. Then, when it’s time to file your taxes, your accountant will have everything in one spot. In reality, tax filing should be done automatically if you use any of our suggested payroll software.
We suggest reading about the payroll process if you’re preparing to perform your first paycheck. Rippling can help you produce, transmit, and submit W-2s and 1099s, as well as securely keep all completed documents online and make it simple to notify new employment to applicable state authorities.
What Does it Cost to Hire a New Employee?
You may collect and prepare most of your new employee documents for free by using our forms above, government-provided PDF forms, or internet examples. Then, for the cost of paper and ink, you may change and print them. Some organizations, on the other hand, choose to outsource HR to a third party to verify that all of their new hire paperwork is in order, tailored, and legal.
The following are some of the expenses to consider:
- Standard forms are often included in HR software. You may receive the forms and an automated process with e-signature and online storage for somewhere from $1–$15 per month, per employee.
- Hiring an HR specialist may cost anything from $50 per hour to $5,000 for a new hire bundle of forms and paperwork, which often includes an employee handbook.
- Legal: You may engage a small company lawyer to go through the paperwork you’ve downloaded. Typically, this service is charged by the project or by the hour. LegalZoom, for example, bills $39–$99 per document for reviewing company forms and procedures. However, if you have an attorney create and deliver the paperwork for you, you may spend substantially more.
- Do It Yourself: This is the simplest and least expensive alternative, although it may be time-consuming. You or your administrative assistant may be able to download and alter the forms we supply for little or no cost other than the time invested, depending on your degree of HR knowledge.
- Document Management: The most cost-effective method of document management is to place them in an employee personnel file stored in a secure file folder. However, storing documents online, such as on your private network or in a Google Workspace account, is a better (and more searchable) choice. Documents will, of course, be kept online if you utilize HR or payroll software like Rippling.
The forms themselves are inexpensive or free. If you generate your own papers and employ someone to oversee and maintain them, it may cost a little extra to ensure they’re legally compliant.
Guidelines for New Hire Forms
Consider following the principles below if you’re generating forms from scratch or adapting forms you’ve discovered elsewhere. This gives you a professional appearance, assures that you have the most recent version of the forms, and makes them simpler to locate.
- Each form should be given a name. The I-9 or W-4 form, for example, is often issued by a government entity. If you’re creating your own forms, such as to collect an employee’s emergency contact information, it’s ideal to put the form’s name at the top and maybe include a footer with the form name and revision date in case you need to change it.
- Fill out the fields completely and accurately. Filling out new hire compliance paperwork incorrectly, according to the instructions supplied by the appropriate government agency, is the most typical error. Additionally, adding information that is not legally compliant on other forms, such as identifying a person’s gender or former pay on a job application form, is a typical error. These might be discovered in a lawsuit and used to prove discrimination or salary disparities.
- Assist staff in comprehending why a form is utilized. A short explanation should be provided for each form. If you ask your workers for their bank account and routing information, for example, it’s preferable to explain that you’re doing it so you can set them up for a direct deposit.
- Keep the paperwork in a safe place. Some papers are acceptable to keep in an employee’s personnel folder, which is accessible to supervisors. To prevent private employee information from being accessed, other documents, such as I-9 employment eligibility papers, should be kept separate.
- Keep your completed paperwork safe. Document preservation policies differ by government agency and, in many cases, by state. 401(k) enrollment documents, for example, must be maintained for six years after an employee leaves, while a new hire offer letter or other payment information only has to be retained for three years.
- Regularly update your new employee paperwork. Tax and other labor regulations are constantly changing at the state and federal levels, as well as at the municipal level. California, for example, mandates extended paid sick leave, and several states make it unlawful to inquire about past salary or criminal records when interviewing job seekers. As a result, it’s a good idea to review both your forms and your employee handbook every year to ensure that they stay compliant.
Conclusion
Forms for new employees are an important aspect of the recruiting process. There are a few documents needed by law (compliance forms) that guarantee your company is compliant when it comes to acquiring data from the federal, state, and municipal governments. Other forms that are required include those that gather information for payroll, medical benefits enrollment, background checks, and insurance benefits enrollment.
Make sure you’ve filled out all of the relevant compliance papers and that you’re reporting them to the appropriate authorities. It’s also a good idea to keep track of each employee’s signed policies and data. This ensures that you have the necessary information to complete benefits, payroll, and other key small-business tasks.
