Hey Warriors,
We have been wondering about the new I-9. Well wonder no more……. just read on!
On Monday, September 12th, USCIS released this statement: On Aug. 25, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved a revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. USCIS must publish a revised form by Nov. 22, 2016. Employers may continue using the current version of Form I-9 with a revision date of 03/08/2013 N until Jan. 21, 2017. After Jan. 21, 2017, all previous versions of Form I-9 will be invalid.
So, what does that mean for you?It’s time for a clean-up audit of the I-9.
When the new form I-9 is published in November, we may need a bit of re-training time in order to be ready to accurately complete the new form by the “go” date of January 21st, 2017. We also need to be certain all current forms are cleaned up and correct. If you decide to wait until January to audit the existing forms, any corrections you make are required to go on the new form. So, no striking through and correcting after January 21st, 2017. New forms will be required for corrections.
Does this mean you will have to re-do the entire I-9 on the new form? NO!!! That may actually be illegal. But, you will be required to note corrections on the new version.
Do you know how to perform your audit? You will need a good checklist and some guidance on the proper way to complete and correct the I-9s going forward. Check out our I-9 guide “21 FAQs about the I-9”. If you have our HelpDesk Compliance Tool-Kit for Payroll Professionals, then you already have a nice guide for conducting your internal audit and making corrections.
Look at your I-9s soon and take care of business. Penalties are $110 per technical error on each I-9. Even a misunderstood abbreviation or details placed on the wrong line can cost you this $110 penalty – EVERY TIME THEY SEE IT. Eeek!
Until Next Time, Be Audit-Secure!
Lisa Smith
