I9 Form 2021 Printable And Fillable

Whether You Are An Employer Or Employee In The U.S., It’s Vital To Know About The I-9 Form 2021 Printable. Here Is An Overview Of This Document’S Definition, Contents, Filing Process, And Upgrades.

There are a lot of forms that must be given, filled out, and managed when you hire a new employee on their first day before starting to officially work. One of them is the I9 Form 2021 printable, which is a mandatory document for all new employees as required by the United States’ federal government.

Below is an informative insight of what is the i9 Form, the contents inside, the required documents, and the time it must be filed to.

What Is i9 Form?

The form of i9 is issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is one of the agencies under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is formally titled as Employment Eligibility Verification form. The document must be completed by each and every new employee to determine their eligibility to work in the United States.

Any employer in the United States is required to provide and have their new hires complete the form despite their citizenship status. The process of completing this document involves both the new employee and the employer. The form of i9 is not required to be submitted back to USCIS or DHS, but it might be required during audits, which can be performed at any given time by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE).

What Are the Contents of the I-9 Form?

There are three sections that have to be accomplished inside i9 Form 2021 printable, which are:

Section 1 – Employee Information and Attestation

This section should be completed before or on the first day of new hires’ employment. Its purpose is to confirm US citizenship and determine employment authorization. It’s comprised of data about the employees’:

Name
Date of Birth
Address
SSN (Optional)
Status of Citizenship
Status of Work Authorization

It must be signed with the employee’s name and the current date – and it’s considered a violation if there are any missing data.

Section 2 – Employer or Authorized Representative Review and Verification

This section is the responsibility of the employer. It should be filled in within 3 workdays and accompanied with documents (List A, List B, and List C) for verification purposes, which would be explained further in the next part of this article.

All of the documents must be examined to confirm the identity and eligibility of the new hires. Section 2 also requires the employer’s signature and information about the company.

Section 3 – Reverification and Rehires

This section is used when the employer wants to re-verify the expired i9 Form, or else it’d be left blank. The documents that require verification are:

Visa
Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766/EAD)

What Documents Are Acceptable to Verify I-9 Form?

There are three documentation categories recognized by USCIS for new hires to provide, for identification purposes. These documents are divided into List A, List B, and List C.

List A includes documents that are used to verify the identity and employment authorization of the employee. Meanwhile, List B includes documents that verify the employee’s identity only, and List C includes documents that verify the employee’s work authorization only. Therefore, new hires that provide documents of List A, are not required documents of List B and List C anymore.

1. List A Category Document Examples:

Passport or Passport Card Of The United States
Green Card (Form I-551/Permanent Resident Card)
Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766/EAD)

2. List B Category Document Examples:

Federal, State, Or Local Government-Issued ID Card
Driver’S License
Military ID Cards
School ID Cards That Have a Photograph

3. List C Category Document Examples:

U.S. Department Of State Issued Birth Certification (Form DS-1350)
U.S. Citizen Identification Card (Form I-197)
Identification Card For Use of Resident Citizen In The U.S. (Form I-179)

To see the complete lists of documents that are accepted, you may visit the official website of USCIS.

When Should I-9 Form Be Filed?

The form of i9 is not submitted to the government agency, unlike most of the forms related to employment. This document must be kept by the employer and should be provided in case the ICE agency performs an inspection. All of the employees’ i9 Forms must be retained by the employer as long as they remain to work for the company or business. It also should be retained a minimum of one year after the employment between both parties has come to an end.

The frequency of audits for various businesses has been increased by the U.S. ICE agency. That’s why it is essential to have the i9 Forms filled out and kept correctly to prevent getting fines and penalties.

I-9 Form 2020 vs. 2021

The latest version of the i9 Form 2021 printable that can be downloaded on the official website of USCIS is coded with ‘10/21/2019’. Meanwhile, the most recent form that was made to be mandatory was issued in May 2020. The form of i9 is typically issued once every a few years since it was created in 1986. You may use the currently available version because it’d only be expired on October 31, 2022. So, to conclude, there is no difference between the 2020 version and the 2021 version of the i9 Form.

What Are the Differences Between E-Verify and I-9 Form?

It is not rare to hear people confuse between the i9 Form and the E-Verify program. This online program is not the replacement or to eliminate the obligation for employers to comply with the process of completing the i9 Form.

There are several aspects that made both documents different. Here are the differences between E-Verify and i9 Form explained in the convenient table so you can understand and differentiate both documents an easier way:

	Form of i9	E-Verify
Definition	A document created in 1986 that the purpose is to verify newly hired individual’s identity and employment authorization in the United States.	An internet-based system created in 1996 that the purpose is to verify the eligibility of newly hired individuals by the employer electronically in the United States.
Necessity	Mandatory for the business’ employer and the new hire.	Voluntary for a majority of businesses, but a requirement in a number of states and for federal contractors.
Purpose	Preventing employment of immigrants that are undocumented or individuals that aren’t authorized to be employed in the U.S. Preventing discrimination in the workplace based on national origin or citizenship status.	Comparing the information inputted by employees in the i9 Form and submitted by the employer. Making available records about employees’ work eligibility for the U.S. DHS and Social Security Administration (SSA) agencies.
Requirements	Doesn’t always require SSN Doesn’t always require photographs for the documents that confirm identity.	Always requires SSN Always requires photographs for the documents that confirm identity.

i-9 Form 2021 Printable, Fillable & File Downloads

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Note: You Can Download The Complete i-9 Forms and Document From USCIS (Click Here).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Answers

Is The I-9 Form Mandatory?

Yes, it is required to fill in and retain the i9 Form from each and every hired employee across the United States. There is an exception for persons hired before November 6, 1986, that is still employed until now.

Why Do You Fill Out An I-9?

The i9 Form must be completed each time the employers hire a new employee to provide service on labor work in the U.S. for wages or other types of remuneration in return. Remuneration is any value offered in the trade of services or labor such as lodging or food.

Who Needs To Fill Out An I-9?

All of the individuals hired by any employer in the United States include U.S citizens and non-U.S. citizens. The process is done by both the employed person and the employer.

What Do Employers Do With I-9?

It is used to verify the work eligibility of newly hired employees in the United States. The employers may use it to confirm the identity and employment authorization of potential employees.

Can You Get Paid Without I-9?

Yes, you can. Failure in completing i9 should not affect the obligation or ability of employers to pay their employees according to The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This applies even for an employee that can’t be verified to have employment authorization to work in the country.

Do Employees Have To Fill Out A New I-9 Every Year?

No, but it must be renewed once every three years after the original completion. During the three years of employment, the document must be retained. It also must be kept at least one year if the employment has ended.

What Happens If I-9 Is Late?

As the new hires must present a completely filled i9 Form in the span of three working days after they work for the first day, if they failed to comply with this regulation, they may be terminated from employment due to this reason.

The process of completing and retaining the i9 Form is very important. The document should be filled in accordingly and accurately, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency may perform an i9 audit at random times. Failing to comply with the government request may result in you paying big penalties and a fine.

Even though the i9 Form 2021 printable itself is only comprised of two pages, its instruction is comprised of 22 pages. This provides so many chances to create mistakes. If your business is deemed to continuously practicing violations as a pattern by the federal government, then you may be subjected to criminal penalties or civil fines, which may impact the ability to employ workers within the state as well.