New Hire Checklist and Employee Onboarding Best Practices

Congratulations — you just hired a new employee! You’re excited to get them ramped up and working, but first you have to take care of some paperwork. You just need a few key details to stay compliant, and the rest will be a breeze.

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What you need from your new hire

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Social Security number

This number confirms that your employee is who they say they are.

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Home address

Your worker’s address verifies their identity and is also used to calculate any local taxes.

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Date of birth

The date of birth is one more piece of information that helps you confirm your employee’s identity.

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Bank account information for direct deposit

Direct deposit is a way of electronically transferring your employee’s wages to their bank account. You’ll need their routing and account numbers in order to make the transaction work.

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Signed copy of the W-4 form

This form is used to calculate how much federal income tax you need to withhold from your employee’s paycheck.

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Signed copy of the I-9 form

The I-9 confirms that your new hire can legally work in the US. Once you fill it out, you’ll also need to review the documents that prove your employee can work in this country. The form includes a handy list of acceptable documents.

What you need to handle on your own

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Determine their compensation

You’ll need to decide if your new hire is hourly or salaried, along with how much they’ll be making.

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Double check their work address

It’s important to know where your employee is physically working so they can be taxed accordingly.

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File a new hire report in your state

These reports are used to determine if someone owes money to the government (like child support). The court or government agencies will then mail you information about how much to deduct so your employee can pay back their outstanding debt.

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Review anti-discrimination laws

Whenever you bring on a new hire, you need to make sure you’re following all state and federal anti-discrimination laws.

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Ensure EEO compliance (Equal Employment Opportunity)

If your business is required to report data to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, you’ll need to collect some demographic information from your employee.

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Pass out non-compete/non-disclosure agreements

These are legal documents you can choose to have your employee sign.

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Check references

This will help verify your employee’s identity and employment history.

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Conduct background checks

A background check is another way for you to confirm your worker’s identity.

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Employee Onboarding Checklist