An I-9 receipt is temporary proof a new hire can present when they don’t have an original document from the Form I-9 Lists of Acceptable Documents on their first day, and examples of I-9 receipts fall into a short, defined set: a notice showing an application to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged List A, B, or C document; a Form I-94 with a temporary I-551 stamp for a lawful permanent resident; a Form I-94 with a refugee admission stamp; and a Form I-94 carrying certain Afghan or Ukrainian parolee admission codes. Each has its own validity period and its own follow-up requirement.
Federal regulation 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(vi) requires employers to accept a valid receipt instead of the original document.1eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.2 – Verification of Identity and Employment Authorization You cannot demand the actual document before the receipt’s deadline runs out.
Receipt for a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Document
The most common receipt is proof that the employee has applied to replace a document that was lost, stolen, or damaged. It works for any document on List A, List B, or List C.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts The employee has to hand it over within three business days of their start date and then produce the actual replacement within 90 days of hire.1eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.2 – Verification of Identity and Employment Authorization
What it looks like in practice varies by document. A replacement Social Security card receipt is usually a letter or printed notice from the Social Security Administration; a replacement driver’s license receipt comes from the state motor vehicle office; a replacement for a USCIS-issued document arrives as Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a three-letter, ten-digit receipt number near the top.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number Whatever the format, it should show the employee’s name, the filing date, and language indicating a replacement is being issued.
One limit trips up employers constantly: this receipt category is for replacements only. A receipt for a first-time application or for a renewal does not qualify. The employee must have held the document before and be replacing it because it was lost, stolen, or damaged.
Form I-94 with a Temporary I-551 Stamp
A lawful permanent resident who hasn’t yet received the physical Permanent Resident Card can present the arrival portion of Form I-94 bearing an unexpired temporary I-551 stamp and a photograph.1eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.2 – Verification of Identity and Employment Authorization It counts as a List A receipt, covering identity and work authorization together. USCIS field offices now issue these stamps without requiring an in-person visit, so they show up more often than they used to.5E-Verify. Temporary Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) Status Documentation
If the stamp has an expiration date, the receipt is valid until that date. If it has no expiration date, it lasts one year from when the I-94 was issued. Once that period ends, the employee must present the actual Permanent Resident Card.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts
Form I-94 with a Refugee Admission Stamp
A refugee can present the departure portion of Form I-94 with an unexpired refugee admission stamp, or a computer-generated I-94 printout showing admission code “RE.”2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts This is also a List A receipt, valid for 90 days from the hire date. After that, the refugee must show either an Employment Authorization Document or a List B identity document together with an unrestricted Social Security card.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 7.3 Refugees and Asylees
Form I-94 for Certain Afghan and Ukrainian Parolees
USCIS also recognizes as a List A receipt an unexpired Form I-94 that carries an admission class of “OAR,” “PAR,” “UHP,” or “DT.”7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. UPDATE: Additional Category of Afghan and Ukrainian Parolees Are Employment Authorized Incident to Parole It’s valid for 90 days from the hire date, or until the I-94 itself expires, whichever comes first. At the end of the receipt window, the employee has to present either an Employment Authorization Document or an unrestricted Social Security card paired with a List B identity document.
Validity Periods at a Glance
- Replacement of a lost, stolen, or damaged List A, B, or C document: 90 days from hire, or for reverification, 90 days from the date employment authorization expired.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts
- Form I-94 with temporary I-551 stamp: until the stamp’s expiration date, or one year from I-94 issuance if the stamp has no expiration.1eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.2 – Verification of Identity and Employment Authorization
- Form I-94 with refugee admission stamp or “RE” code: 90 days from hire.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 7.3 Refugees and Asylees
- Form I-94 with OAR, PAR, UHP, or DT code: 90 days from hire, or when the I-94 expires, whichever comes first.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. UPDATE: Additional Category of Afghan and Ukrainian Parolees Are Employment Authorized Incident to Parole
Recording a Receipt in Section 2
After examining the receipt to confirm it looks genuine and belongs to the person presenting it, write the word “Receipt” followed by the document title in the appropriate column of Section 2, matching the list of the document being replaced.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 4.4 Acceptable Receipts
When the replacement document arrives, cross out the word “Receipt,” enter the new document’s information in the Additional Information field, and initial and date the change.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 4.4 Acceptable Receipts Do this before the receipt’s validity period ends.
When the Receipt Period Runs Out
A common mistake is assuming the employee has to be terminated if the specific replacement document doesn’t arrive in 90 days. USCIS guidance allows the employee to present a different acceptable document instead of the one they originally applied to replace.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts
If the receipt was for a List A document, the employee can present a different List A document, or one List B document paired with one List C document. If the receipt was for a List B document, the employee can present a different List B document or a List A document. The same substitution logic works for List C receipts. When the employee presents alternative documentation within the window, complete a new Section 2, attach it to the original Form I-9, and explain the substitution in the Additional Information box.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts If the 90-day period ends with no documentation at all, you cannot continue to employ that person on the basis of the receipt.
Remote Examination for E-Verify Employers
Employers who participate in E-Verify in good standing may examine receipts remotely instead of in person. The employee sends copies of the receipt (front and back if two-sided), and the employer conducts a live video interaction to confirm the document appears genuine and matches the person.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Remote Examination of Documents (Optional Alternative Procedure to Physical Document Examination) Retain clear copies and check the alternative-procedure box in the Additional Information field. Employers not enrolled in E-Verify still have to examine receipts in person.
A Pending EAD Renewal Notice Is No Longer a Receipt
An interim final rule effective October 30, 2025, ended the automatic extension of Employment Authorization Documents for people who filed timely EAD renewal applications in certain categories.10Federal Register. Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents For renewal applications filed on or after that date, there is no automatic extension while the renewal is pending.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension
Two exceptions still apply. Renewal applications filed before October 30, 2025, keep their previously granted automatic extension, and TPS-related employment documentation can still be extended through Federal Register notices under a separate statutory provision. For I-9 purposes, a Form I-797C showing a pending EAD renewal filed after the cutoff is not reliable proof of continued work authorization. The employee needs to present a different acceptable document or obtain the renewed EAD before the current one expires.
Penalties for Receipt Mistakes
Receipt errors are treated as paperwork violations under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The statute sets a civil penalty of $100 to $1,000 per affected employee for verification-related paperwork failures, adjusted for the employer’s size, good faith, violation history, and the seriousness of the error.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1324a – Unlawful Employment of Aliens Those base amounts have been adjusted upward for inflation, and current per-violation fines run substantially higher than the statutory floor. The mistakes that draw penalties are the predictable ones: accepting a receipt for a renewal instead of a replacement, missing the update to Section 2 when the actual document arrives, and continuing employment after the receipt period expires without documentation on file.
ICE audits look at every Form I-9 an employer has kept.13U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Form I-9 Inspection Under Immigration and Nationality Act 274A One missed update looks small on its own, but across a workforce the totals move fast. Treat each receipt deadline as a hard calendar reminder, and document each step as you go.