Now that your Employment Authorization Document has arrived, the next steps after getting your EAD card are getting a Social Security number, completing Form I-9 with your employer, updating your state ID, sorting out your tax withholding, understanding the limits on travel, and marking your calendar for renewal. The card itself is only the entry point; several of these steps carry deadlines, and a recent rule change means late renewals will now leave you with a gap in work authorization.
Get Your Social Security Number
If you checked the Social Security number box on your Form I-765 application, your card should arrive by mail no later than seven business days after you receive your EAD.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Apply for Your Social Security Number While Applying for Your EAD If it doesn’t come, or you didn’t check the box, you’ll need to visit a Social Security Administration office in person and file Form SS-5.
Bring originals, not photocopies. Your EAD (Form I-766) can prove both immigration status and identity, but the SSA still wants at least two separate documents, so pair it with an unexpired foreign passport or similar.2Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card Expect the card about two weeks after the SSA verifies your immigration status with USCIS, though verification delays can add another two weeks.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Apply for Your Social Security Number While Applying for Your EAD
You need this number before starting a new job. Employers use it to report wages and withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes.3Internal Revenue Service. Social Security Tax/Medicare Tax and Self-Employment Without it, payroll processing stalls. Don’t wait until your first day to start.
Complete Form I-9 With Your Employer
Every U.S. employer is required to verify your work authorization using Form I-9.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification You fill out Section 1 yourself no later than your first day, entering your legal name, address, date of birth, and the nine-digit USCIS number printed on the front of your EAD.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Section 1, Employee Information and Attestation You can complete Section 1 any time after accepting the offer, which takes pressure off day one.
Your EAD is a “List A” document, meaning it satisfies both identity and work authorization by itself.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents You don’t need to add a passport or driver’s license on top of it. The employer must examine the original card within three business days of your start date.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Section 2 – Employer Review and Verification Photocopies won’t work for that initial inspection. Bring the physical card.
Working remotely? Your employer may verify your documents over live video, but only if it’s enrolled in E-Verify and in good standing. You’d send front-and-back copies of your EAD, then hold up the original on a video call.
If Your Employer Asks for More
An employer who demands extra documents beyond what Form I-9 requires, or who refuses your valid EAD because it would prefer a green card or a specific visa, is breaking federal law. The Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits requesting more or different documents than the I-9 process calls for when the motive is to discriminate based on citizenship or national origin.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1324b – Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices This is sometimes called document abuse, and it happens more often than most new EAD holders expect.
The same law bars employers with four or more employees from discriminating against work-authorized individuals in hiring or firing based on citizenship status, and from retaliating against anyone who complains.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1324b – Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices One narrow exception: employers may prefer a U.S. citizen over a non-citizen when both candidates are equally qualified.
The Department of Justice’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section handles these complaints. Call the worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 or file a charge online.9United States Department of Justice. Immigrant and Employee Rights Section
Update Your Driver’s License or State ID
Most state motor vehicle agencies accept the EAD as proof of lawful presence when you apply for or renew a driver’s license or state ID. The agency runs your information through the federal SAVE program, which verifies immigration status for licensing decisions.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. SAVE Verification can take a few days, so don’t count on walking out with your license in every state.
Bring your EAD, proof of your Social Security number, and at least one document showing your current address, such as a utility bill or lease. Requirements vary by state, so check your local agency’s website first. In most states, the new license will expire on the same date as your EAD, which means you’ll renew it every time you get a new work permit. Fees for a license tied to temporary status generally run between $24 and $108 depending on where you live.
Sort Out Your Tax Status
Holding an EAD and earning wages means you owe federal income tax. Your employer will deduct Social Security and Medicare taxes from every paycheck regardless of your immigration category.3Internal Revenue Service. Social Security Tax/Medicare Tax and Self-Employment How you complete Form W-4 and which return you file depends on whether the IRS treats you as a resident or nonresident alien.
Resident or Nonresident Alien
You’re a resident alien if you hold a green card or meet the substantial presence test, which weights days present across the current year and the two prior years.11Internal Revenue Service. Substantial Presence Test Resident aliens file the regular Form 1040. If you don’t meet either test, you’re a nonresident alien and file Form 1040-NR instead.12Internal Revenue Service. Taxation of Nonresident Aliens People who switch from nonresident to resident partway through the year may need to file a dual-status return.13Internal Revenue Service. Determining an Individual’s Tax Residency Status Getting classification wrong can mean serious over- or under-withholding, so settle it before your first paycheck.
Nonresident Alien W-4 Rules
If you’re a nonresident alien, Form W-4 comes with restrictions many HR departments don’t know about. You must check the “Single” or “Married filing separately” box regardless of your actual marital status, because nonresident aliens generally cannot file jointly. You cannot claim the standard deduction, and you cannot mark yourself exempt from withholding even if you’d otherwise qualify.14Internal Revenue Service. Notice 1392, Supplemental Form W-4 Instructions for Nonresident Aliens IRS Notice 1392 spells out the specifics. Print a copy and bring it when you meet with payroll.
Think Carefully Before Traveling Abroad
Your EAD does not, by itself, give you the right to leave the country and come back in. Traveling while an immigration application is pending can have serious consequences, including abandonment of a pending green card application if you leave without proper travel authorization.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents
Some EAD cards double as travel documents. If yours carries the notation “Serves as I-512 Advance Parole,” you can use it to request parole back into the country at a port of entry.16U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Issue Employment Authorization and Advance Parole Card for Adjustment of Status Applicants Even then, reentry is never guaranteed. A Customs and Border Protection officer at the airport or border makes the final call.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents
Stakes rise sharply if you’ve accumulated any unlawful presence or have a prior removal order. Departing can trigger multi-year bars, and advance parole doesn’t always protect against that. Talk to an immigration attorney before booking a flight if any of that applies to you.
Keep Your Work Authorization Current
Getting the card is a milestone, but it comes with ongoing obligations. Miss any of these and you risk your work authorization or, in the worst case, your ability to stay in the country.
Report Address Changes Within Ten Days
Federal law requires you to notify USCIS within ten days of moving.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Change Your Address You can update your address through your USCIS online account (fastest) or by mailing a paper Form AR-11. Failing to report is a federal misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $200, up to 30 days in jail, and possible removal proceedings.18Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1306 – Penalties Beyond the legal risk, an outdated address means missed USCIS mail about your renewals and pending applications.
Plan Your Renewal Early
USCIS recommends filing your renewal up to 180 days before your current EAD expires. Filing early is more urgent now than before, for two reasons. As of December 2025, USCIS reduced the maximum validity of new and renewed EADs from five years to 18 months, so you’ll cycle through renewals more often. More importantly, the automatic extension many EAD holders used to rely on is largely gone: a DHS interim final rule ended automatic extensions for renewal applications filed on or after October 30, 2025.19U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. DHS Ends Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Exceptions exist for Temporary Protected Status holders, but for most categories, if your renewal is still processing when your card expires, you won’t be authorized to work in the gap.
If you filed a renewal before October 30, 2025 and it’s still pending, you may still benefit from the earlier auto-extension rules. To show the extension to your employer, present your expired EAD with your Form I-797C receipt notice, and the eligibility category on both must match.20U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Automatic Extensions Based on a Timely Filed Application to Renew Employment Authorization
Fees and Replacements
Filing fees for Form I-765 depend on your eligibility category and changed in 2026. Initial applications for asylum, parole, and TPS-based EADs cost $560, while renewals in those categories range from $275 to $280.21U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees Other categories carry different fees, so check the USCIS fee schedule for your specific situation before filing. If your card is lost, stolen, or damaged, you’ll file a new I-765 and pay the applicable fee again. Keep a photocopy or clear scan of your card stored somewhere safe so you have the details if you ever need a replacement.