The forms new employees need to fill out on a first day almost always include a federal Form W-4 for income tax withholding and a Form I-9 for work authorization, along with a state tax withholding certificate, a direct deposit authorization, benefits enrollment paperwork, and a stack of policy acknowledgments from the employer. Some of these have hard federal deadlines. Others quietly lock you out of coverage or cost you money if you skip them.
Form W-4 for Federal Income Tax Withholding
Form W-4 tells your employer how much federal income tax to take out of each paycheck.1Internal Revenue Service. Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate You give your legal name, Social Security number, and filing status: single, married filing jointly, or head of household. That status sets the standard deduction used in the withholding math, so the wrong box means the wrong amount coming out of every check all year.
If you hold more than one job or your spouse also works, Step 2 walks you through an adjustment so the combined withholding across jobs stays roughly accurate. Step 3 is where you factor in tax credits: $2,200 for each qualifying child under 17 and $500 for each other dependent, available if your household income is at or below $200,000, or $400,000 for married couples filing jointly.1Internal Revenue Service. Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate You can also ask for an extra flat dollar amount withheld each pay period to cover income that isn’t already subject to withholding, like freelance work or investment earnings.
If You Don’t Submit a W-4
Skip the form and your employer must withhold as if you were a single filer with no adjustments — no dependent credits, nothing beyond the single standard deduction.2Internal Revenue Service. Withholding Compliance Questions and Answers For most workers that pulls more tax than they actually owe, shrinking take-home pay until they file the form. Filing a fraudulent W-4 can trigger IRS penalties.1Internal Revenue Service. Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate
Claiming Exemption
You can claim complete exemption from federal income tax withholding, but only if you had no federal income tax liability last year and expect none this year.1Internal Revenue Service. Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate This usually fits very low-income workers or students below the filing threshold. An exemption expires each year; to keep it, submit a new W-4 by mid-February the following year. Claim it and earn more than expected, and you could owe a large bill plus penalties at tax time.
When to Update Your W-4
Update the form after marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or a real income change. An out-of-date W-4 is the most common source of surprise tax bills and oversized refunds.
Form I-9 for Employment Eligibility Verification
Federal law requires every employer to confirm that each new hire is authorized to work in the United States, and Form I-9 is how they do it.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification You complete Section 1 — name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and an attestation of your citizenship or immigration status — no later than your first day of work for pay.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification You can do it earlier, but not before you’ve accepted an offer.
Which Documents to Bring
Your employer then has three business days from your start date to physically inspect your original documents and complete Section 2. Acceptable documents fall into three lists:5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Acceptable Documents for Verifying Employment Authorization and Identity
- List A documents prove identity and work authorization together. A U.S. passport, passport card, Permanent Resident Card, or Employment Authorization Document each stands alone.
- List B documents prove only identity, like a state driver’s license or government-issued photo ID.
- List C documents prove only work authorization, like an unrestricted Social Security card or birth certificate.
Without a List A document, you pair one List B with one List C. Your employer can’t tell you which specific documents to bring or reject valid ones because they’d prefer others; that can violate anti-discrimination rules.
Remote Document Review
Employers enrolled in E-Verify in good standing may examine your documents remotely instead of in person. You send copies, then hold up the same documents on a live video call so the employer can confirm they look genuine and match you.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Remote Document Examination (Optional Alternative Procedure to Physical Document Examination) An employer using this option at a site must offer it to everyone hired at that site, not pick and choose based on citizenship, immigration status, or national origin.
State and Local Tax Withholding Forms
In a state with an income tax, expect a state withholding certificate on top of the federal W-4. Roughly three dozen states use their own form; only a handful accept the federal W-4 for state purposes. State forms capture things the federal form doesn’t: state-level allowances, local tax elections, residency status. Some cities layer on a separate earnings tax form that applies to anyone working within city limits, whether they live there or not. Rates and deadlines vary widely, so your payroll department should hand you the right forms for your work location.
Wage and Pay Rate Notices
A growing number of states require employers to give new hires a written notice at the start of employment stating pay rate, pay schedule, overtime rate, and any allowances counted toward the minimum wage. These wage theft prevention notices create a clear record of what you were promised. You usually sign an acknowledgment confirming you received it.
Direct Deposit or Payroll Card
A direct deposit authorization form routes your paycheck to your bank account. You provide the bank name, routing number, account number, and account type. Many employers ask for a voided check or an official bank letter to verify the numbers. You can typically split pay across multiple accounts by dollar amount or percentage, which is a simple way to automate savings.
Direct deposit usually takes one or two pay cycles to activate while payroll verifies the account. During that window you may receive a paper check. Wrong account information sends the transfer bouncing back, and the manual check that follows will delay your pay.
Some employers offer a payroll card instead, especially for workers without a bank account. It’s a prepaid debit card loaded each pay period. Federal regulations require the employer to disclose every fee attached to the card — ATM withdrawals, balance inquiries, inactivity — before you accept it.7eCFR. 12 CFR Part 1005 – Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E) No employer can force a payroll card as the only option, and the disclosure must state that you can pick a different method.
Benefits Enrollment Paperwork
If your employer offers health insurance, a retirement plan, or other benefits, enrollment paperwork will arrive during onboarding or shortly after. Missing the deadlines here can shut you out of coverage until the next open enrollment, sometimes a full year away.
Health Coverage Notices
Employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must give every new hire a written notice explaining coverage options, including the option to buy insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.8Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Affordable Care Act Implementation FAQs – Set 16 That applies whether or not the employer runs its own group plan.
If your employer does offer group health coverage, you should also get a Summary of Benefits and Coverage, a standardized document showing what the plan covers, what it costs, and where the out-of-pocket limits sit. Employers must provide the SBC with your enrollment materials, or by the first date you’re eligible to enroll if the plan doesn’t use written applications.9eCFR. 45 CFR 147.200 – Summary of Benefits and Coverage and Uniform Glossary The SBC is built for side-by-side comparison, so read it carefully before picking a plan.
Retirement Plan Enrollment
A 401(k) or 403(b) plan will come with enrollment paperwork asking for a contribution percentage and investment choices. Plans established after December 29, 2022, must automatically enroll eligible employees at a default rate between 3 and 10 percent of pay under the SECURE 2.0 Act, with automatic yearly increases of 1 percent up to a ceiling between 10 and 15 percent.10Federal Register. Automatic Enrollment Requirements Under Section 414A If a plan uses automatic enrollment, your employer sends a written notice before contributions begin, explaining how to opt out or pick a different rate. Act inside the window the notice gives you or contributions start on their own.
State Disability and Paid Family Leave
A handful of states and territories fund state disability insurance or paid family leave through payroll deductions. If you work in one, expect an enrollment or acknowledgment form. Contribution rates generally fall below 1.5 percent of wages. These deductions aren’t optional; the forms just confirm you understand what you’re paying into.
Emergency Contact Information
Nearly every employer asks for the name and phone number of at least one person to reach if you’re hurt or have a medical emergency at work. Some also ask for your personal physician; that should be voluntary. An employer shouldn’t request a list of medications you take, since that kind of health question can run into federal disability discrimination protections. Emergency contact information should be kept confidential and used only on a need-to-know basis.
Voluntary Self-Identification Forms
Federal contractors and subcontractors are required to invite applicants and employees to voluntarily disclose race, ethnicity, gender, veteran status, and disability status. Completing these forms is entirely voluntary, your answers don’t affect your hiring, pay, or duties, and you can decline. Many non-contractor employers include similar forms for internal diversity tracking. The information is kept separate from your personnel file and isn’t shared with hiring managers.
Policy Acknowledgments and Workplace Agreements
Beyond the government-mandated forms, most employers hand you a stack of acknowledgments confirming you received and understood internal policies. Signing creates a record that protects both sides if a dispute comes up later.
Employee Handbook
The most common one confirms you received the employee handbook and understand the company’s rules on workplace behavior, attendance, use of company equipment, and discipline. You typically get time to review the handbook before signing. Signing means you’re aware of the policies, not that you agree with them. Electronic signatures on these acknowledgments carry the same legal weight as ink.
Anti-Harassment and Safety Materials
Employers often ask for a separate acknowledgment that you’ve received anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training or materials. Several states require this training for all new employees and need the documentation to prove it. Even where training isn’t legally required, a signed acknowledgment that you received the anti-harassment policy can matter if a complaint or lawsuit follows. In OSHA-covered workplaces, your employer must also post the Job Safety and Health workplace poster where you can see it, laying out your rights under workplace safety law.11Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Cares Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster
Confidentiality, Non-Compete, and Arbitration Clauses
Depending on your role, you may be asked to sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement protecting trade secrets, proprietary information, or client data. Some employers include non-compete clauses restricting where you can work after leaving. Non-compete enforceability varies sharply by state; some enforce them narrowly, others ban them almost entirely. The FTC tried to ban most non-competes nationwide in 2024, but a federal court blocked the rule, so state law still controls.12Federal Trade Commission. FTC Announces Rule Banning Noncompetes
Many onboarding packets also include a mandatory arbitration clause requiring you to resolve disputes through arbitration instead of court. Sign one and you generally waive your right to file a lawsuit or join a class action for most employment disputes. One exception matters: federal law now makes arbitration clauses unenforceable for claims involving sexual assault or sexual harassment, no matter what you signed. For those claims, you can still go to court.
Read every agreement before signing. If a clause looks overly broad or you’re not sure what you’re giving up, ask for time to review or talk to an attorney. Once signed, these agreements can be hard to challenge.
New Hire Reporting
One piece of paperwork you won’t fill out yourself: federal law requires your employer to report your name, address, Social Security number, and its own identifying information to a designated state agency within 20 days of your hire date.13Administration for Children and Families. New Hire Reporting That report feeds the National Directory of New Hires, which child support agencies use to locate parents who owe support. The employer handles it using information from your other onboarding forms.