What is the New Appointment Report?

A new hire report is the submission to a U.S. state of information about new or rehired employees in that state.

The employee may be completely new to you, or may have worked for you before but has not been your employee for at least 60 consecutive days.

The new hire report is sent by the hiring employer, and includes only some basic information about the employee. It must be sent within 20 days of the hire date, which is the employee's first day of work for pay. (Some states have even stricter filing deadlines.)

Do I need to report new appointments?

Yes. This is required under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Each state has the authority to penalize employers who do not file new hire reports.

States can fine you up to $25 for a basic failure to report or up to $500 for failure to report due to conspiracy with an employee. States are also allowed to use forms of non-monetary penalties.

Reporting the hiring of new employees is not just to avoid penalties.

This information helps prevent or reverse workers' compensation and unemployment fraud and reduces the incidence of public assistance going to the wrong individuals. Child support agencies also use new admissions report data to secure child support payments from certain parents.

How to File a New Appointment Report with the State

There are several ways to file a new hire report to your respective State Director of New Hire (SDNH), which is in the state where your new employee works. According to PRWORA, you can report via electronic means, magnetic tape or first class mail.

However..

Different states offer other submission methods, which may include an electronic form on their website, a phone call, an email, or a fax. A contact person at your SDNH can provide more information.

New Appointment Reporting Form

You can send each new hire report on a W-4, your own form you developed, or an alternative form provided by your state, whichever you prefer. Include at least this information:

• Employee's name, address, and Social Security number
• The date the employee first works for pay
• Your company’s name, address, and federal employer identification number (FEIN)

Some states may require additional information. You  can find out more about your state's requirements by visiting the Child Support Enforcement Office website  .

Click on your state on the US map there, which will take you to the corresponding state's website, where you'll find more instructions.

If an employee is transferred do we need to file fresh appointment report?

If you have corporate branches in multiple states in the US, do you have to report an employee who commutes between your offices located in different states as a new employee?

The information collected from each new hire report is transferred from your state to the national directory of new hires.

so..

It is not necessary that you file a new report for an employee who is changing his or her position within your company.

Incidentally, since you are a multistate employer, you can report new hires in one of two ways:

• Report to the state where he actually works
• Report all new employees only in the state where you do business

If you want to use the second option, you need to notify the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of your intention to file an application in only one state.

Do I need to report new employees hired by contractors?

This is decided at the state level, as federal law does not require employers to report contractors as new employees.

To find out if this is required in your state,  go to the State New Appointment Reporting Contact and Program Requirements Matrix  web page and click on the current link for the matrix.

You’ll see a column labeled “Reporting Independent Contractors?” with a “Yes” or “No” indicating whether or not they require it.