How to File a New Hire Report with the State

Did you know you are required by law to report every person you hire to the state? It’s a small but important responsibility as an employer to submit your new employees’ information to your designated state agency. 

Read on to find out what new hire reporting is, how to file a new hire report to the state, and what your legal obligations are as an employer.  

⚡Quicklinks 

• What is new hire reporting?
• How does new hire reporting work?
• What information do I need to submit?
• When do I need to report a new hire?
• How to file a new hire report with the state
• Where to file a new hire report by state
• What if I hire employees in multiple states?
• Can I pay someone to report new hires for me?

What is new hire reporting and why are we required to do it?

New hire reporting is simple- every time you hire someone new, you must submit their information to the state. 

It’s legally required by The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and serves two major purposes:

• To help people entitled to child support receive their payments on time and as easily as possible, AND
  
• Detect and prevent fraudulent use of federal assistance programs like unemployment insurance, welfare assistance, and workers’ comp claims
  

If you fail to report your new hires, you will most likely face a fine or penalty. Each state has the ability to determine its own fees or non-monetary punishment. Fees can run up to $25 per unreported employee, and if you and your employees are caught working together to avoid reporting, your state can fine you up to $500 per employee.

How it works

As an employer, you report new hires to your designated state agency. The state agency scans that information against local child support orders to locate a match. Then the state agency sends the new hire report to the National Directory of New Hires to check for matches in other states.

If your new hire matches a hit in the database, you will most likely receive a court order to garnish the employee’s wages. 

What information do I need to submit per employee?

You must include the following information in your new hire reports:

• Employee name.
  
• Employee address.
  
• Employee Social Security number (SSN).
  
• Employee date of hire or rehire (the date a new or rehired employee first performs services for pay).
  
• Employer name.
  
• Employer address.
  
• Federal employer identification number (FEIN).

When do I need to report a new hire?

Every time you hire someone new or re-hire someone whose employment ended with you over 60 days ago. 

You’re required by law to report all new hires and rehires to the state within 20 days of their start date. The start-of-work date is defined as the first day someone provides services for payment. 

Federal law does not require you to report independent contractors (1099) but certain states do. Check the OCSE chart to see your state's requirements.

How to file a new hire report with the state

Follow the steps below to file a report.

Step 1) Locate your state agency (see list below)

Step 2) Determine how you’ll submit reports: online, mail, magnetic tape, phone, fax, etc.

Step 3) Prepare and submit the required information: 

• Employee name
  
• Employee address
  
• Employee Social Security number (SSN)
  
• Employee date of hire or rehire (the date a new or rehired employee first performs services for pay)
  
• Employer name
  
• Employer address
  
• Federal employer identification number (FEIN)
  

Where to file a new hire report by State

Use the list below to find your state agency’s website.

Alabama - Alabama Department of Labor 

Alaska - Alaska Department of Revenue, Child Support Services Division 

Arizona - Arizona New Hire Reporting Center 

Arkansas - Arkansas New Hire Reporting Center

California - Employment Development Department, New Employee Registry

Colorado - Colorado New Hire Reporting Center

Connecticut - Connecticut Department of Labor

Delaware - Delaware State Directory of New Hire Reporting

DC - District of Columbia Directory of New Hires 

Florida - Florida Department of Revenue, Child Support Services for Employers

Georgia - Georgia New Hire Reporting Center

Hawaii - State of Hawaii Child Support Enforcement Agency 

Idaho - Idaho Department of Labor

Illinois - Illinois Child Support Services
Indiana - Indiana New Hire Reporting Center

Iowa - Iowa Department of Human Services

Kansas - Kansas Department of Labor

Kentucky - Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center 

Louisiana - Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services

Maine - Department of Health and Human Services

Maryland - Maryland Department of Human Services

Massachusetts - Massachusetts Child Support Enforcement

Michigan - Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, New Hires Operation Center

Minnesota - Minnesota Department of Human Services, New Hire Reporting Center
Mississippi - Mississippi Department of Human Services, State Directory of New Hires

Missouri - Missouri Department of Social Services

Montana - Montana Child Support Services

Nebraska - Nebraska State Directory of New Hires 

Nevada - Nevada Employment Security Division of the Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation

New Hampshire - New Hampshire Employment Security

New Jersey - New Jersey Child Support Employer Services

New Mexico - New Mexico Human Services Department

New York - New York State Department of Taxation and Finance

North Carolina - North Carolina Division of Social Services State Directory of New Hires

North Dakota - North Dakota Department of Human Services State Directory of New Hires

Ohio - Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Directory of New Hires

Oklahoma - Oklahoma Employment Security Commission

Oregon - Oregon Division of Child Support 

Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Careerlink

Rhode Island - State of Rhode Island New Hire Reporting Directory

South Carolina - South Carolina New Hire Reporting

South Dakota - South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation

Tennessee - Tennessee Department of Human Services

Texas - Texas Child Support Portal

Utah - Utah Department of Workforce Services

Vermont - State of Vermont Department of Labor

Virginia - Virginia New Hire Reporting Center  

Washington - Washington State Department of Social and Health Services

West Virginia - West Virginia New Hire Reporting Center

Wisconsin - Wisconsin New Hire Reporting Center

Wyoming - Wyoming New Hire Reporting Center

You can also check out the OCSE chart for more new hire reporting information by state. 

What if I hire employees in multiple states?

Multi-state employers have two reporting options. 

Option 1: Report new hires to the state they are working in. 

Option 2: Report all new hires to a single state.

If you go with option 2 you must also follow the requirements below:

• Register with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as a multistate employer
  
• Designate the state you will report to and notify DHHS
  
• Submit all new hires no more than twice a month (12-16 days apart) either electronically or by magnetic tape
  

Can I pay someone to report new hires for me?

Yes, you can! Most payroll providers include new hire reporting in their services or offer it for an additional fee. This is a great option for busy small business owners who don’t have a dedicated hiring manager. Once you enter your newly hired or re-hired employee into your payroll system, the information is transmitted on time to the proper state agency for you.  

New hire reporting is automatically included with our Payroll product and available as a paid add-on for our free Onboarding tool.