Summary of the most common errors of the I-9 form used for Employment Verification

1. While correctly filling out an I-9 form may not be the most exciting
part of your job, it does have important implications for your
company. The I-9 form verifies a person’s identity and his/her legal
right to work in the United States. Fines for simple I-9 form violations
range from $110-$1,100 dollars per violation. Additionally, forms filled
out incorrectly will be returned so that they can be corrected. We
know that you have many other responsibilities besides filling out
paperwork. Therefore, we would like to help you better understand
the I-9 so that you can spend less time filling it out and/or correcting
it, and more time on things that are important to you. There are
numerous ways that filling out the I-9 form can go wrong, but to
lighten the burden, the attached PowerPoint focuses only on the most
common issues. We hope this information helps to make filling out
the I-9 form easier for you. For more information visit
www.uscis.gov/i-9.

2. The I-9 Nine Item Checklist


3. Section One
Employee Information and Verification
 1. Name in correct
order. Make sure the
new hire’s name is
entered in the
correct order with
their last name first,
followed by their
first name, and then
their middle initial.
 2. Sign and date.
After filling in the
rest of the Section
One, the new hire
must sign and date
the I-9 form for it to
be a valid document.

4. Section Two
Documents for Verification: List A
 3. One document verifying BOTH identity and employment authorization. The
majority of the I-9 forms reviewed used a Passport for List A. The purpose of List A is to
verify BOTH proof of identity AND employment authorization. Therefore, if the new hire
gives you a passport, you do not need any more documents for List B or List C. For a list
of other acceptable documents for List A, click here.
Proof of Identity
+ Employment Verification
1 document in List A

5. Section Two
Documents for Verification: List B and List C
 4. Two documents verifying identity and employment authorization. If the new hire does
not give you a document for LIST A, you need TWO documents: one for List B (proof of identity)
and one for List C (employment authorization). The majority of the I-9 forms reviewed used a
Driver’s License (proof of identity) that goes in List B and a Social Security Card (employment
authorization) that goes in List C. Other acceptable documents for List B can be found here. Other
acceptable documents for List C can be found here.
 5. Attach copy of documents. Scan, print, and attach the documents used in Section Two to the
I-9 Form.
*It is illegal for you to influence the new hire on the type of document(s) they use for Section Two.
(List B) Proof of Identity
+ (List C) Emp.Authorization
2 documents
Proof of Identity
Employment
Authorization

6. Certification
 6. Include date of hire. Because I-9 Forms must be kept for a specific amount of time after an
employee is hired, it is important to include the date of hire.
 7. Sign and date the form. The person who viewed the documents must sign and date the
form in order for it to be complete. Your signature does not mean that the documents presented
are valid, it just ensures that you inspected the documents and that they appear to be genuine
and related to the person presenting them.
 8. Include company name and address. It is important to know which Crane Company
your employee works for in order file the form properly.
*To avoid suspicion, do NOT use white out! If there is an error draw a line through it , correct it and
then initial and date the correction.
6.
7.
8.

7. Section Three
Updating and Reverification
9. Update I-9 if:
1. An employee’s employment authorization or documentation
of employment authorization has expired
2. An employee is rehired within three years of the date that
Form I-9 was originally completed
3. An employee changes his or her name
UPDATE

8. UPDATE

9. The I-9 Nine Item Checklist
Section One: Employee Information: Fill out section completely paying special attention to:
 Name in correct order
 Sign and date-New Hire
Section Two: Documents for Verification: Fill out section completely paying special attention to:
 One document verifying BOTH identity and employment authorization listed in Column A
OR:
 Two documents: one verifying identity in Column B and one verifying employment authorization in
Column C
 Attach copy of documents
• Certification: Fill out section completely paying special attention to:
 Include date of hire
 Sign and date-Employee
 Include company name and address
Section Three: Updating and Reverification:
 Update if:
• An employee’s employment authorization or documentation of employment authorization has expired
• An employee is rehired within three years of the date that Form I-9 was originally completed
• An employee changes his or her name
Remember
*If there is an error draw a line through it , correct it and then initial and date the correction.
*It is illegal for you to influence the employee on the type of document(s) they use for Section Two.
*To continue working, valid documents must be received within three days of hire.

10. I-9 FAQs
1. My new employee presented two documents to complete Form I-9, each containing a different last name. One
document matches the name she entered in Section 1. The employee explained that she had just gotten married and
changed her last name, but had not yet changed the name on the other document. Can I accept the document with the
different name?
– You may accept a document with a different name than the name entered in Section 1 provided that you resolve the
question of whether the document reasonably relates to the employee. You also may wish to attach a brief memo to
Form I-9 stating the reason for the name discrepancy, along with any supporting documentation the employee
provides. An employee may provide documentation to support his or her name change, but is not required to do so.
If, however, you determine that the document with a different name does not reasonably appear to be genuine and to
relate to her, you may ask her to provide other documents from the Lists of Acceptable Documents on Form I-9.
2. May I accept an expired document?
– No. Expired documents are no longer acceptable for Form I-9.However, you may accept Employment Authorization
Documents (Forms I-766) and Permanent Resident Cards (Forms I-551) that appear to be expired on their face, but
have been extended by USCIS.
3. May I accept a photocopy of a document presented by an employee?
– No. Employees must present original documents. The only exception is that an employee may present a certified
copy of a birth certificate.
4. If an employee writes down an Alien Number or Admission Number when completing Section 1 of Form I-9, may I ask
to see a document with that number?
– No. Although it is your responsibility as an employer to ensure that your employees fully complete Section 1 at the
time employment begins, the employee is not required to present a document to complete this section. When you
complete Section 2, you may not ask to see a document with the employee’s Alien Number or Admission Number or
otherwise specify which document(s) an employee may present.
5. May an employer review the documents that the employee is presenting via webcam to complete Form I-9?
– When completing Section 2 of the Form I-9, the employer or authorized representative of the employer must
physically examine each original document to determine if it reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the
employee presenting it. Document examination or review via webcam is not permissible.
*For more information on the I-9 form visit www.uscis.gov/I-9