New Hire Paperwork and Compliance for Arizona

Arizona is getting more and more people into the labor force. As of this year, nearly 3.7 million eligible adults were in the state's potential labor force.

When someone gets hired, there is going to be paperwork that they need to fill out. This paperwork for new hires allows the government to have the necessary information for that new hire and your company.

As the HR representative, you must provide the appropriate onboarding documents for these new employees.

What new hire paperwork in Arizona do you need to know about? This guide breaks it down.

W-4

One form that comes directly from the IRS is the W-4 form. Every new employee needs to fill this out as it is for tax purposes. This is something that every state in the country requires because it comes from the federal level.

What does this include? It will start with simple information, such as the employee's name, address, social security number, and filing status.

The rest of this form depends on what kind of claims the employee wants to make on their taxes at the end of the year. Part of this comes down to whether that employee is filing by themselves or if they are filing jointly with a spouse.

Then, the employee must consider whether they have any kids. If they do, they will likely claim the kids living with them as dependents. This can give someone a huge tax break, so it can be a critical part of this form to fill out properly.

Another thing that this form will ask someone about is other forms of income that this person has. An example can be putting a spouse's income on here if someone is filing jointly. Or, if that person has a second job, they would have to disclose how much income they make per year from that other job.

On top of additional income, the IRS will want employees to claim any deductions they may want to make on this form at the end of the year. This can also help them save money on taxes.

This is a big part of onboarding new employees because this form goes up to the federal level. Make sure you remember to give your employee this form.

A-4

In addition to the W-4 above, an employee must fill out the A-4 form for the state of Arizona to disclose their withholding allowance. The main difference between form A-4 and form W-4 is that instead of this going towards federal taxes, this impacts taxes on the state level.

Arizona may have different tax brackets and tax exemptions compared to the federal level. This form helps inform employees of that and gives them a better idea of what deductions and exemptions they can get with Arizona state taxes.

Give this to your employees to ensure they understand the state tax implications.

New Hire Reporting

In Arizona, local businesses must report any new employee they hire within 20 days. This allows Arizona's government to better track who works in the state. It can also help for tax purposes when it comes to both your company and the new employee.

With this new hire reporting, you must obtain certain information. Most of that information lives within one of the forms mentioned above. This is pretty basic data, such as the employee's name, address, social security number, and contact information.

This helps the government track who is getting paid in your company and what kind of taxes your company may owe the state government each quarter.

Local Requirements

Finally, ensure your company complies with any local laws about new employees. Most of this article covers companies in Arizona. But you may run into some local ordinances with additional regulations.

One of those ordinances is Phoenix. Because this is the biggest city in Arizona, they provide their jurisdiction on certain matters with new employees. Companies in other large cities should do some research on this subject and see if they have to give employees any other forms while they are onboarding them.

Phoenix may not be the only city in the state with specific new hire requirements. Tempe and Scottsdale also have certain new hire paperwork guidelines, which you must follow if your business operates in the area. It never hurts to do some research on local business laws in smaller towns, too, especially if you employ workers there.

Notice of Coverage

Another thing that Arizona may make a company give to new employees is a Notice of Coverage form. This form informs the employee what their healthcare options are with your company.

Say your company does not give healthcare options to employees or limits it to certain employees, such as ones with full-time status. In that case, the form goes over this point with the employee before signing it.

However, say your company does give out healthcare options to employees. Then, this form may get more extensive. In this scenario, the form will review every option your company offers employees.

The Affordable Care Act came about over a decade ago and is a policy that ensures everyone in the country has access to affordable healthcare. This form helps ensure that your company complies with this and goes over specific options that employees may have.

It can allow employees to find a plan that can fit their specific needs. For example, they may need a specialist to treat injuries or conditions in a certain part of their body. An employee may have severe dental issues that they want a better dentist to examine. Or, they could have very poor vision and need access to a plan with vision coverage.

Whatever the case may be for your company, this form helps employees see what their realistic options are for healthcare here. Then, they can decide if the policies available are good enough for them.

I-9

One other form you need for the federal level is the I-9 form.

What is this? It helps the federal government make sure that the employee that you are hiring is legally eligible to work in this country.

Depending on someone's visa status or background, they may not be eligible to work certain jobs. An example can be someone who has a lengthy criminal record not being eligible for a government job.

However, this does extend to people who are on certain visas. If someone from another country wants to work while they are on a visa, they need the appropriate business visa to be legally eligible to work for you. Being on a general visa usually does not legally permit someone to work while they are in the United States.

The I-9 is not just for employees that you are in the onboarding process with. Companies are supposed to keep this form after the employee leaves your company as well for up to three years.

Make sure you review the requirements around this form carefully.

Child Support Certification

Finally, Arizona has certain legal protections and legal requirements when it comes to child support. This certification ensures that any new employee that you hire does not currently owe any child support.

Unfortunately, some people try to relocate to another area or another state to get out of paying child support. This system is in place to track those people down and get the proper child support to the appropriate party.

If there is a new employee who owes child support to somebody, you do not have to fire them. What will happen is that the IRS will garnish their wages until the employee pays their child support debt.

Review this part carefully because if you do hire an employee who still owes child support, your company will have to cooperate with the IRS if they decide to garnish the employee's wages.

Organize Your Onboarding

These are some of the essential onboarding documents you need if you are an HR rep in Arizona. Employers must also ensure compliance with federal and state laws and collect necessary employee information. This helps them protect their business and provide a smooth onboarding experience for new hires.

With GoCo's all-in-one HR platform, managing new hire paperwork has never been easier. From electronic signatures to automatic form generation, GoCo streamlines the onboarding process and helps employers stay compliant.

Take a tour of GoCo today and find out how you can modernize and streamline your HR processes.