New Hire Paperwork and Compliance for Utah

A positive onboarding experience is critical for ensuring new hires are not only set up for success from the beginning, but also stick around for the long run. Receiving a positive onboarding experience is actually one of the most critical aspects of employee retention, with recent statistics showing that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new-hire retention by 82%

Creating a strong onboarding process in Utah starts with familiarizing yourself with the required paperwork and regulations. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about new hire paperwork and regulations in Utah.

Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)

New hire paperwork in Utah is designed to verify that new hires are eligible to work in your area. Form I-9 is a centerpiece of that intent and must be completed within three business days of the employment starting, even if the new hire is remote.

Once you and the employee complete this form, you will need to examine evidence supplied by them to ensure they are who they say they are. Please note that if you are not accurate in this form for any reason, you may be subject to a fine. You also need to keep it on file to prove your compliance should an authority need to check it.

Employee's Withholding Certificate (Form W-4)

New employees must fill in Form W-4 when they are first hired, as well as update it during the period of employment. The government uses a W-4 to determine how much federal tax income to withhold from an employee's paycheck, making it very important.

Due to the possible repercussions, it is a good idea to ensure you provide clear instructions for how someone should complete this form. Allow employees to maintain their privacy when filling it in, though.

When you have processed the form, inform the employee that their paycheck will reflect the amount that will end up withheld. You should also tell them to update it when necessary and that you must update your payroll process to match.

DWS New Hire Reporting in Utah

When you hire anyone new, you must report them to the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) within twenty days. You can do this via the Utah New Hire Registry reporting form, ensuring you complete it fast and receive digital confirmation. You may also keep a record of your own, noting when you completed the process for your records in case of discrepancies.

Failure to take this step can result in fines or penalties, so ensure you provide accurate information. Also, if you hire a contractor for whom you pay over $600 within one year, you must fill this document in for them.

In some cases, you may be able to integrate advanced HR systems with this reporting method. These systems can streamline the whole process, making it easy for you and others.

Enroll Employee for IRS Form W-2

You should put a system in place to give a completed W-2 form to each employee every year. While this does not need filling in straight away, you should ensure you enroll a new worker in the process to ensure they receive one later. If you hire anyone late in the year, check you have this ready to go.

You may also need to investigate form TC-40W, the Utah Withholding Tax Schedule, to go alongside this.

Enroll Employee for IRS Form 941

A Utah employer exists to report various forms of tax withheld from a worker's paycheck. You need to also report your donations to Social Security or Medicare tax on such a form. If the date to report this is already coming up for a new worker, ensure you have it ready to give to them.

Utah Withholding Return Form TC-941

Much like the above IRS forms, in Utah, you should also investigate Form TC-941. You must use this form to report state income taxes you have withheld from an employee's page. If you must make a prepayment of said taxes, fill in Form TC-941PC instead.

Enroll Employee for IRS Form 940

This form is the Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment Tax Return. The money that goes to this is for providing unemployment insurance to new hires.

Much like IRS Form W-2, you and a worker must complete this each year. Thus, if the employee is new when the date of submission for one is soon, include it in your onboarding documents.

Verify Compliance With Federal Wage and Hour Laws

When setting up an employee in your system, ensure that you document and follow the FLSA mandates related to:

• Minimum wage

• Overtime pay

• Recordkeeping

• Child labor standards

These are not all relevant to all employees and may have different rules for different ages. So, make sure you understand the situation related to the new employee in particular.

Verify Compliance With Utah Wage and Hour Laws

Much like federal laws, make sure you document and follow all Utah-specific regulations. These include:

• Child labor standards

• Breaks for minors

This will ensure you do not experience fines or other issues related to mandate non-compliance.

Ensure Compliance With ERISA

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) details how you should handle retirement plans. You must offer specific data to workers and follow disclosure standards related to any plan your company offers.

If possible, keep detailed documents related to plans and disclose any Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs). You should also ensure your employee's enrollment documents for such a plan include records of any contributions. This paperwork also needs to document any relevant decisions made during the onboarding process and beyond.

Ensure Compliance With the ACA

If you have 50 or more employees, you must enroll them in the Affordable Care Act's lowest level of essential coverage. This task will involve filling in 1095-C and distributing documents related to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC).

The IRS provides tools to help you file these forms. Many well-designed cloud HR systems can also do this to ensure compliance with minimal difficulty.

Confirm Employee Eligibility With E-Verify

If you are a government employer, ensure the worker is eligible for employment in the United States. During your onboarding workflow, submit the employee's information after you complete Form I-9. When you receive confirmation of the new hire's right to work, keep this on file to prevent future issues.

Required Notices

On top of handling the above documentation, you must also inform the employee of several of their federal and state rights. The following is a summary of what these entail.

Utah Workers' Compensation Notice

Employees are automatically enrolled in Workers' Comp. This notice offers the worker essential information about this program.

Unemployment Insurance Notice

This document will explain what the Utah Unemployment Insurance program is and does. If an employee is eligible for such insurance, this document will contain all the relevant data they need.

Right to Work / E-Verify Notice

This informs an employee that the employer must prove all hires can work in the United States. This ensures a worker understands the onboarding processes and why you need to ask specific questions.

Emergency Numbers and Evacuation Routes

This is an essential step in workplace safety. It ensures all employees are ready for any emergency that may endanger them or others and can respond promptly.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Accommodation Notice

This lists the accommodations employers must provide for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. While this notice is not mandated, many employees consider it a simple method to ensure they follow discrimination laws.

Smoking Policy Notice

This notice is only mandated in workplaces where smoking is regulated or prohibited. It lists the company's smoking policy, such as restrictions on smoking or the location of smoking areas, to ensure a safe environment.

Federal Employee Polygraph Protection Act Notice

This notice is only relevant if the worker is a federal employee. It ensures they understand they have protections from being forced to take a lie detector test to continue employment.

Other Notices

Several other notices inform workers about their legal rights when working. You should give these to all new employees during their onboarding process:

• Family and Medical Leave Act Notice

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration Notice

• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act Notice

• Federal Fair Labor Standards Act Notice

Informing employees of these ensures all workers have the information they need so they don't forgo their legal rights.

Simplify Your Onboarding Paperwork

If you're a hiring manager or HR professional in Utah, it's crucial to streamline and optimize your employee onboarding process. GoCo software is designed to facilitate a seamless onboarding experience, allowing you to personalize each step for your new hires while effortlessly gathering essential data.

Navigating Utah's intricate onboarding paperwork and compliance requirements can be challenging, but with GoCo, we simplify the process, enabling you to concentrate on building a robust team. Whether you're based in Utah or another state, GoCo ensures compliance by offering workflows tailored to meet Utah's specific onboarding requirements. Ready to take the next step? Take a tour of our HR software today to simplify your onboarding and much, much more!