E-Verify is an online program used to verify the employment eligibility of individuals. It uses Department of Homeland Security records and Social Security records to ensure people are authorized to work in the US. For South Carolina employers, it became mandatory as of January 1st, 2012 that you MUST E-Verify all of your employees hired from that date forward. It is not voluntary, and you can be heavily penalized for non-compliance.

When you hire an employee, an I-9 must be completed and the employee must be E-Verified within 3 days of the hire date. This 3 day window is not negotiable and you can be penalized for going outside that window.

I-9 forms can seem cumbersome and time consuming, but, once you know what documents are needed, the forms are a breeze. A sample I-9 can be found under our ‘Client Forms’ tab on the bottom of the website.

Beginning May 7th, 2013, you must use the new, and much easier, I-9 form that can also be found on our website, too!

You can enroll here. Registering and getting setup takes a few hours. Doing it yourself is free, but who has the time? Here at AccuChex, we set up everything for you! If we do your payroll, setup charges are waived! If we do not do your payroll, the setup fee is only $10! That’s less than what you pay for most fast food joints now-a-days! After you are setup, it is only $3 per person that is E-Verified.

We know several businesses that have been audited recently and have been penalized for non-compliance. Do not let this happen to you. If you are audited and it is discovered that you have not been verifying your employees OR filling out the Form I-9s correctly and in a timely manner, substantial penalties can ensue such as:

• Losing your business license
• Criminal prosecution and imprisonment
• Heavy fines depending on the error

Remember to hang both the English and the Spanish E-Verify posters in a visible place in your business. Also, display both the English and Spanish “Right To Work” posters.