New Hire Frequently Asked Questions Do all employers have to report? Should temporary help and placement services firms report individuals they refer to employer-clients? Which employees do I report? Who is a rehired employee? What if one of my employees doesn't live in the District of Columbia? What if I employ individuals in more than one state? Employers sometimes transfer employees from other states to DC. Must I report these employees? What information do I report? How do I report the information? How much time do I have to report a new employee? What if I have an employee who does not have a Social Security number? Do all employers have to report? Beginning October 1, 1997, all District of Columbia employers were requested to report information about new employees to the DC New Hire Registry. These employers include all business, local government employers, and not-for-profit organizations regardless of the number of employees, the amount of hours an employee is projected to work, or the employee's projected wages. The District of Columbia is enacting legislation that will make participation mandatory. In the interim, however, we are requesting all employers to submit New Hire Data voluntarily. Should temporary help and placement services firms report individuals they refer to employer-clients? Temporary help firms are required to report employees they place with employer-clients. Temporary help firms are not required to report the individuals each time they are assigned to an employer-client. Placement services are not required to report individuals they place with employer-clients because these individuals are not employees of the placement service. When the individual is hired by the employer-client, the employer-client is responsible for reporting the individual. Which employees do I report? Every newly hired or rehired employee who begins working on or after October 1, 1997, must be reported to the DC New Hire Registry. These include employees who work less than a full day, are part-time employees, are seasonal employees, or discontinue their employment prior to the 20th day of employment. Who is a rehired employee? For the purpose of the Registry, a rehired employee is any employee who has been permanently separated from his or her position and then reinstated. A rehired employee is also any employee who returns from an unpaid leave of absence of 90 days or more. What if one of my employees doesn't live in the District of Columbia? Employers should report all employees who work for a company based in the District regardless of where they live or work. What if I employ individuals in more than one state? Federal law allows multi-state employers to choose to report all newly hired and rehired employees to one state's new hire registry. The District strongly encourages multi-state employers to report DC employees to the DC New Hire registry. Reporting the information to the DC Registry will help employers reduce unemployment insurance costs by detecting and preventing unemployment insurance overpayments and fraud. If you are a multi-state employer, you may report newly hired employees to the state in which they are working or you may select one of these states to which to report all of your new hires. If you elect this option, you must notify the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Employers sometimes transfer employees from other states to DC. Must I report these employees? Yes. These employees are new employees in the District. What information do I report? Employers will be required by District law to provide a new employee's name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, date of hire, salary and wages, as well as the employer's name, address, Federal Employer Identification Number, and DC Unemployment Insurance Account Number. Although not required by law, employers are encouraged to report the availability of health insurance benefits. This optional information helps the District meet the program's objectives of protecting against public assistance fraud and assisting in child support enforcement. How do I report the information? The DC New Hire Registry offers several reporting methods. Employers can mail, fax, or telephone information to the New Hire Registry. While the New Hire Registry Reporting Form captures all the required data, you may substitute the new employee's W-4 form to report as long as the eight required data elements are submitted at the same time. Employers hiring a large number of employees also have the option, and are encouraged, to send the information to the New Hire Registry via electronic or magnetic media, such as 3-1/2" diskettes, magnetic tapes, cartridges, CD-ROMs, or pre-formatted diskettes. The technical specifications and pre-formatted diskettes are available from the New Hire Registry Help Desk. How much time do I have to report a new employee? Employers must report the new employee information within 20 days of the employee's first day of work. Employers who choose to report via electronic or magnetic media and who choose to report twice per month must submit not less than 12 nor more than 16 days apart. What if I have an employee who does not have a Social Security number? Employees who are in the process of applying for Social Security numbers must still be reported to the DC New Hire Registry. Employers should record "999999999" in the Social Security field and submit the completed form with the correct Social Security number as soon as it is available.