Checklist to screenshot
Before your first day
- Pick your I-9 documents: one from List A, or one each from Lists B and C. Bring originals that have not expired.
- Write down your full legal name as it appears on them, plus any other last names you have used.
- Know your Social Security number, and have your filing status and any second job handy for Form W-4.
- Have your bank routing and account numbers if you want direct deposit.
- Under 18? Ask whether your state needs a work permit.
On your first day
- Finish and sign Section 1 of Form I-9.
Within 3 business days of starting
- Show your documents. Start Monday, finish by Thursday. Lost one? Show the replacement receipt by this deadline.
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| If you have | Show |
|---|---|
| U.S. passport or passport card | That alone (List A) |
| Green Card, or work permit with a photo (Form I-766) | That alone (List A) |
| Driver's license or state ID, plus Social Security card | One List B, one List C |
| Driver's license or state ID, plus birth certificate | One List B, one List C. It must be an original or certified copy with an official seal |
| Under 18, no List B document | A parent or guardian completes Section 1 for you, and you show one List C document |
Sources: USCIS, Form I-9 Acceptable Documents (reviewed October 5, 2026); USCIS Handbook M-274, Section 4.0 (reviewed July 15, 2025).
Form I-9: the deadlines and the lists
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| Step | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employer asks you to complete the form | Only after you accept a job offer | M-274 Section 3.0, reviewed April 2, 2025 |
| You complete Section 1 | By your first day of work for pay | M-274 Section 3.0 |
| Employer reviews your documents and completes Section 2 | Within 3 business days after you start | M-274 Section 4.0 |
| Job lasting less than 3 business days | Section 2 on the first day. No receipts | M-274 Sections 4.0 and 4.4 |
If you do not show acceptable documents or a receipt within 3 business days, the employer may end your job (M-274 Section 4.0).
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| List | What it proves | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| A (one is enough) | Identity and right to work | U.S. passport or passport card; Green Card; Employment Authorization Document with photo; certain foreign passports with a stamp or Form I-94 |
| B (needs one from C) | Identity | State driver's license or ID; other government ID; school ID with photo; voter card; military ID or draft record; Merchant Mariner card; tribal document; Canadian driver's license |
| C (needs one from B) | Right to work | Social Security card with no work restriction; birth certificate with official seal; State Department birth report; tribal document; Form I-197 or I-179; DHS employment authorization document |
Short version of the USCIS lists (reviewed October 5, 2026). A Social Security card marked "NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT" does not count (M-274 Section 4.0). Copies do not count when documents are checked in person, except a certified copy of a birth certificate (same source). Some E-Verify employers may review documents remotely.
What the employer may not demand
- A specific document. "You cannot specify which documentation an employee will present" (M-274 Section 4.0, written to employers). If you show List A, they should not ask for B or C.
- More than the form requires. Employers of any size may not demand more or different documents than necessary, ask for specific documents, or reject real-looking ones because of citizenship, immigration status or national origin (U.S. Department of Justice, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section, updated January 18, 2017; 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(6)).
- Your Social Security number on Section 1, usually. It is optional unless the employer uses E-Verify (M-274 Section 3.0). Payroll is separate: employers must keep your number in pay records (DOL Fact Sheet 21, revised July 2008). So ask which form a request is for.
Word-for-word script: "I would like to complete my I-9 with my (List B document) and my (List C document). The form lets me choose from the lists. Can you review these, please?"
Where to get help: call the Justice Department's worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688. You can file a charge within 180 days of the discrimination or retaliation (DOJ, updated April 28, 2026). This is information, not legal advice.
The limit: employers must reject a document that does not reasonably look real or relate to you (USCIS, reviewed September 18, 2026). Never use someone else's document.
The receipt rule if you lost a document
An employer must accept a receipt in place of a document, unless the job lasts less than 3 business days. Show it within 3 business days of your first day (M-274 Section 4.4, reviewed October 9, 2024).
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| Receipt | Who | Good for | Then show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proof you applied to replace a lost, stolen or damaged document | Anyone | 90 days from date of hire | The replacement, or another listed document |
| Arrival part of Form I-94 with temporary I-551 stamp and photo | Lawful permanent residents | Until the stamp expires, or 1 year from admission if no date | Green Card |
| Departure part of Form I-94 with refugee admission stamp | Refugees | 90 days from date of hire | Employment Authorization Document, or List B plus an unrestricted Social Security card |
USCIS also lists receipts for certain parolees. A second receipt is not allowed. A first-time application is not on the table, so ask before you rely on one.
How to replace a lost document
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| Document | Who issues it | What to do | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Security card | Social Security Administration (SSA) | Start at ssa.gov or call 1-800-772-1213. It is free | Comes by mail in 5 to 10 business days. Local offices cannot print one (SSA, read October 31, 2026). Limit: 3 a year, 10 in a lifetime (20 CFR 422.103(e)) |
| Birth certificate | Vital records office in your birth state | Use CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records for the address and rules | The federal government does not issue them (CDC, reviewed August 15, 2022) |
| Driver's license or state ID | State motor vehicle agency | Find yours on USAGov's state list | Many IDs require an official document, like a birth certificate (USAGov, updated November 17, 2025) |
If you lost everything, start with the birth certificate, because many IDs ask for it. With a state ID and a birth certificate, you do not need the Social Security card for Form I-9.
If you start Monday with only a state ID: request the replacement card now, keep the proof SSA gives you, and show both by Thursday. USCIS does not say what the proof must look like, so show your employer on day one.
E-Verify basics
E-Verify compares your Form I-9 details with Homeland Security (DHS) and SSA records (E-Verify, updated October 24, 2024). It is voluntary for most employers, but some federal contractors must use it, and some state laws require it (E-Verify User Manual, updated May 29, 2024). An E-Verify employer must display a notice saying so, and may not start a case before you accept the job and complete Form I-9. You must give your Social Security number, and a List B document must have a photo (M-274 Sections 3.0 and 4.0).
A mismatch does not mean you cannot work. It means your details did not match government records. Reasons include a name change you did not report to SSA, or an employer typing error (E-Verify, updated September 15, 2022). What happens next (E-Verify, updated February 3, 2025):
- Your employer must tell you and give you a Further Action Notice.
- You decide whether to act, and sign the notice. If you choose not to act, the employer may end your job.
- If you act, you contact DHS or SSA within 8 federal government working days of your Referral Date Confirmation.
- You keep working. The employer may not fire you, deny work or delay training while the case is pending.
If your name does not match
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| What happens | What USCIS tells employers | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Your document shows only one of your two last names | Ask why. May accept it if it looks real and relates to you, with a memo | Explain. Keep your legal name in Section 1 |
| Your name is spelled a little differently | Ask why. May accept it if it looks real and relates to you | Fix Section 1 and initial it, show another document, or get the document corrected |
| The name is very different | Ask why. May accept it if satisfied, with a memo | Explain truthfully. You may offer proof, such as a marriage certificate |
Source: USCIS, Examining Documents (reviewed September 18, 2026).
Use your legal name, not a nickname. If you changed your name, tell SSA first, by requesting a replacement card (SSA, read October 31, 2026). Form W-4 says to contact SSA if your name does not match your card, "to ensure you get credit for your earnings" (IRS, 2026 Form W-4).
W-4, state withholding, direct deposit and pay cards
- Form W-4 tells your employer how much federal income tax to hold back. File a new one each year and when your situation changes (IRS, reviewed September 10, 2026). Claiming exempt is covered in your first paycheck explained.
- State withholding. Texas, Florida and Washington take no state income tax from wages, per that guide. Elsewhere, ask whether there is a state form.
- Direct deposit. No one may require you to open an account at a particular bank as a condition of a job (12 CFR 1005.10(e)(2)). Enter bank details only in the employer's own system, after you are hired.
- Pay cards. "Your employer can't require you to receive your wages on a payroll card," and must offer at least one alternative (CFPB, reviewed October 31, 2024). State law sets which choices must be offered.
Next: background checks explained, how to read pay on a job posting, break laws by state, unpaid wages.
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