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I-9 eXpress
Frequently Asked Questions

For further assistance, contact your HR Unit Representative or Senior HR Representative.

Effective April 1, 2010, the University of Iowa began using TALX Corporation's I-9 eXpress application to complete and maintain the online Employment Verification (I-9) forms for new hires. It is also used to reverify employment eligibility for rehired employees and to update employment eligibility dates for non-resident employees.

The I-9 process consists of two main steps:

Step 1 - Login to I-9 eXpress and complete the employee's I-9 in their presence. (www.i9express.com).

Step 2 - Resolve issues noted in the HR Reports under the Administration function on Employee Self Service.

A more complete listing of FAQs and instructions on properly completing an I-9 are available on the "Help" section of I-9 eXpress.

Login/Passwords

Can we log into I-9 eXpress through UI Employee Self Service?

Yes. A link to I-9 eXpress is available under the External Links tab.

I forgot my password for I-9 eXpress. How do I get it reset?

If you signed up for the PIN Reset Options then use the Forgot Your PIN? link on the Login screen to have your password automatically reset to the default (last 4 digits of SSN+year of birth (YYYY). Payroll will not reset your password.

Why am I being asked for personal financial information to log in?

During Fall 2010 TALX rolled out an enhanced security process which allows users to setup their own questions and provide their own answers to be used if they ever forget their PIN. The "choose your own" questions and answers are the primary methods for both I-9 eXpress and The Work Number, and the "personal information" questions are used only as a last resort/backup. Personal information questions may include questions that are financial in nature and are typically presented to those who had never enrolled in the Enhanced Security process.

Staff members who are presented with the personal information questions and are uncomfortable answering them should call the TALX Customer Service Center at 1-800-996-7566. Their staff will assist staff members in resetting their PINs, and if the staff member has not enrolled in the "new" method yet, they will be asked to do so the next time they login.

Paper I-9 Forms

What happened to the paper I-9s I have sent to Payroll?

Have they been converted to the electronic form? No. Existing paper I-9s were not converted to I-9 eXpress. If you need to complete an I-9 for a rehire or reverification then you will need to use I-9 eXpress and create a new I-9. Payroll stopped accepting paper I-9s with new employees hired on or after 4/1/2010.

Timeline for Completing I-9s

How soon after employment begins do we need to have the I-9 finished?

Section 1 must be completed on the first day of employment. I-9s must be fully completed within three (3) business days after the employee begins working for pay. For example, if the employee began working on Monday then the I-9 must be completed by Thursday.

What are the legal implications of not completing I-9s within three business days?

Civil and criminal fines can be levied against an employer for violating provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Fines for failing to comply with I-9 requirements range from $110 - $1,100 per violation. Any fines assessed against the University will be charged back to the employing department.

Our department just hired an employee whose first day will not be for several months. Can we still complete an I-9 prior to the employee's first day of paid employment?

Yes. If your department has a signed offer letter from the employee then you can complete an I-9. The "Employment Start Date" will be the day you complete the I-9, not the future hire date. The I-9 must be fully completed within three days of their first day of paid employment. Do not start an I-9 early unless you have all the employee's documents required to fully complete the I-9.

Can we complete an I-9 before the appointment transaction is complete through workflow?

Yes.

What if we complete an I-9 and the employee never shows up for work? How long is the I-9 kept in I-9 eXpress?

For terminated employees the I-9 remains on file either one year after the termination date or three years after the hire date, whichever is greater. I-9s for active employees are always on file.

Non Residents

How do I complete an I-9 for a non-resident who has a temporary SSN that starts with 000 or 999?

Do not use temporary SSNs in I-9 eXpress. Instead, click the "SSN Applied For" radio button in section 1 and proceed with Section 2. Once the employee has a valid SSN then use the I-9 eXpress Quick Search box to find the SSN Applied For I-9s, choose the employee's I-9, and click the Change SSN link. Click the Edit SSN box, add the social security number and Continue.

If you accidently use a temporary or incorrect SSN then use the Search for Employee menu option to find the I-9. Click the Change SSN link, then Mark SSN as Bad and click Continue.

Using I-9 eXpress

We hired a new employee who has been a UI employee in another department. Do we need to complete a new I-9?

If there has been no break in service, then no new I-9 is needed. If there has been a break then complete a new I-9. No I-9 should be completed for anyone who has been continuously employed prior to 11/6/1986.

Can we complete Section 1 of the I-9 for an employee?

Yes. The employer may help an employee who needs assistance in completing Section 1 of the I-9. However, the employer must also complete the "Preparer and/or Translator Certification" block. The employee must electronically sign the certification block in Section 1.

After completing the I-9 we realized that we typed in an incorrect SSN in Section 1. How can we correct this?

Use the Edit SSN feature: Use the Search For Employees link to find the I-9 and click the Change SSN link. Click the Edit SSN box, add the correct SSN and Continue.

I finished Section 1 for an employee and realized that he/she does not have documents to complete Section 2. Will I have to start all over again?

No. Once you complete Section 1 it will automatically be saved as a Pending I-9. On the I-9 eXpress Main Menu in the Quick Search box you will see the Pending I-9s for your location. When the employee returns with documents for Section 2 click the Pending link to see the list of I-9s. Click on the name and the program will take you directly to Section 2. Pending I-9s remain in I-9 eXpress for 180 days and are then purged.

I'm completing an I-9 for someone who starts tomorrow but the application won't let me use tomorrow's date as an Employment Start Date. What date do I use?

Use today's date as the Employment Start Date when completing the I-9. Do not use prior and future dates for the Employment Start Date. Having the actual hire date on the I-9 isn't necessary for compliance. Just be sure to complete the I-9 within three days of the employee's start date.

What do the links in the Quick Search box mean?

Pending – uncompleted I-9s. Pending I-9s are purged after 180 days.

Reverification Due – e-mail notification is sent 120 days prior to the expiration of work authorization.

SSN Applied For – employees who must provide their SSN within 90 days.

E-Verify Issues – for select employees assigned to a federal contract which requires E-Verify.

Missing – employees with a payroll record but no I-9 or vice versa.

If I leave my desk and forget to log out of I-9 eXpress, will it time out on its own?

Yes. I-9 eXpress will time out after 16 minutes of non-use.

How do I receive training on the new I-9 eXpress application?

UI Learning and Development has developed ICON courses to train employees who are required to complete I-9s and/or E-Verify. Access the course through the "My Training" link on Self Service. The course titles are I-9 eXpress and I-9 eXpress with E-Verify. Enroll in the I-9 eXpress class unless you know your department uses E-Verify.

We hired someone who will not be working on-campus or even in the state of Iowa. How do we complete their I-9?

USCIS allows "agents" to complete I-9 forms on behalf of the University: "You may designate someone to fill out Forms I-9 for you, such as a personnel officer, foreman, agent, or anyone else acting on your behalf, such as a notary public. Please note that if someone else fills out Form I-9 on your behalf, he or she must carry out full Form I-9 responsibilities. However, you are still liable for any violations in connection with the form or the verification process….The person who views an em¬ployee's employment authorization documents should also complete and sign Section 2 on your behalf." (Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Handbook for Employers-Instructions for Completing Form I-9, Rev. 6/1/2011)

I-9s for off-campus employees may be completed by an agent on a current (unexpired) form. This is allowed only for employees who work at a remote site and who will not be on campus on or before their first day of employment. The hiring department must forward to Payroll the completed I-9 accompanied by a memo stating that the signer of Section 2 of the I-9 is an authorized agent for completing I-9s.

Reverification/Rehires

What do I need to do with a rehire situation?

If an I-9 resides in I-9 eXpress then use Section 3 to update the hire date and employment eligibility documents. You can also create a new I-9. If the I-9 is not online, then a new I-9 is required and should be completed in I-9 eXpress.

How do I reverify an employee for whom a paper I-9 was completed?

You will need to complete a new I-9 using I-9 eXpress. Once an electronic I-9 exists then you can use Section 3 for future reverifications.

How do I reverify an employee when I used a version of the I-9 form that is now expired?

You can still use the Section 3 button for reverifications. I-9 eXpress will update the form automatically to the current version.

What if an employee's name changes?

You can use Section 3 to update name changes (or make corrections). You do not need to complete a new I-9 or reverify an existing I-9 due to a name change. However, if you are an E-Verify department then the name on the I-9 must match SSA or DHS records in order to be submitted to E-Verify.

Documents

Can I scan employment eligibility documents and attach them to the electronic I-9?

No.  I-9 eXpress does not accept attachments.   Attaching documents creates liability for the UI and is not required for compliance.  It would also create extra cost to the University for document storage.

I have an employee who did not have his/her social security card but instead showed me a receipt letter from the Social Security Administration.  Can I use this?

Yes.  Receipt letters for social security card replacements can be used in I-9 eXpress as a List C document.  This gives the employee 90 days to present the official document to you.  During that time the I-9 will be tracked in the Reverification Due section of the Quick Search box. 

When the employee presents their social security card use the Reverification Due (or Search for Employees) link to find the I-9, and then click the Receipt Update button.  Add the document information and click continue.

I was presented with a birth certificate with no document number.  How do I fill in the Document # field?

Type “No document number” or something similar.  The I-9 can still be completed without it.

Reports

Which HR Reports relate to I-9s and E-Verify?

How often are the HR Reports updated?

Nightly.

Can we see HR Reports even if we don't use I-9 eXpress?

Whatever access you have now to HR Reports will remain the same even if you don't use I-9 eXpress.

I know I completed an I-9 for an employee so why are they on the I-9 Edit Report?

Questions

Page last updated 8/7/2012