Employers can check the legal status of; 1) new
hires through the DHS E-Verify system, and 2) former or current employees
through the SSA Employee Verification Service.
1) New hires through DHS
E-Verify system
E-Verify
(formerly the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program)
is an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Participating employers can check the work status of new hires online by
comparing information from an employee's I-9 form against SSA and
Department of Homeland Security databases. More than 87,000 employers
are enrolled in the program, with over 6.5 million queries run so far in
fiscal year 2008.
E-Verify is free and voluntary, and is the best
means available for determining employment eligibility of new hires and
the validity of their Social Security numbers.
For information on checking the legal status of
new hires visit:
http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm
2) Former or current employees through the SSA
Employee Verification Service
The Social Security Administration offers a free
employee verification service for employers wishing to verify the legal
status of former or current employees. The service verifies the social security
numbers (SSN) for up to 5 employees. Call toll-free 1-800-772-6270, weekdays
from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST. You will be asked for your company
name and EIN. You must also provide the following information for each
name/SSN you want to verify:
SSN
last name
first name
middle initial (if applicable)
date of birth
gender
For information on checking the legal status of former or current employees
visit:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=118860,00.html
(Verifying Employee Names and Social Security Numbers)
http://www.ssa.gov/employer/ssnv.htm (Social Security Number
Verification Service (SSNVS))
