BUSINESS 911

I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification

All U.S. employers must complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens. On the form, the employer must examine the employment eligibility and identity document(s) an employee presents to determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and relate to the individual and record the document information on the Form I-9. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the last page of the form.

Do not file Form I-9 with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or USCIS. Form I-9 must be kept by the employer either for three years after the date of hire or for one year after employment is terminated, whichever is later. The form must be available for inspection by authorized U.S. Government officials (Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Department of Justice).

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SS-4: Employer ID Number (EIN) Application Form
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN. You may apply for an EIN in various ways, and now you may apply online. This is a free service offered by the Internal Revenue Service. You must check with your state to make sure you need a state number or charter.

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W-2: Wage and Tax Statement Form
The W-2, Wage Tax and Statement form is used to report wages or salaries your business pays to employees for the calendar year, along with the taxes withheld from them. Its also reports FICA taxes to the Social Security Administration. You must fill out a W-2 for each employee who receives a salary, wage or other compensation. The W-2 must be delivered to employees by Jan. 31.

*To order W-2 forms, you must visit the IRS web site or 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676).

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W-4: Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate Form
The W-4 form, filled out by an employee to note deductions, determines how much tax you withhold from employees wages or salaries. Ideally, it's the exact amount due on an employee's 1040 form at the end of the year, though often the amounts don't match up.

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1040 Schedule C (or C-EZ): Profit or Loss from Business (Sole Proprietorship) Form
Self-employed people must use 1040 Schedule C to report business income or loss, and to calculate self-employment tax. You can use the simpler 1040 Schedule C-EZ if you have a profit and:

• Your expenses are no greater than $5,000.

• You have no employees

• You have no inventory, and

• You are not using depreciation or deducting the cost of your home.

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1099 MISC: Miscellaneous Income Form
Used to report miscellaneous income, including fees, rents, commissions, royalties, prizes, awards or income earned as a non-employee.

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