Fill Out Form I-9 Online: Employment Eligibility Verification (USCIS)
I-9 Employment Form: Fillable online to verify Eligibility instantly.
Updated Aug 21, 2026PDF format
Zendocs is not affiliated with USCIS.
I-9 Employment Form: Fillable online to verify Eligibility instantly.
Zendocs is not affiliated with USCIS.
Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, is the federal form every U.S. employer must complete for every person they hire. Unlike the W-9 or W-4, it isn't a tax form and it has nothing to do with the IRS - it comes from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and its job is to confirm that you are who you say you are and that you're legally allowed to work in the United States. Zendocs provides the current 01/20/25 edition, ready to fill out online.
Because federal law requires it. The Immigration Reform and Control Act obligates every employer, regardless of size, to verify the identity and work authorization of everyone on their payroll. For employees, it's simply part of onboarding - you can't be paid without one. For employers, it's a compliance document that ICE can demand on three business days' notice, with paperwork violations running north of $2,800 per form.
This one matters more than usual right now. The current edition is 01/20/25, with an expiration date of 05/31/2027 - and as of August 1, 2026, it's the only version accepted for new hires. The older 08/01/2023 printing that expired 07/31/2026 is no longer valid for new completions, and using an outdated edition is itself a violation. The rule keys off the expiration date printed in the upper-right corner of the form, not the edition date, so that's the box to check. Forms your team completed on earlier editions stay valid - you don't need to redo them.
The I-9 is a two-party form: the employee fills out Section 1, the employer fills out Section 2. Here's how it goes in ZenDocs:
Every employee hired in the United States after November 6, 1986, and every employer who hires them. It doesn't matter whether you're full-time, part-time, seasonal, or temporary, and it doesn't matter whether you're a U.S. citizen - citizens complete the form too. The one group that doesn't: independent contractors and freelancers, who complete a W-9 instead, since they aren't employees.
You don't need one for independent contractors, for employees hired before November 7, 1986 and continuously employed since, for casual domestic work in a private home, or for employees working outside the United States. You also generally don't need a new form when someone is rehired within three years - Supplement B can often be used instead.
This form has real deadlines, unlike the W-9. The employee must complete Section 1 no later than their first day of work for pay - it can be done earlier, once a job offer is accepted, but never later. The employer must complete Section 2 within three business days of that first day. Business days exclude weekends and federal holidays, so a Monday start means Section 2 is due by Thursday.
Sometimes, and the rules are stricter than most people expect. Employers enrolled in E-Verify and in good standing may use the DHS alternative procedure: the employee transmits copies of their documents (front and back), the employer examines them over live video, and the Alternative Procedure box in Section 2 gets checked. That checkbox is not optional - ICE treats a missing one as a substantive violation. Employers not enrolled in E-Verify must have someone physically examine the original documents in person, though that person can be an authorized representative rather than an employee.
Right here! ZenDocs has the current 01/20/25 edition ready to fill out. No need to hunt through USCIS pages or risk grabbing an expired printing from a stale bookmark.
Click the signature field in Section 1 or Section 2 and draw, type, upload, or photograph your signature. Both the employee and the employer representative sign their own sections. If your organization is relying on an electronic system as its official I-9 system of record, confirm that your retention and audit-trail setup meets the DHS electronic recordkeeping standards - ICE now treats electronic system deficiencies as substantive violations.
Nowhere. This is the part that surprises people: the I-9 is never sent to USCIS, ICE, or any other agency. The employer keeps it on file and produces it only if the government requests an inspection. Store it separately from the general personnel file so an audit doesn't expose unrelated employee records.
Three years from the date of hire, or one year after employment ends - whichever date is later. Destroying forms too early creates risk, and so does keeping them longer than required, since every retained form is one more that can be cited during an inspection.
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1.Choose your legal form
Browse the library or search to find the exact template you need
2.Answer simple questions
The guided editor turns your answers into a finished legal form
3.Sign your document
E-sign, then download, print, or share your legal document instantly