E-Verify for Nanny Employers

E-Verify is an internet-based system that helps employers accurately and quickly compare the information that a newly hired employee provides on the I-9 Form, regarding his or her Employment Eligibility Verification. This information is compared against millions of government records and generally provides results in three to five seconds. If the information matches, that employee is eligible to work in the United States. If there is however, a mismatch, E-Verify will alert the employer and the employee generally will be allowed to work while he or she resolves the problem.

Is E-Verify for nanny employers?

The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act makes all U.S. employers responsible for verifying, through a specific process, the identity and work authorization or eligibility of all individuals, whether U.S. citizens or not. All employers are required to complete Employment Eligibility Verification Forms I-9 for all employees.

In November of 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) implemented a change to the E-Verify program that utilizes a tool intended to deter fraudulent use of Social Security numbers for employment eligibility verification. This tool allows the E-Verify system to “lock” Social Security numbers that appear to have been misused, in a method comparable to that of credit card companies. If an employee attempts to use a locked SSN, E-Verify will generate a Tentative Non-Confirmation (TNC). The employee receiving the TNC communication will have the opportunity to contest the finding by visiting a local Social Security Administration field office.

E-Verify and Form I-9 work together by comparing an employee’s entered information to:

• Approximately 455 million Social Security Administration (SSA) records
• Approximately 80 million U.S. Department of Homeland Security records

Safety and security is of utmost importance to any employer, but particularly those who are hiring someone to work in their home and interact with their family. Therefore it is critical that a nanny (or other employee) provide accurate information for you to determine if they are legally eligible to work in the U.S. E-Verify helps to accomplish this.

For more information, please contact GTM’s Household Employment Experts at (888) 432-7972.