I-9 Employment Verification Audit Checklist

Form I-9 documents that every US employee is authorized to work. This audit checklist helps employers review completed I-9s for accuracy: timely completion of Sections 1 and 2, acceptable documents from the current lists, correct dates and signatures, proper reverification where needed, and retention rules. It is designed for self-audits that catch errors before an Immigration and Customs Enforcement inspection does.

I-9 penalties apply per form and accrue quickly across even small workforces, and many violations are technical, missing dates, wrong document choices, or late completion, rather than intentional. A structured self-audit lets HR find and correct these paperwork errors properly, without backdating, and shows good-faith compliance. It also confirms retention timelines so you neither discard forms too early nor keep them longer than allowed.

Pull all active and applicable terminated employee I-9s and review each against the checklist: Section 1 completed by day one, Section 2 within three business days, valid document combinations, and complete signatures and dates. Note errors and correct them transparently with initials and dates. Confirm reverification for expiring authorization and apply the retention formula. Log findings and track corrections to completion.