New-hire paperwork for seasonal crews

By Ashton McLellan · Last reviewed October 2026

Spring hiring moves fast and the files fall behind. Here is what each new hire needs, with the deadlines that matter.

The core five

1. Form I-9. The employee fills out Section 1 by their first day of work. You complete Section 2, after looking at their identity and work documents, by the third business day after their first day. A Monday start means Section 2 is done by Thursday.
2. Form W-4. Federal income tax withholding.
3. Your state's withholding form, if your state has an income tax.
4. The state new-hire report. Federal law requires reporting each new hire to your state within 20 days. Some states require it sooner. Seasonal workers who come back after being separated for at least 60 consecutive days are reported again as rehires.
5. A signed application and offer details: pay rate, job, start date, and your handbook or policy acknowledgment.

Add these when they apply

• Drivers: a copy of the license and a driving record check. If the truck or truck-and-trailer is rated at 10,001 pounds or more, a full driver file. See the truck rules.
• Safety training: a dated record of what you trained them on, such as mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, chemicals and heat.
• E-Verify: some states require it for some or all employers. Check yours.
• Under 18: federal rules limit the hours of 14- and 15-year-olds and bar them from running mowers, trimmers and edgers. No one under 18 may run chain saws or wood chippers. States add their own rules, so check yours before you hire.
• H-2B workers: the program has its own records and pay rules. Keep them with your agent or attorney's guidance.

Keep the I-9s right

Keep each I-9 for 3 years after the hire date or 1 year after the job ends, whichever is later. Store them together, apart from the personnel files, so an inspection only sees what it needs. A returning worker can often be handled with the rehire section of the form instead of a new one, if they come back within 3 years of the date on their original I-9.

Make spring take minutes

1. In winter, build one hiring packet: application, offer sheet, I-9, W-4, state form, handbook acknowledgment and safety sign-off.
2. Make a checklist with the deadlines on it: I-9 Section 1 on day one, Section 2 by the third business day, new-hire report within 20 days or sooner.
3. File each new hire the same day they start. One folder, one checklist, every time.

Workers' comp also depends on clean payroll by job. See what the auditor asks for.