Eight Required Steps for Hiring Employees in South Carolina

Did you know that there are eight steps every employer must accomplish each time a new employee is hired? If an employer misses any one of these steps, then the employer has violated either a state or federal law. Please review the list below and let me know if you should have any questions or need additional information.

1. The new employee must fill out a Federal W-4 form. Any employees hired after January 1, 2020 must fill out the new Federal W-4 form.
2. New employees who are hired after January 1, 2020 must fill out a South Carolina W-4 form. This is the first time that South Carolina has ever issued or required all new employees to fill out a state specific W-4 form.
3. The new employee and the employer must fill out and sign a federal I-9 form and collect appropriate information. A new version of the I-9 form was issued on January 31, 2020. All employers are now required to utilize this revised form.
4. The employer must send the new employee's name, address, SSN, date of birth and the date the employee began work to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
5. The employer must utilize the government database E-Verify to report the new hire.
6. Under the South Carolina Payment of Wages Act the employer must give the following information to each new hire in writing:
   a. The normal hours and days of work
   b. Hourly rate of pay
   c. Time and place of payment of wages
   d. Any deductions to be made from wages
7. Notify the new employee of the provisions of the South Carolina Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
8. If the employer provides medical insurance coverage for employees, the new employee must be given a COBRA notice.

A company’s best defense against the potential expense and aggravation related to federal or state law violations is to proactively review and revise as needed all Human Resources policies, handbooks, hiring procedures, compensation, benefits, training programs, communications tools and other functions. The professionals of PHHR are ready to assist your organization with this type of training as well as to maintain compliance with the latest state and federal mandates.

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Paul Hilton is a certified Human Resources Consultant, located in Columbia, SC.
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