I-9 Audits for small businesses are vital. SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) has recently released information stating that small employers are disproportionately affected by ICE’s I-9 audits.
It is thought that small employers generally have their human resource professionals managing multiple tasks and consequently, the completion of I-9 paperwork tends to be neglected or mismanaged. While it has been shown that there are more errors and incomplete forms found in small businesses, it is also true that smaller companies have fewer forms for ICE to review, requiring fewer resources, allowing them to target more employers.
The fines for missing, incorrectly completed or delinquent forms can range from $110.00 for each form up to $1100.00. If the auditor finds errors in 50% or more of the forms, it is likely that the higher fine will be assessed. Therefore. The reality is, this record-keeping function needs to be managed as a priority to avoid serious financial consequences.
Alliance 2020 has an electronic I-9 system to take the worry out of this process and this system is highly recommended for both larger and smaller businesses.
