New Hire Reporting Law

Partnering with Employers to Guarantee the Support of our Nation's Children

District of Columbia Revised Statute 46-226.06 and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, 42 U.S.C. 653a require that all employers report newly hired, and re-hired employees to a state directory within 20 days of their hire date.

Becoming mandatory in October, 1998, new hire reporting is now required by law in all 50 states. Pursuant to federal law, states even have the option of imposing civil monetary penalties on employers who fail to report new hires. The fine can be up to $25 per newly hired employee, and can be increased up to $500 if employer and employee conspire to avoid reporting.

The District of Columbia works with employers to help ensure that all new hires are reported as required, as the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) provides states with a quarterly report containing information on employers who may not have properly done so.

Using the quarterly report, our New Hire Reporting Center may mail notices to employers who appear to be non-compliant in reporting their new hires. To help employers avoid future notices, it provides information on legal requirements, as well information on how to comply with new hire reporting laws.

Using a different FEIN to report your new hires and your quarterly wage information may cause you to appear non-compliant with reporting protocol. If you have more than one FEIN, please be sure to use the same FEIN you use to report your quarterly wage information when reporting new hires. If you receive a non-compliance notice from our office and you believe you may be using multiple FEINs, please contact us.

New hire reporting is a valuable tool that contributes to the support of many families, and assists with preventing fraudulent unemployment payments and/or welfare benefit payments. To learn more about the benefits of new hire reporting, click here.

If you have received a notice from the New Hire Reporting Center that referenced a lack of compliance, or if you have additional questions about complying with the new hire reporting law, please contact us.