We know it's easy to feel overwhelmed with questions about W-4 and I-9 form processes and how these forms are handled in Fountain’s I-9 Center. This article is a compilation of customer-asked questions and answers from the Fountain team.

Have a question that isn’t addressed in this article? Contact your Fountain Customer Success contact.

General Process Questions

How can I quickly see the status of my workers’ completed W-4 forms?

The W-4 Forms table has 5 tabs at the top that show workers in specific completion statuses. The tabs are:

All: All workers assigned the W-4 form task regardless of status.
Pending: The worker has been assigned the W-4 form task but has not started it yet.
In Progress: The worker has started the W-4 form task but has not yet finished it.
Needs Review: The worker has finished their W-4 form, but it requires review and approval. This is based on your company's configuration and whether or not Reviews are turned on. If this is turned on for your company, you will see an Approve and Reject button above the completed W-4 form in the Manage screen.
Completed: The worker has finished their W-4 form. If Reviews are turned on in your company's configuration settings, then W-4s in this bucked will have also been reviewed and approved.

How can I quickly see the status of my workers’ completed I-9 forms?

The I-9 Forms table has 6 tiles at the top that show workers in specific completion statuses. The tiles are:

Needs Attention: The worker’s I-9 form needs some kind of attention. This includes I-9’s that are pending Section 2, have an approaching start date, are missing a start date, or have an E-Verify case status that requires action.
Pending Section 1: The worker has been assigned an I-9 form to complete, but has not submitted it yet.
Pending Section 2: The worker has completed Section 1 but Section 2 needs to be completed by the employer or Authorized Representative.
- Depending on which verification methods your company has enabled, this would include employees that have an upcoming On-Site or Live Video verification meeting scheduled.
Pending E-Verify: The worker has completed Section 1 and Section is is also completed but an E-Verify case has not been created. This happens if the worker provides an acceptable document receipt instead of a document when completing Section 1. Although this is allowed to complete the I-9 form, E-Verify does not accept document receipts. The worker will remain in this status until they provide the actual document related to the receipt. At which point an E-Verify case will be created.
E-Verify: The worker’s completed I-9 form has been successfully sent to E-Verify and is either still processing or has a case status that requires action.
Completed: Sections 1 and 2 are completed. For companies using E-Verify, the worker’s E-Verify case status is Closed Authorized and they are verified to legally work in the U.S.

Can I download completed W-4 or I-9 forms into a PDF file?

Yes, you can! To download a completed W-4 or I-9 form, follow the steps below:

Click I-9 Center in the left side panel. Then navigate to either the I-9 Forms or W-4 Forms pages.
Click the Manage button to the right of the worker’s name that you want to download theform for.
Click the download or print icon in the top right corner of the form preview window.

Important Note:

You cannot bulk download or print W-4 or I-9 forms from the I-9 Center. Each form must be downloaded or printed individually.

How are exceptions handled?

Exceptions like I-9 restarts, Supplement B for rehires, and document submitted receipts can be addressed by using the I-9 Center.

In addition, the Fountain I-9 Center is built to flag data that doesn't match submitted I-9 forms. This is important because inaccurate information can be flagged by Homeland Security during an I-9 inspection, and can result in fines [1], it is important to validate all information before forms are submitted to E-Verify.

How do I update a completed W-4 form?

You can update a completed W-4 form by restarting it. To restart a W-4 form, follow the steps below:

Click I-9 Center in the left side panel. Then click W-4 Forms.
Click the Manage button to the right of the worker’s name that you need to restart the W-4 for.
Click Restart W-4.
Click I Confirm.

How do I update a completed I-9 form?

You can update a completed form by rejecting or restarting it. Rejecting is used if only Section 1 is completed but Section 2 is still outstanding. Restart is used if Section 1 and 2 are already completed.

To reject an I-9 form, follow the steps below:

Click I-9 Center in the left side panel.
Click the Manage button to the right of the worker’s name that you need to reject the I-9 for.
Click the red Reject button at the top of the page.
Select the applicable reason(s) you are rejecting the I-9.
Click Submit.

To restart an I-9 form, follow the steps below:

Click I-9 Center in the left side panel.
Click the Manage button to the right of the worker’s name that you need to restart the I-9 for.
Click the More actions button at the top of the page and then Restart I-9 in the dropdown.
Select the applicable reason(s) you are restarting the I-9.
Click I Confirm.

My employee provided a document receipt for Section 1 but now has the actual document. How do I resolve this so the E-Verify case is created?

You will need to uncheck the receipt box and upload images of the document. Follow the steps below:

Click I-9 Center in the left side panel.
Click the Manage button to the right of the worker’s name that you need to restart the I-9 for.
Click the More actions button at the top of the page and then Take Action on I-9.
Click Redo 1-9 Employer Section.
Click Edit Documentation.
On the pop-up screen, uncheck the box next to "This is a receipt of a document replacement". This will also remove the word "Receipt" from the document title.
Update the expiration date according to what is on the replacement document you were presented with.
Click Save Changes.
Still within the Take action on I-9 screen, scroll to the bottom and click the Next button in the right corner.
Type your title within the Title field.
Electronically sign in the Signature box.
Scroll to the bottom and click the Finish button. An E-Verify case will be created automatically in states that require E-Verify.
Click the More Actions button and then Take action on I-9 in the dropdown.
Click the Supplemental tab.
Click Add File and attach a photo of the employee's replacement document. Note that the employee cannot see any files you add here- they are for internal use only.

Can I use the I-9 Center to reverify documents that a worker provided during Section 1 that are about to expire?

Yes, document reverifications are supported in the I-9 Center. To reverify a worker’s documents, follow the steps below:

Click I-9 Center in the left side panel.
Click the Manage button to the right of the worker’s name that you need to restart the I-9 for.
Click the More actions button at the top of the page and then Reverify in the dropdown.
Click Reverify documentation.
Complete all fields including selecting the document title, entering the new document number, selecting the new document’s expiration date (if applicable), and entering your name and signature. You can also check the box for using the alternative procedure to review documents virtually and add additional notes.
1. Learn more about the alternative procedure requirements in this article.
Click Submit when finished.

You will also need to upload new copies of the documents in the Supplemental tab in the Supplement B pop-up screen. Simply click +Add File to drag and drop or browse and attach images of the new documents.

How do I handle rehires in the I-9 Center?

Your company will choose to either have the rehire complete a new I-9 or they can follow the Supplement B process:

Click I-9 Center in the left side panel.
Click the Manage button to the right of the worker’s name that you need to restart the I-9 for.
Click the More actions button at the top of the page and then Rehire in the dropdown.
Choose either Supplement B or Reset I-9.
If choosing Supplement B, on the next screen click Rehire staff and complete all fields.
Click Submit.

What should I do with an in-progress I-9 if the worker has been terminated?

If the worker has been terminated and Section 1 or 2 is still pending completion, click their name in the I-9 Center table to be brought to their Worker Profile. Click Actions and then Edit. Add a Termination Date and click Save. This will stop the worker from receiving notifications to complete their I-9.
If the worker has been terminated after the I-9 was sent to E-Verify but is still pending a Closed Authorized status, close the E-Verify case by accessing their I-9 Profile (via the Manage button) and clicking take action on E-Verify.
If the worker’s E-Verify case status is Closed Authorized, you do not need to take any additional action.

Section 2 Questions

What options do I have for completing Section 2?

We have four options available for completing Section 2:

Employer-based review:

Standard I-9: Using our standard scheduler functionality, the employee schedules an on-site document review with you, the employer.
Remote I-9: Also utilizing our scheduler functionality, the employee schedules a live video call with you, the employer, to validate their documents over live video call.

Authorized Representative review:

Smart I-9: The document review is completed in person by an authorized representative of the employee's choosing. With this option, geolocation features are used to ensure that the employee and the authorized representative are in the same physical location.
I-9 End-to-End: The employee schedules a live video session with a Fountain-trained professional, who will review and validate their documents.

If you are interested in I-9 End-to-End, contact your Fountain Customer Success contact or [email protected] for more information.

Am I able to review my worker’s documents virtually when completing Section 2 as the employer?

Yes, this can be noted by checking the alternative procedure checkbox when completing Section 2. However, this alternative procedure can only be used in certain circumstances. Review the I-9 Section 2 Workflow Setup article for more information.

Authorized Representative Process Questions

Can my employees choose their own authorized representative?

Yes. In fact, if using the Authorized Representative process, the employee MUST choose their own Authorized Representative. This cannot be chosen by the employee. The Authorized Representative can be anyone other than the employee themselves, such as a spouse, friend, or neighbor.

Can an employee use themselves as their own Authorized Representative?

No, they cannot. Since acting as your own authorized representative is prohibited by the U.S. government [2], the I-9 Center will stop a worker if they enter their own phone number, and instruct them to submit someone else's.

How do employees send Section 2 to their Authorized Representative for review?

Employees will enter their Authorized Representative's cell phone number which will send a link to the Authorized Representative's smartphone.

This link will open a webpage with an overview of the Section 2 process and what is expected of them as an Authorized Representative. The Authorized Representative will then follow a step-by-step guide on completing the review. They must be within 15 feet of the employee when completing the review.

Can an employee change who they assign to be their Authorized Representative after selecting one?

Yes, they can. If they would like to change their Authorized Representative, they simply need to enter that new Representative's phone number in their Worker Portal as long as Section 2 has not yet been completed.

Does the I-9 Center record any information about the Authorized Representative’s information?

Yes, it does. The I-9 Center collects the Authorized Representative’s first and last name, phone number, and IP address. This will appear in the audit trail after Section 2 is completed.

E-Verify Questions

Do I use Fountain’s E-Verify account or does my company need an E-Verify account?

In order to utilize the E-Verify integration, you will need to have and use your own company E-Verify account.

How are E-Verify cases submitted and closed?

Once Section 2 is complete, the entire I-9 form (Sections 1 and 2) will be automatically sent from Fountain’s I-9 Center to the E-Verify system. Once the case is processed, the resulting status will be reflected in the Fountain I-9 Center.

Fountain’s I-9 Center uses a WorkBright integration to show and action E-Verify case statuses.

How do I know if the worker comes back as clear from E-Verify?

The worker will move into the Completed I-9 Forms page tile.

Can E-Verify cases be acted on and closed from the Fountain I-9 center?

Yes, all E-Verify actions can be completed from within the I-9 Center. Review the E-Verify Process article for more information.

What if I find an issue with a case that has been submitted to E-Verify?

If the case has already been submitted to E-Verify, then you will need to close the existing case and restart the I-9 form for the worker. You will choose the close case reason The case is being closed because the data entered is incorrect.

Important Notes:

If you don't close the existing case first then the second case will not be sent to E-Verify, since it will be seen as a duplicate case.
If your company has the employee fields locked based on previously configured settings, you will need to first update the data in the employee's Worker Profile by going to Action and then Edit before you restart the I-9.

Integration with Fountain Hire Questions

Is the I-9 Center on the same platform as Fountain Hire?

No, the Fountain I-9 Center is on a separate platform from Fountain Hire. The I-9 Center is hosted within Worker Experience which holds all of Fountain’s onboarding products. Fountain Hire is focused on the hiring portion of the worker’s experience and works as an ATS (Applicant Tracking System).

Will the users in my company have the same permissions in Fountain Hire that they have in the I-9 Center?

Roles and permissions will work slightly differently between Hire and Worker Experience. However, they are overall similar. If you have questions or concerns about permissions, Fountain suggests contacting your Fountain Customer Success contact.

Is anything on the I-9 Form pre-filled based on information previously entered by the worker when applying via Fountain Hire?

Yes, attributes from the worker's Hire profile are used to pre-fill the I-9 form. However, these fields are still editable for the worker if they need to change information.

Sources

[1] I-9 Inspections: A detailed article about the I-9 form inspection process that can be carried out, including possible violations

[2] Who Must Complete Form I-9: USCIS article outlining each role in the I-9 form process

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