> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bolto.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# I-9 Verification

> Form I-9 employment-eligibility verification in Bolto — Section 1, Section 2, deadlines, statuses, and reminders.

Every US employer must verify a new employee's identity and authorization to work using **Form I-9**. Bolto manages the whole form in-app: the employee completes Section 1, you review their documents and sign Section 2, and the completed form is stored on their profile.

I-9 verification is included with Bolto Payroll — you choose per employee whether to require it, via the **"Require I-9 verification"** checkbox when adding (or converting) the employee.

***

## The deadlines

Federal rules set the timeline, and Bolto tracks it for you:

* **Section 1 (employee)** — due by their **first day of work**
* **Section 2 (employer)** — due within **3 business days** of the start date

Bolto computes each due date, creates tasks for the right people, and sends reminder emails automatically. An incomplete I-9 never blocks payroll or the rest of onboarding — the deadline tracking and reminders are the enforcement.

***

## How it works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Employee completes Section 1">
    During onboarding (or later from their Documents page), the employee fills in Section 1 — attesting to their work authorization using details from their identity and work-authorization documents. On submit they see confirmation that their part is done.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You review and sign Section 2">
    From the employee's profile → **Documents → I-9 verification**, click **Review Section 1 & sign Section 2**. You'll see Section 1 read-only, then examine the employee's original documents and complete and sign Section 2 inline.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The completed form is stored">
    The verified I-9 shows as **Accepted**, with the document viewable and downloadable from the employee's profile — and visible to the employee in their own portal.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The I-9 detail page shows a progress timeline (Initiated → Section 1 → Section 2) with dates, and warns you when an employee's **work authorization document expires within 60 days**.

***

## Statuses

| Status          | Meaning                                                             |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Not Started** | I-9 required but not yet initiated                                  |
| **Pending**     | Waiting on the employee (Section 1) or on you (Section 2)           |
| **Accepted**    | Verified and complete                                               |
| **Rejected**    | The submission was rejected — restart to let the employee try again |
| **Completed**   | A prior I-9 document is on file (uploaded manually)                 |
| **N/A**         | Marked not required for this employee                               |

I-9 status also appears as a column on the Employees list, so you can scan the whole team at a glance.

***

## Admin actions

From the I-9 page you can, depending on status:

* **Initiate** — start the I-9 manually (it also starts automatically when a new hire with I-9 required completes onboarding)
* **Resend invitation** — re-email the employee while their Section 1 is outstanding
* **Restart I-9** — after a rejection (or to re-open one marked not required), triggers a fresh verification
* **Mark not required** — for employees who don't need an I-9; reversible via Restart
* **Upload I-9** — for migrated employees who completed an I-9 before joining Bolto, upload the existing form instead (it's then stored as **Completed**)

I-9 actions and Section 2 signing are **owner-only**; other roles can view and download the stored form.

***

## Reminders

Bolto sends reminder emails automatically so deadlines aren't missed:

* **To the employee** for Section 1 — ahead of their start date, on the due date, and continuing periodically until it's done
* **To company owners** for Section 2 — before the 3-business-day deadline, on it, and after, until signed
* **To the employee** when a work-authorization document is expiring — at 60, 30, 14, and 7 days out

Matching to-dos appear in [Tasks](/hr/tasks) with the same due dates, deep-linked to the right page.