> ## 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.
# Adding Employees
> Add US employees to payroll and guide them through self-onboarding: personal details, tax withholding, direct deposit, and Form I-9.
Adding an employee in Bolto has two parts: **you** add their role and compensation details, and **the employee** completes their own onboarding — personal information, tax withholding, bank details, and employment eligibility (Form I-9).
Before adding your first employee, make sure you have an active **default payroll group** — employees are always added into a payroll group, which determines their pay schedule and funding account. See [Running Payroll](/payroll/running-payroll).
***
## Adding an employee (admin)
Go to **Payroll → Employees → Add new**. You can add a brand-new employee or **convert an existing contractor** to an employee.
The employee's name and email address. Bolto uses the email to send their onboarding invitation.
Job title, start date, department, employee ID, whether they work remotely, and their **work location(s)**. The employee's work location determines which state's taxes apply — if it's a new state for your company, state tax setup for that state begins automatically.
Pay type — **Hourly**, **Annually** (salaried), or **Piece** — the amount, exemption status, and the payroll group they belong to. For hourly (non-exempt) employees, overtime and double-overtime rates are created automatically from the base rate.
Confirm the details. The employee receives an invitation to complete their own onboarding.
***
## Employee self-onboarding
The employee signs in and completes a short guided flow:
1. **Personal information** — legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and home address
2. **Employment eligibility (Form I-9, Section 1)** — shown when an I-9 is required; the employee will need details from their identity and work-authorization documents
3. **Tax withholding** — federal Form W-4 and any state withholding forms, completed in-app
4. **Bank details** — direct deposit, linked instantly through Plaid or entered manually
5. **Review and submit**
An unfinished I-9 never blocks the rest of onboarding. Employees can complete Section 1 later from their **Documents** page.
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## Form I-9 verification
Bolto manages Form I-9 employment-eligibility verification end to end — see the full [I-9 Verification guide](/hiring/i9-verification) for deadlines, statuses, and reminders. In short:
1. The employee completes **Section 1** during onboarding (or later from their Documents page).
2. You review their documents and complete and sign **Section 2** from the employee's profile under **Documents → I-9 verification**.
I-9 statuses you'll see: **Not started · Pending employee · Pending Section 2 · Accepted · Rejected · Not required**.
* Bolto sends automatic reminder emails to employees with incomplete I-9s.
* If an employee doesn't need an I-9, you can mark it **Not required**.
* If you already have a completed I-9 on file, you can upload it instead.
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## Before an employee can be paid
An employee will block payroll approval until they have:
* Completed their payroll onboarding
* At least one **earning rate** (set in Compensation)
* A **bank account** for direct deposit
Bolto flags blocking employees on the payroll draft so you can resolve issues before the approval deadline.
***
## Managing employees
From **Payroll → Employees**, open any employee to manage:
* **Rates** — pay rates, including overtime rates for hourly employees
* **Workplaces** — assigned work locations
* **Documents** — tax documents, I-9 verification, and filed forms
* **Paystubs** — every paystub from past payrolls
* **Deductions** — post-tax deductions and garnishments
* **Benefits** — benefit plan assignments
* **PTO** — time-off policy assignment and balances
Employees manage their own information from their portal: paystubs, tax documents, withholding updates, time off, and timesheets.