What is on the employee information form
- Legal name and preferred name
- The legal name must match the I-9 and tax forms; the preferred name is what goes on the badge and the email signature.
- Address, phone, email
- Home address for payroll, tax forms and W-2 delivery; personal contact details for emergencies and for reaching the employee when systems are down.
- Job details
- Title, department, manager, location, start date, employment type, full-time or part-time, exempt or non-exempt, pay basis. The fields payroll and HR systems ask for first.
- Emergency contacts
- Two people, with relationship and two phone numbers each. Reviewed yearly; the update form is for changes.
- New-hire paperwork checklist
- W-4, I-9, state withholding, direct deposit, handbook, benefits, confidentiality. The form does not replace them; it records that they were done.
- What is not on the form
- Social Security numbers and bank account numbers. Those belong only on the W-4, I-9 and direct deposit forms, which are stored separately and more securely.
- Signatures
- The employee confirms accuracy; HR records receipt. For job changes on the update form, the manager signs too.
The form is the cover sheet of the personnel file: the facts HR and payroll need to set someone up and to reach them or their family in an emergency. It is not a tax form, an immigration form or a bank mandate. In the US, federal withholding is Form W-4, work eligibility is Form I-9 (with the employee's identity documents examined within three business days of starting), and bank details go on a direct deposit authorization. The checklist on the new-hire form records that each of those was completed; it does not collect the data itself.
Keeping Social Security numbers and bank details off this sheet is deliberate. Several states (California, Massachusetts, New York among them) restrict how SSNs are displayed and stored, and a general form that gets photocopied and emailed is the wrong place for them. Medical information collected on the emergency card is voluntary and, under the ADA, must be kept in a separate confidential file, which is why the card is designed to be sealed.
- New hire: day one, with the onboarding pack. Everything on one page, plus the paperwork checklist.
- Update: any time details change. Tick what changed, fill the new values, HR records what was updated downstream.
- Emergency card: completed on day one and reviewed annually. Two per page; one for the file, one for the first-aid station or the site manager.
How to use it
- Send the new-hire form with the offer pack so it arrives completed on day one, or complete it together during orientation.
- Check the legal name against the ID presented for the I-9.
- Collect the W-4, I-9, state form and direct deposit form separately and tick them off on the checklist.
- Have the employee sign; HR signs on receipt and files it at the front of the personnel file.
- Ask employees to review emergency contacts once a year and use the update form for changes.
Mistakes to avoid
- Collecting SSN or bank numbers on the general form.
- Asking for date of birth, marital status or medical conditions as required fields. Date of birth is needed for benefits and some payroll systems; medical information is voluntary and goes on the sealed card only.
- Letting emergency contacts go stale. The update form exists for this.
- Storing the file where anyone in the office can read it.
The rest of the onboarding pack
Pair this form with the onboarding checklist (what HR, IT and the manager do before and during the first week) and the new hire checklist (what the employee needs to complete). When someone leaves, the offboarding checklist closes the loop, and the information form tells you where to send the final pay stub and W-2.
Editing the Word and Excel versions
The Word versions are the ones most HR teams will use: add your logo, your list of state forms and your benefits providers, and save as the master. The Excel versions are useful as a fillable form that can be exported to your HRIS. The emergency card prints two per page on card stock; fold and seal one copy for the first-aid station.
Questions
Should the form ask for a Social Security number?
No. The SSN is collected on the W-4 and I-9, which are stored with tighter access. A general information form that gets copied and emailed should not carry it.
Can I ask for date of birth?
Yes, for benefits enrollment and payroll systems, but do not use it in hiring decisions. Several employers leave it optional on this form and collect it on the benefits form instead.
Is medical information on the emergency card legal to collect?
If voluntary, yes. Under the ADA it must be kept in a separate confidential medical file, not the general personnel file. The card is designed to be sealed for that reason.
How long do I keep the form?
For the length of employment plus at least three years (the I-9 rule is three years after hire or one year after termination, whichever is later). Many employers keep the personnel file for seven years after departure.
Can employees fill the PDF on screen?
Yes. Every box is a fillable field, so the form can be emailed, completed in a PDF reader, saved and returned.
