New Hire Paperwork Checklist

Capture legal name, mailing address, phone, personal email, date of birth, and emergency contact with relationship. The emergency contact is the one field hires routinely skip — it's the field you need most when there's a kitchen injury on shift.

Role drives later branches: a server or bartender needs a tip-credit notice and alcohol-service certification; a line cook needs the food handler card; an exempt salaried manager needs the state salary-threshold check. Pick the closest match — if dual-role (server + bartender), use the role they will work most shifts under.

Employee fills Section 1 no later than the first day of work for pay. Use the current USCIS version — older revisions are an automatic ICE audit finding. Do not pre-fill Section 1 for the employee.

Employer must examine original documents (List A, or List B + List C) and complete Section 2 within three business days of the first day of work. Never specify which documents the employee must present — that's document abuse. Photocopy only if your written policy applies the practice to all hires.

AZ, AL, MS, NC, SC, TN, UT, and GA require E-Verify for private employers above a headcount threshold. Submit within 3 business days of hire. If a Tentative Non-Confirmation comes back, the employee continues to work while contesting — do not terminate on TNC alone.

Use the current-year W-4. Collect the state withholding equivalent too (CA DE 4, NY IT-2104, IL W-4, etc.) — the federal W-4 alone is not enough in most states.

Federal FLSA requires written notice before any tip credit is applied — cash wage, credit amount, tip-pool participants, and the rule that all tips are retained by the employee (except for valid tip pool). Skipping this is the single most common wage-and-hour class action against restaurants. Skip this step in CA, OR, WA, NV, MN, MT, AK — those states do not allow a tip credit.

For salaried managers, confirm the offer meets the higher of the federal or state exempt salary threshold. CA, NY (NYC), and WA are well above the federal floor. Below threshold + classified exempt = unpaid overtime exposure across the entire role tenure.

Most states require a food handler card (ServSafe Food Handler, Learn2Serve, or state-equivalent) within 30 days of hire. CA, IL, AZ, OR, WA, TX, FL all have specific timelines. Confirm the card number, issuing body, and expiration — most are valid 3 years.

For anyone pouring or serving alcohol: TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol, or state-mandated equivalent (TX TABC, CA RBS, WA MAST, UT, OR OLCC). State ABC inspectors check at point of service. Missing card on an active bartender is a license-level violation, not a warning.

MA, IL, MI, NY, and RI require allergen-aware certification for at least one manager per shift; many operators apply it to all FOH and line. AllerTrain or PCFP are the typical providers. Document who holds the cert so the floor schedule can always staff a certified manager.

Enter routing and account number into Toast Payroll, Gusto, ADP, or Restaurant365 Payroll. A voided check or bank letter is the only acceptable source — don't accept screenshots from mobile banking, which routinely show wrong routing numbers for ACH.

Add the employee to 7shifts, Homebase, HotSchedules, or whichever system you use, with the correct role (server/bartender/line/etc.), wage rate, and tip-pool eligibility. Wrong role tagging breaks tip-pool math at end of week.

ACA applicable large employers (50+ FTE) must offer affordable coverage to anyone averaging 30+ hours/week. Track the look-back measurement period; tipped employees often cross the threshold and get missed. Note the 30-day or 90-day waiting period per your plan.

Walk through the at-will statement, harassment and EEO policies, no-show/tardy progression, meal-break rules, and tip-pool structure. The signed acknowledgment is the operator's defense in most wage-and-hour and EEOC disputes.

Fit aprons, chef coats, branded shirts, or non-slip shoes per role. Review jewelry and beard-net rules for BOH per FDA Food Code. Note any state rule against deducting uniform cost from wages if it pushes the hire below minimum (FLSA standard).

Add user in Toast, Square, Aloha, or Micros with the correct permission tier — servers should not have void or comp permissions. Issue a unique swipe card or PIN; shared logins destroy the audit trail when a void/comp discrepancy shows up at cash-out.

Schedule three to five shadow shifts paired with a trainer who is paid a training premium. Cover open, mid, and close at minimum so the hire sees side-work on all three. New hires dropped solo too early are the largest source of 30-day attrition.

Sit-down review covering shift performance, side-work consistency, cash-out variances, and any guest feedback. Confirm all certifications are on file and that benefits enrollment closed on time. Document the conversation in the personnel folder.