Free I-9 Section 2 Deadline Calculator and Self-Audit Checklist

Section 2 deadline calculator

The employer must finish Section 2 within three business days of the employee's first day of work for pay: start Monday, done by Thursday (8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(ii) and the USCIS M-274 handbook). The first day is day 0. Weekends and federal holidays are skipped unless you are open on them.

Pick the employee's first day of work for pay.

I-9 self-audit checklist

Pull one completed Form I-9 and tick each item it gets right. Based on the USCIS M-274 handbook and 8 CFR 274a.2. Nothing is saved; refresh the page to start over for the next form.

Section 1

Due no later than the first day of employment.

Every required field is filled in
Name, address, date of birth and citizenship or immigration status. Email and phone are optional, and so is the Social Security number unless you use E-Verify.Signed and dated by the employee
An employee who cannot sign can make a mark instead.Supplement A completed if someone helped
Each preparer or translator fills in their own certification block.

Section 2

Due within 3 business days of the first day of employment.

Signed and dated by the employer within the deadline
By the person who examined the documents, with their name, title and the business name and address.First day of employment entered and correct
The day the employee started work for pay, not the offer date.Every document fully recorded
Title, issuing authority, number and expiration date, if it has one.

DocumentsOne List A document, or one from List B plus one from List C
Never two from the same list. The employee picks which documents to show; you cannot ask for specific ones.Documents reasonably appear genuine and relate to the person
Original, unexpired documents, checked against the person in front of you.

ReverificationReverified on Supplement B before work authorization expires
Only when a List A or List C document showing temporary permission to work runs out.Never reverified when the rules say not to
Do not reverify U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, Permanent Resident Cards or List B documents.

RetentionKept for 3 years after hire or 1 year after employment ends, whichever is later
Someone who worked under two years: three years from hire. Longer: one year after they leave.

Your self-audit0 of 11 checks passed

11 items are unchecked. Any unchecked item is a potential fine: paperwork violations run $288 to $2,861 per form under the January 2025 inflation adjustment (8 CFR 274a.10(b)(2)).

Questions

What counts as a business day for Section 2?

The regulation and the M-274 handbook say Section 2 is due within three business days of the first day of employment, and give the example of a Monday start finished by Thursday. Neither defines a business day. This calculator skips weekends and federal holidays by default. If your business is open on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, tick those boxes and those days count too. When in doubt, finish earlier.

What if the job lasts less than three business days?

Then Section 2 is due on the first day of employment, not three business days later (8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(iii)). Tick the short job box and the calculator shows that date.

When is Section 1 due?

No later than the employee's first day of employment. The employee fills it in and signs it; you cannot do it for them, though a preparer or translator can help if they complete Supplement A.

Sources: 8 CFR 274a.2, 8 CFR 274a.10, USCIS Handbook for Employers (M-274), OPM federal holidays.

Also free: the Davis-Bacon overtime calculator, the fringe benefit annualization calculator and the PBJ pre-flight checks.

Doing this for dozens of employees?

Browse SpreadRun's free compliance tools for employers.