A: No. This program is mandatory for all employers. An employer is defined as "a person or entity, including a state or local government entity or labor organization that employs an individual to perform a service for hire and pays wages directly to the individual." This includes all religious and nonprofit organizations.

A: All employees who are newly hired or recalled to work must be reported. An employee is defined as "an individual in the employ of another who performs a service for hire and receives wages." This includes temporary, seasonal, and part-time employees. Individuals refusing work may also be reported, but this information is optional. Reporting job refusals will increase the labor pool, disqualify UC and/or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients if they refuse work for which they are qualified, and reduce the drain on UC Trust Fund.

A: Employers have two methods of reporting new hires, depending on the number of employees they have.

• Effective May 1, 2008, the Alabama Department of WorkForce requires employers with five or more employees to report their new hires electronically via the internet. Employers reporting by internet upload are only required to report new hires twice a month (not less than 12 days and not more than 16 days apart). For internet reporting, please use this website. All third party submissions of new-hire data must be reported electronically, via the internet.


• Employers with less than five employees can mail or fax a copy of the employee's W-4 form. All W-4's must include the following data: employee's name, address, and social security number; first day of work; and, whether newly hired or recalled to work. Also required are the employer's Federal Employment Identification Number (FEIN), name, and address. If reporting by this method, employers with less than five employees are required to report new hires within seven (7) days of the first day of work. Mail W-4's to:

Alabama Department of Workforce
Attn: New-Hire Clerk
50 N Ripley St,
Montgomery, AL 36130

A: Multi-state employers have two options: report all new hires to a single state chosen by the employer, in which the employer has employees, OR report new hires to the respective states in which employees are working. If an employer elects to report all new hires to a single state other than Alabama, the data cannot be used by Alabama to detect and/or reduce fraud associated with Mining and Reclamation.

A: If a multi-state employer designates one state to report all new hires, the employer must notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in writing, as to which state the employer has designated to receive all of their new hire information.
Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Office of Child Support Enforcement
Multistate Employer Notification
P.O. Box 509, Randallstown, MD 21133
Fax: (410) 277-9325
https://ocsp.acf.hhs.gov/OCSE/ For assistance in completing this form, call the Multistate Employer Help Desk at 410-277-9470 FAX 410-277-9325 (8:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. ET).

A: No, Alabama follows Federal law, and does not require the reporting of independent contractors as new hires.

A: All New-Hire W-4 forms should be mailed or faxed to:
Alabama Department of Workforce
Attn: New-Hire Clerk
50 N. Ripley Street,
Montgomery, AL 36130
FAX: (334) 206-6020

A: The employer community and the taxpayers of Alabama will benefit from New-Hire in the following ways:

1. A reduction in UC taxes where benefits would have otherwise been charged against an employer's experience rating account.
2. A reduction in UC shared costs, which affect all tax-rated employers.
3. A reduction in outstanding overpayments of UC benefits and their adverse effect on the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
4. A reduction in time and resources required for completing Form AL 8605A, the Unemployment Insurance Benefit Payment Audit.
5. A reduction in unemployment benefits paid to workers who refuse jobs.
6. A reduction in the cost of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
7. A reduction in Food Stamp costs.
8. A reduction in Medicaid costs.
9. A reduction in Workers' Compensation costs.