In 1996, North Carolina adopted legislation passed pursuant to federal requirements that require all employers in the state to register new hires with the state Department of Health and Human Services. The law was intended to allow states to accelerate the child support income withholding order process, expedite collection of child support from parents who change jobs frequently, and quickly locate alleged fathers/non-custodial parents to help in establishing paternity and child support orders.

Even though this law has been in place for more than 20 years, we occasionally run across new employers and other companies that are not aware of this obligation. The registry requirement applies to all North Carolina employers regardless of size and equally applies to nonprofit and government employers. In addition to information about the employer, the company must report new hires’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other identifying information. If electronic reports are filed, they must be submitted semi-monthly. Paper reports can be filed within 20 days of each new hire.

While all 50 states have some form of mandatory new hire reporting, the specifics can vary among states. North Carolina employers can find more information about this requirement here.