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California's New Employee Registry

As an employer, you play a vital role in the success of California’s New Employee Registry.

A New Hire Reporting Program

As an employer, you have a vital role in the success of California’s New Employee Registry.

Under the New Employee Registry program:

  • Employers report their newly hired employees to the New Employee Registry. California matches new hire reports against child support records to help fine parents to set wage withholding orders or enforce existing orders.
  • The information is also sent to the National Directory of New Hires to find late payments in other states. Nearly 30 percent of child support cases involve parents who do not live in the same state as their children.

California law defines a person as a rehire if both:

  • The employer and employee relationship ended.
  • The returning person had been separated from that same employer for at least 60 consecutive days.

Employers are required by law to report all newly hired or rehired employees to the New Employee Registry (NER) within 20 days of their start-of-work date. The start-of-work date is the first day services were performed for wages.

All California employers must report all of their new or rehired employees who work in California to the New Employee Registry within 20 days of their start-of-work date, which is the first day of work. Any employee who is rehired after a separation of at least 60 consecutive days must also be reported within 20 days. Employers who report electronically through e-Services for Business must submit two files each month that are not less than 12 days and not more than 16 days apart.

No report should be submitted if there are no new or rehired employees to report.

You are required by law to report the following:

Employers must report:

  • California employer payroll tax account number.
  • Branch Code (complete only if employer was assigned a Branch Code number).
  • Federal employer identification number.
  • Business name and address.
  • Contact person and phone number.

Employees must provide:

  • First name, middle initial, and last name.
  • Social Security number.
  • Home address.
  • Start-of-work date.

Online

Use e-Services for Business to submit a Report of New Employee(s) (DE 34).

Submit a paper report of new employees by mail or fax using one of the following options:

If you are submitting a copy of the employee’s W-4 form, you must also add to the W-4:

  • The employee’s start-of-work date.
  • Your California employer payroll tax account number.
  • Your Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).

Mail

Mail or fax your paper DE 34 to:

Employment Development Department
PO Box 997016, MIC 96
West Sacramento, CA 95799-7016

Fax

Fax your form to 1-916-319-4400.

Additional Resources

Employers hiring in more than one state can choose to electronically report all newly hired employees to one state in which they have employees. Multistate employers who choose to file to one state must notify the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Support Enforcement.

If employers don’t report the hiring or rehiring of an employee within the time required a penalty may be charged of $24 for each unreported employee.

Note: A penalty of $490 may be charged, if the failure to report is an intentional agreement between the employer and employee to not supply the required information or to supply a false or incomplete report.

For more information, review the following:

Contact Information

Call us at 1-916-657-0529, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific time. Or, call the Taxpayer Assistance Center at 1-888-745-3886 for support.

e-Services for Business

Use e-Services for Business to manage your employer payroll tax account online.

Log In Enroll

Stay Up-to-Date

Contact Us

If you have questions, Contact Payroll Taxes. You can also contact the Taxpayer Assistance Center at 1-888-745-3886 or visit your local Employment Tax Office.

Additional Resources