Agricultural Employers Not Exempt from "New Hire" Law

One trend emerging in agriculture is that more farms are using hired labor to accomplish their goals. Farm labor laws, while retaining some exceptions, are becoming more reflective of non-farm laws and regulations. Because of this, many of our Ohio farm managers may be unaware of regulations that are applicable to their business.

One law that farmers and agribusinesses may be unaware of is the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act” of 1996 (a.k.a. New Hire Law). This law requires all employers to report newly hired employees to a state directory within twenty days of their hire date (this includes all agricultural employers). This new hire information is utilized to speed up the child support income withholding process, expedites collection of child support from parents switching jobs frequently and helps to locate non-custodial parents to enforce child support orders. New hire reporting also helps children receive the support they deserve and helps prevent fraudulent unemployment payments, workers compensation, or welfare benefit payments.

Employers are required to submit the employee’s full name, address, social security number, date of birth, and date of hire. The Ohio New Hire Reporting center offers employers a variety of ways to report new hires including submitting electronically or by mailing or faxing. Producers can receive the reporting form or can complete entries electronically by linking to the following web page: https://newhirereporting.com/oh-newhire/

New hires reporting legislation requires all “employees” to be reported. Any individual who is an employee for purposes of federal income tax withholding should be reported. This includes seasonal workers even if they are hired for a short period of time to help bale hay, relief milk on a dairy farm or harvest fruit crops.

Questions can be directed to the Ohio New Hire Reporting Center at (614) 221-5330 or (888) 872-1490. Frequently asked questions can also be viewed at the Ohio New Hire website located at
https://newhirereporting.com/oh-newhire/FAQ.asp?State=OH&SessionID=

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