How to Fill Out and Submit the Kentucky New Hire Reporting Form

To complete the Kentucky New Hire Reporting Form, you provide a short set of identifiers for the worker (Social Security number, legal name, home address, date of hire, date of birth) and for your business (legal name, address, federal EIN, and Kentucky employer ID), then send it to the Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center within 20 days of the hire date. You can file online at ky-newhire.com, by fax, or by mail. Kentucky also lets you submit a copy of the employee’s completed W-4 instead of the state form.¹

What Goes on the Form

Download the current form from ky-newhire.com or the Kentucky Department of Revenue. The fields divide into two sections.

Employee Information

Social Security number (nine digits from the Social Security card or W-4)
Full legal name: first, middle initial, last
Residential address: street, city, state, ZIP
Date of hire, meaning the first day the employee actually performed work for pay, not the offer date, orientation date, or background-check date
Date of birth²

Employer Information

Business legal name as registered
Business address. If you operate from more than one location, use the address where you want child support income-withholding orders sent.
Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), the nine-digit number assigned by the IRS³
Kentucky Employer Identification Number (KEIN), issued when you register with the Kentucky Department of Revenue²

Check the FEIN and KEIN against a recent tax filing before you submit. A single transposed digit prevents the report from matching the state’s records, and from the state’s side an unmatched report looks the same as no report at all.

Using the W-4 Instead

If you prefer, submit a copy of the employee’s completed W-4 and skip the state form. Both methods satisfy KRS 405.435.¹ Make sure your employer identifiers are written on the W-4 copy before sending.

How and Where to Submit

Reports must reach the Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center within 20 calendar days of the hire date.⁴ You have three options.

Online. Go to ky-newhire.com and choose “Sign me up” to create an account. Once registered, enter employee data on screen or upload a file. The portal shows a confirmation screen when the submission goes through. Save or print it as your proof of filing.

Fax. Fax the completed form or the W-4 copy to 800-817-0099.⁵ Keep the fax transmission confirmation.

Mail. As of the most recent state-issued form, the address is:

Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center
P.O. Box 138007
Sacramento, CA 95813-8007⁵

The processing center’s mailing location has changed in the past, so confirm the address printed on the version of the form you download before sending anything by mail. For questions, call 800-817-2262.

Who You Report

Every employer operating in Kentucky must report, including private businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and religious organizations.⁴ A reportable event covers any new hire and any rehire or return to work after a layoff, furlough, leave without pay, separation, or termination. Kentucky does not use the 60-day gap that some states use; every return counts, regardless of how long the person was away.¹

Full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal workers all have to be reported. The statute provides two narrow exemptions: employees paid less than $300 per month, and employees under 18.¹

Independent Contractors

Kentucky also requires reports on independent contractors. File within 20 calendar days after payments to the contractor total $600 or more.⁶ The same data elements apply: the contractor’s name, address, and Social Security number alongside your business name, address, and FEIN.

Staffing Agencies and Temporary Workers

When a staffing agency places a temporary worker at a client company, the agency is normally the employer of record and files the report. The agency reports the worker once at the start of the engagement, not every time the worker moves to a new client. If the agency terminates the worker and later rehires them, a new report is required at that point. When a placement agency helps someone land a permanent job with a client, the client becomes the employer and files the report.

If You Have Employees in More Than One State

If you have employees working in two or more states and you file electronically, you can pick one state to receive all of your new hire reports rather than filing in each state separately.⁷ To use this option, submit the Multistate Employer Registration Form to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or register through the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement portal, and give written notice of your chosen state.⁸

Penalties for Late or Missing Reports

Kentucky charges a $25 civil penalty per employee you fail to report. If the state finds that the failure stemmed from a conspiracy between you and the employee to conceal the hire or submit false information, the penalty rises to $500 per unreported worker.⁹ The conspiracy penalty most often comes up when someone is trying to shield income from a child support order. KRS 405.435 provides for written notices before the higher fines take effect, giving employers a chance to cure the problem.¹

1
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 405.435 – Chapter 55 (HB 166)
2
Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center. Kentucky New Hire Reporting Form
3
Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your EIN
4
Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center. Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center
5
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Kentucky New Hire Reporting Form
6
Administration for Children and Families. State New Hire Reporting – Intergovernmental Reference Guide
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 653a – State Directory of New Hires
8
Administration for Children and Families. Multistate Employer Registration Form for New Hire Reporting
9
Justia. Kentucky Revised Statutes 405-435 – Information From Employers and Labor Organizations Upon Hiring of Kentucky Residents