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

Maryland employers submit the Maryland new hire reporting form within 20 days of a new or rehired employee’s first paid day, sending it to the Maryland New Hire Reporting Center online at mdnewhire.com, by fax, or by mail.¹ Every employer in the state is covered, from private businesses and nonprofits to government agencies, and the obligation applies to both brand-new hires and anyone returning after a break in service.²

What the Form Must Contain

Maryland law requires nine data elements on every new hire report. Missing one can delay processing or prompt a follow-up from the state.¹

Employee’s Social Security number, verified against the card to avoid a transposed digit.
Employee’s full legal name as it appears on the Social Security card.
Employee’s current residential address.
Date of employment, meaning the first day the employee actually performs work for pay.
Employer’s legal name and mailing address.
Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).
State unemployment insurance account number assigned by the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance.
Employee’s starting wage at the time of hire.
Whether health insurance is available to the employee (yes or no).

The last three fields go beyond what a federal W-4 collects, which matters if you plan to substitute a W-4 for the state form.

Filling Out the Form

The official Maryland form is a one-page PDF available at mdnewhire.com. Each of the nine required fields is labeled. If you complete it on paper, print clearly in ink. The state’s scanning system can reject illegible entries, and a rejected report counts as never filed.

Federal law lets employers substitute a W-4 or equivalent document for the state form.³ Maryland’s Department of Human Services confirms the option.⁴ The W-4 captures only six of the required elements (employee name, address, and SSN plus employer name, address, and FEIN), so you must write in the date of hire, starting wage, health insurance availability, and your state UI account number before submitting. Many employers find the state form simpler than annotating a W-4.

How to Submit

The Maryland New Hire Reporting Center accepts reports three ways.

Online at mdnewhire.com. Set up an employer account through the “Need Employer Account?” link, then enter individual records or upload a batch file. The portal returns an immediate confirmation when the data is accepted.²
By fax to 410-281-6004 or toll-free 1-888-657-3534.⁵
By mail to Maryland New Hire Reporting Center, P.O. Box 17429, Baltimore, MD 21297-1429.

Online filing is fastest and the only channel that returns instant confirmation. If you fax or mail, keep a timestamped copy so you can prove compliance if the state later says it never received the report.

When It Is Due

You have 20 calendar days from the employee’s first day of paid work to file.¹ The clock starts on the actual date services begin, not when the offer was signed or paperwork was completed.

Employers who transmit reports electronically or magnetically in batch form may instead send two transmissions per month, spaced no fewer than 12 and no more than 16 days apart.¹ The 20-day outer limit still applies to each individual employee within those batches.

Reporting for Multi-State Employers

If you have employees in two or more states, you may report all new hires to a single state instead of filing in each. Register as a multistate employer with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Office of Child Support Enforcement Child Support Portal at ocsp.acf.hhs.gov, or email a completed Multistate Employer Registration Form to msedb@acf.hhs.gov.⁶ You must have at least one employee working in whichever state you designate. Maryland also requires you to notify the Maryland Secretary of Labor of the state you have chosen.¹ After a merger or acquisition, update your registration through the OCSE portal.

How Long to Keep the Records

Maryland employers must keep employment records, including new hire reports, for five years from the last day of the calendar quarter the records relate to.⁷ Paper or electronic storage both qualify.

Penalties for Missing or Late Reports

Penalties under Maryland Labor and Employment Code Section 8-626.1 escalate with repetition and intent.¹

A first violation draws a written warning with no fine.
Subsequent violations carry a $20 civil penalty for each month in which a violation occurs. All violations within the same month count as a single violation, so failing to report ten March hires produces one $20 penalty, not ten.
If the failure results from an agreement between employer and employee to skip filing or submit a false or incomplete report, the penalty is $500.

The Secretary of Labor may waive penalties for cause. If a systems failure or natural disaster prevented timely filing, document the circumstances and contact the Maryland New Hire Reporting Center right away rather than waiting for the state to raise the issue.

1
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Labor and Employment Code Section 8-626-1
2
Maryland State Directory of New Hires. Maryland New Hire Reporting Form
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 653a – State Directory of New Hires
4
Maryland Department of Human Services. New Hires FAQs
5
Maryland Department of Labor. Reporting Systems for Employers and Third-Party Agents
6
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Multistate Employer Registration Form for New Hire Reporting
7
Cornell Law School – Legal Information Institute. Maryland Code Regs. 09.32.01.06 – Records