Set up I-9 Center (V2) — Self-Implementation Guide

Guide to set up and test Fountain I-9 Center V2 before go-live.

Updated over 2 weeks ago

Introduction to the I-9 Center

I-9 Center helps you manage I-9 Form submissions and verification for your workforce in one place.

With I-9 Center, you can:

• Assign I-9 tasks to workers through your onboarding flow
• Track I-9 progress across Section 1 (worker) and Section 2 (employer / verifier)
• Support multiple Section 2 verification methods (based on your configuration)
• Connect E-Verify (optional) so eligible I-9s can be electronically verified
• Set up rehire workflows (optional) so returning workers follow the correct compliance path

About the Self Service Guide

This guide is based on Fountain’s latest I-9 Center V2.

Some steps are self-serve; WorkBright connection setup may require assistance depending on your account.

What you need to get started

Before you begin setup, confirm the following:

1. Account & access

• You have access to your Fountain account with permission to update Settings and Onboard flows.

2. Your verification method for Section 2

Decide how Section 2 will be completed for your organization:

• On-site / in-person verification
• Live video verification
• Authorized representative (a third party completes Section 2 on your behalf)

3. (Optional) E-Verify readiness

You only need to setup E-Verify if you plan to use E-Verify itself, or if you plan to use features that require it (for example, certain remote verification flows).

If you will use E-Verify, make sure:

• You have an E-Verify account
• Your account is configured for Web Services

How to confirm Web Services is enabled

1. Log in to E-Verify: https://idp.uscis.gov/
2. Go to Company Account → Company Profile
3. Under Company Access and MOU, confirm Use Web Services is listed. Note that the USCIS website design is subject to change.

• If it’s listed: you’re ready!
  • If it’s not listed: you’ll need to enroll for a new E-Verify account using the Web Services option.

4. (Optional) Multi-EIN setup plan

If your organization uses multiple EINs, decide whether you want:

• A single processing setup shared across EINs, or
• Separate processing per EIN (common when each EIN has separate verification locations)

Setup Steps

Step 1 — Enable I-9 Center in your account

If I-9 Center isn’t enabled yet in your account, contact your Fountain point of contact to have I-9 Center (V2) enabled.

Step 2 — Add your company information (Company & EINs)

1. In Fountain, go to Settings → Company.
2. Confirm your company address is correct (this information can be used to pre-fill employer details in Section 2).
3. If you use multiple EINs, add each EIN and ensure each EIN is mapped to the correct identifier (for example, Brand).

Step 3 — Configure your I-9 verification provider connection (through WorkBright)

I-9 Center uses WorkBright to power I-9 form completion and verification.

Important: This step typically requires help from Fountain’s implementation team, since it involves provisioning and connecting your WorkBright environment.

In Settings → Employment (or I-9 Center settings depending on your account):

• Add your WorkBright connection details (subdomain + API key) for each EIN/subdomain you use.

Fountain Assistance Required

This step requires assistance from a Fountain representative. Contact your Customer Success or Implementation representative.

Step 4 — Connect E-Verify (optional)

If you plan to use E-Verify:

Recommendation: Complete your I-9 Center setup and internal testing first, then enable E-Verify right before go-live. This helps avoid accidentally submitting live E-Verify cases during setup.

1. Go to Settings → Employment.
2. In your WorkBright credentials area, select Configure E-Verify account.
3. Enter your E-Verify details for the relevant EIN.

Common issues

• Make sure you’re using the Web Services user credentials (not a Program Administrator login).
• If you see an authentication error, the Web Services password may be expired—reset it in E-Verify.

Keep E‑Verify disabled until go‑live

Keep E‑Verify off during setup/testing to avoid creating real cases. Turn it on at go‑live after you’ve validated Section 1 and Section 2 end‑to‑end.

Step 5 — Create an onboarding flow that assigns the I-9 task

I-9 tasks are assigned via an onboarding flow.

1. Go to Onboard → Flows and tasks.

2. Create (or edit) the flow you want to use.

3. Add an I-9 task.

4. Choose which Section 2 completion methods you want to allow.

• If you enable multiple methods, workers may be able to choose their method after completing Section 1.

Optional (Hire integration)

If you use Fountain Hire, you can also add I-9 Center as a step in your Hire workflow using a Partner (PAPI) stage, so candidates complete I-9 (and W-4, if applicable) as part of your end-to-end hiring flow.

Learn more: Add I-9 Center to a Hire workflow (Partner stage)

Step 6 — Set up rehire behavior (optional but recommended)

If you hire returning workers, decide how you want to handle rehires:

• Require a new I-9 (restart the I-9 process), or
• Use Supplement B when allowed (reverification/rehire update to an existing I-9)

Baseline rehire settings

Choose your rehire compliance behavior:

• In I-9 Center settings:

• Configure whether I-9 and W-4 should restart on rehire.

• If you plan to use Supplement B

• Confirm your account is configured to assign a Supplement B task for eligible rehires.

Self-serve: how Supplement B gets assigned (rehire automation)

Supplement B is assigned when both are true:

1. The worker profile is identified as a rehire, and
2. Your configuration says to keep the existing I‑9 (instead of restarting I‑9/W‑4)

Because you can identify a “rehire” in different ways (native rehire matching vs ATS/HRIS signals), the setup has two parts: (A) rehire detection and (B) rehire method (“keep I‑9”).

A) Configure rehire detection (how a worker becomes a “rehire”)

Path: Settings → Company → Workforce settings → Worker profiles matching & rehire

1. Choose the deduplication keys you’ll use to match returning workers (for example, email + last name, depending on your data quality).
2. Choose the setting that flags a matched profile as a rehire.
3. Keep “Do not flag as rehire” = OFF (this must be OFF for any rehire-based behavior to trigger).

Rehires not being detected?

If rehires aren’t being detected, start by verifying the worker is actually matching an existing profile using your chosen keys.

B) Choose the rehire compliance behavior (keep I‑9 → Supplement B)

In I‑9 Center V2, “use Supplement B” maps to a keep existing I‑9 rehire method.

Option 1 (recommended): Use the I‑9 Center settings toggle(s)

Path: I‑9 Center → Settings → I‑9 and W‑4 profile automatic restart

• Set Automatically restart I‑9 forms for rehire = OFF
• Set Automatically restart W‑4 for rehire = OFF

When rehire detection is working, this results in:

• I‑9 stays Completed
• W‑4 stays Completed
• Supplement B is assigned as Not Started (admin completes it in WorkBright)

Option 2: Use an integration/ATS signal to force “keep I‑9”

If your rehire signal comes from an upstream system (for example, Workday/UKG) and you only want Supplement B for a subset of rehires, configure a boolean custom worker attribute that means “keep existing I‑9 on rehire”.

High-level setup:

1. Decide the worker attribute (example name: keep_i9_on_rehire).
2. Ensure your integration sets it to true for the specific returning workers that should use Supplement B.
3. Validate a rehire end-to-end and confirm the worker is treated as a keep I‑9 rehire (i.e., Supplement B assigned, I‑9/W‑4 not restarted).

Document your attribute name

If you’re using this approach, document the exact attribute name in your internal implementation notes so Support/IM can troubleshoot.

Validation checklist for rehire paths (run before go-live)

• [ ] A returning worker is correctly flagged as rehire
• [ ] “Do not flag as rehire” is OFF
• [ ] I‑9/W‑4 restart settings are configured for keep I‑9 behavior
• [ ] For a rehire test worker: I‑9 and W‑4 remain Completed
• [ ] Supplement B appears as Not Started

Test before go-live

Use this checklist to confirm everything works end-to-end before you start onboarding real workers.

A. I-9 flow test (core)

1. Create a test worker and assign them to the onboarding flow that contains an I-9 task
2. Confirm they can complete Section 1
3. Confirm your team can complete Section 2 using your chosen verification method(s)
4. Confirm the worker’s status updates correctly in I-9 Center

B. Rehire test (if enabled)

1. Rehire a previously completed worker in your test environment (or with a controlled test profile)
2. Confirm the worker is flagged as a rehire
3. Confirm the correct outcome happens:
   • New I-9 is created or Supplement B is assigned (based on your design)

C. Multi-EIN test (if applicable)

1. Confirm workers are routed to the correct EIN/subdomain
2. Confirm statuses and actions work across EINs

Setup with Cue

You may be able to complete parts of your I-9 Center (V2) setup by describing what you want in plain language and letting Cue guide you through the required questions.

What Cue can do

Cue can help you configure or update I-9 Center settings, including (depending on your account setup):

• Connecting or updating your WorkBright credentials
• Connecting E-Verify (and troubleshooting common credential issues)
• Choosing I-9/W-4 behavior settings (for example, what keeps an I-9 “in progress” vs completed)
• Setting up multi-EIN configuration (when applicable)
• Connecting Fountain Hire (if you’re using I-9 Center as part of a Hire flow)

Recommended prompts for Cue

• “Set up I-9 Center using default settings.”
• “Help me connect E-Verify for our EIN.”
• “Help me add a new EIN and configure I-9 Center for it.”
• “Help me get I-9 ready — what prerequisites are missing?”