I-9 Audit Services: Fast, Accurate, End-to-End I-9 Compliance

I-9 audits can be triggered by anonymous tips, payroll discrepancies, industry-wide ICE enforcement sweeps, prior violations, government contract reviews, or complaints from current or former employees. The IRS and ICE share employer data through a Memorandum of Understanding, which means payroll irregularities can lead to immigration enforcement action.

I-9 penalties in 2026 range from $288 per paperwork violation to $28,619 per violation for knowingly employing unauthorized workers. Fines are assessed per Form I-9, not per audit — an employer with 100 errors could face over $286,000 in civil penalties. Penalty amounts are adjusted annually by DHS under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act.

An ICE audit — formally called a Notice of Inspection (NOI) — is a review of an employer's Form I-9 records by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Employers typically have three business days to produce all I-9 forms after receiving an NOI. Violations can result in civil fines, criminal penalties, or debarment from government contracts.

An I-9 audit includes a full review of every Form I-9 in your workforce—active and terminated—checking Section 1, Section 2, and Supplement B for accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and documentation consistency. It also includes payroll-to-I-9 matching, retention/purge analysis, duplicate form detection, and a comprehensive audit report with clear remediation steps.

Most audits take 5–15 business days, depending on workforce size, onboarding complexity, and whether documents are stored electronically or in paper files. Large, multi-location or high-turnover employers may require additional time, but our team works significantly faster than internal reviews.

Yes. We offer a fully managed remote I-9 verYes. We audit paper I-9s, electronic I-9 files from any HRIS, digital exports, and legacy/migrated records. If your documents are spread across multiple systems—or stored inconsistently—we consolidate and review them in a unified audit processification service for public agencies and contractors.

Yes. If supporting document images are available, we compare them against the Section 2 entries for accuracy, expiration dates, document type, and list category compliance. This is one of the most common areas where onboarding errors occur.

Payroll-to-I-9 reconciliation matches your active payroll roster to your active I-9 files to identify missing or incomplete forms. Missing I-9s are one of the highest-risk findings in ICE audits, often resulting in substantial fines or workforce eligibility concerns.

Yes. We flag duplicate records, conflicting document information, mismatched citizenship/immigration status entries, and incorrect reverifications—all of which can trigger audit scrutiny if left uncorrected.

Yes. Our audit includes a full retention and purge analysis using the federal rule (3 years after hire or 1 year after termination, whichever is later). Correct purging reduces long-term liability and is commonly overlooked by employers.

Our audit uses evaluation criteria aligned with ICE audit standards, giving you a realistic picture of what an investigator would find. Correcting errors before an NOI (Notice of Inspection) dramatically reduces financial penalties and operational disruption.

Absolutely. These employers often have the largest compliance gaps due to inconsistent onboarding practices. Our audit identifies patterns across locations and helps standardize I-9 execution across your organization.

Yes. Buyers, investors, and attorneys frequently request I-9 compliance validation. An audit helps you avoid surprises during diligence and prevents delays or valuation impacts. We regularly support pre-M&A audits and private equity/VC reviews.