Pennsylvania hiring: reporting new hires and rehires on time

Pennsylvania spells out its new-hire rules in more detail than most states, including when a returning worker counts as a rehire. That makes it easier to get right, if the details reach the person who files.

The rule in Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth's New Hire Reporting Program says employers must report their new hires to the Program within twenty (20) days of the Date of Hire, and defines the date of hire as the first day the person performs services for wages.

Federal law sets the outer limit: an employer must report each new hire to the state directory of new hires no later than 20 days after the hire, and employers that report electronically may instead send two transmissions a month, 12 to 16 days apart. The report carries the employee's name, address and Social Security number, the date they first worked for pay, and the employer's name, address and federal tax identification number (42 U.S.C. 653a).

Who you report

• Everyone who lives or works in Pennsylvania. The program asks employers to report all employees who reside or work in the Commonwealth.
• Rehires. Report employees who return to work after not receiving wages for more than 30 calendar days. For seasonal businesses, that can mean the same people every year.
• Temporary workers. A staffing agency reports the people it hires for assignments, not the business where they are placed.

How to report

The program prefers electronic reporting: a web form for entering hires one at a time (it suggests this for 50 new employees or fewer, with no login needed), a file upload, or secure file transfer for automated reporting. Multistate employers must report electronically; others may use the Commonwealth New Hire Reporting Form by fax or mail. The program asks employers not to submit new hire data through email.

Where it slips, and how to keep it on track

The rehire rule is the easy one to miss. A returning seasonal worker feels like an existing employee to the manager who calls them back, so nobody thinks to report them.

The report itself is filed by whoever runs your payroll or onboarding. Where a hiring workflow helps is the hand-off: when your team marks a candidate as hired, the workflow can remind the person who files the report, with the hire date and the deadline, so the 20 days are not lost between the hiring manager and the office. Your team still decides who is hired and files the report.

Before you rely on this guide

This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Check the PA CareerLink new-hire reporting page before your next hire, and ask your payroll provider whether they already file for you.