Best I-9 and E-Verify Software, Compared Against the Rule
Updated 12 min read
For HR and operations leads choosing a system for Form I-9 and E-Verify. Federal rules let you complete and keep the form electronically only in a system with audit trails, access controls and compliant e-signatures, and the software has to track the dates that cost money when missed: Section 2 within three business days after the first day of work, the E-Verify case by that same third business day, Supplement B reverification by the expiry date and the purge date years later. We read 8 vendors' own pages on October 22, 2026 and set them against those rules.
Employer agent, audit trail, reverification and retention all on its own pages.
Alternative procedure, a representative network and a documented purge report.
E-Verify in the same records as payroll; reverification notice 90 days ahead.
What the rule asks of the software
Federal rules let you complete and keep Form I-9 on a computer, but only in a system that meets a list of storage, security and signature standards. Most vendors say “compliant” and stop there. The table turns each paragraph of the rule into one question you can ask in a demo; the answers are what separate the products in the roster below.
| What the rule asks of the system | Ask the vendor | 8 CFR |
|---|---|---|
| Controls that keep the system accurate and reliable | How do you stop a saved form changing without a record? | 274a.2(e)(1)(i) |
| Controls that prevent and detect unauthorized creation, change, deletion or decay of a form, signature included | What happens when someone edits Section 2 after signing? | 274a.2(e)(1)(ii) |
| An inspection and quality-assurance program with periodic checks of stored forms | Do you audit stored forms on a schedule, and can I see the report? | 274a.2(e)(1)(iii) |
| An indexed retrieval system an inspector can search | Can I pull every form for one site and one year in one search? | 274a.2(e)(1)(iv) |
| Legible, readable paper copies on demand | Show me a printed form with its signature lines. | 274a.2(e)(1)(v), (e)(2) |
| No contract or licence that limits a federal agency's access to the system | Do your terms of service restrict what an inspector can see? | 274a.2(e)(3) |
| Written documentation of how forms are created, changed and kept authentic, such as audit trails | Will you give me that documentation for an inspection? | 274a.2(f)(1) |
| A secure and permanent record of the date, the person and the action every time a form is touched | Does the audit trail log views as well as edits? | 274a.2(g)(1)(iv) |
| Access for authorized staff only, backup and recovery, and staff training | Who at your company can open my forms? | 274a.2(g)(1)(i)-(iii) |
| Employee e-signature: read acknowledgment, signed at the time, signer's identity kept, printed confirmation on request | How does the new hire get a copy of what they signed? | 274a.2(h)(1) |
| Employer or representative attestation, with a way to acknowledge it was read | Who signs Section 2 when a representative examines the documents? | 274a.2(i) |
The duty to document the system is yours, not the vendor's. If you keep forms electronically you must be able to hand an agency the business processes that create, change and protect them, “such as audit trails”. Incomplete documentation is itself a violation.
8 CFR 274a.2(f)(1)-(2)
An electronic signature captured outside these standards means the form was not properly completed, which is a paperwork violation, and paperwork penalties are counted per form. See Form I-9 penalties for the current amounts.
8 CFR 274a.2(h)(2); 8 CFR 274a.10(b)(2)
What to do
- Ask every vendor for its written description of controls, audit trail and backup before you sign.
- Print one completed test form and check every signature line reads clearly.
- Run a mock inspection with the I-9 audit checklist: one site, one year, one search.
The roster
The roster sets 8 products against the 6 things an I-9 system must do. Each word is what the vendor's own pages say; where they say nothing, the cell says so.
| Vendor | Electronic I-9 (8 CFR 274a.2 storage and audit trail) | E-Verify integration and employer-agent status | Remote alternative procedure | Reverification reminders (Supplement B) | Retention and purge dates | Onboarding integrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Equifax I-9 HQBest overall | Built inDetailed audit trail of changes | Built inStates it is an employer agent | Built inI-9 Anywhere: in person or video | Built inReverification management | Built inPurge through I-9 Inspect | DocumentedHRIS or ATS on the Enterprise plan |
Mitratech Tracker I-9 | Built inEvery action logged | Built inSends cases after Section 2; agent status not published | Built inAlternative procedure and a representative network | Built inDeadline tracking | Built inPurge Report; purge is manual | DocumentedWorkday, Oracle, SAP, iCIMS, Greenhouse, Paycom, Paycor |
EMPTrust | Built inTime-stamped audit trail | Built inStates it is an employer agent | Built inAlternative procedure; agent and notary network | Built inAlerts 90, 60 and 30 days ahead | Check with the vendor | DocumentedADP, Workday, UKG, BambooHR, Lever, JazzHR |
GryphonHR | Built inI-9 audit trails | Built inSubmits after completion; agent status not published | Built inVideo meetings in the workflow | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | DocumentedREST API and single sign-on |
I-9Compliance.com | Check with the vendorPaperless I-9; audit log listed, scope not described | Built inStates it is a designated agent | Not published | DocumentedExpiration notices | Not published | DocumentedPublished I-9 API; HRIS links unnamed |
HireRight | Check with the vendorElectronic I-9; audit trail not described | Built inAgent status not published | Built in5,000+ representatives or video | Check with the vendor | Not published | Check with the vendor |
Accurate Background | Check with the vendorE-signatures; audit trail not described | Built inAgent status not on its I-9 page | Built inEmployer, candidate or third-party verifiers | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendorRetention stated, purge not | DocumentedGryphonHR; ATS links unnamed |
Paycom | Built inStored in the record, audit trail | Built inInside the suite; agent status not published | Not published | Built inNotice 90 days ahead | Not published | Built inPaycom onboarding and HR records |
Vendor by vendor
Equifax I-9 HQ
Equifax Workforce Solutions' electronic Form I-9 platform, with a detailed audit trail, reverification management and the retention rule built into every plan. Its I-9 Anywhere service lets a new hire meet a trained representative at a retail location or by video, and lawlogix.com now forwards to the same company.
Employers who want one vendor to run the form, the E-Verify case as employer agent, and remote Section 2 when nobody is on site.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailBuilt inDetailed audit trail of changes
- E-VerifyBuilt inStates it is an employer agent
- Remote procedureBuilt inI-9 Anywhere: in person or video
- Supplement B remindersBuilt inReverification management
- Retention and purgeBuilt inPurge through I-9 Inspect
- IntegrationsDocumentedHRIS or ATS on the Enterprise plan
Mitratech Tracker I-9
An electronic I-9 that logs every action in an audit trail and sends eligible forms to E-Verify the moment Section 2 is signed. Its help center documents a Purge Report built on the three-year and one-year rule; a user runs the purge, the system never deletes on its own.
Multi-site and remote-heavy employers on a large HR system who want reverification and purge dates tracked in one dashboard.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailBuilt inEvery action logged
- E-VerifyBuilt inSends cases after Section 2; agent status not published
- Remote procedureBuilt inAlternative procedure and a representative network
- Supplement B remindersBuilt inDeadline tracking
- Retention and purgeBuilt inPurge Report; purge is manual
- IntegrationsDocumentedWorkday, Oracle, SAP, iCIMS, Greenhouse, Paycom, Paycor
EMPTrust
An onboarding suite with an electronic Form I-9 that time-stamps every change, view and update, and an E-Verify module that walks HR through a mismatch. Its remote workflow ticks the alternative-procedure box and links the document copies to the record.
Employers who want the I-9, E-Verify and the rest of the new-hire paperwork in one onboarding product.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailBuilt inTime-stamped audit trail
- E-VerifyBuilt inStates it is an employer agent
- Remote procedureBuilt inAlternative procedure; agent and notary network
- Supplement B remindersBuilt inAlerts 90, 60 and 30 days ahead
- Retention and purgeCheck with the vendor
- IntegrationsDocumentedADP, Workday, UKG, BambooHR, Lever, JazzHR
GryphonHR
A cloud Form I-9 product with I-9 audit trails and an E-Verify integration that submits a case once the form is complete. Video meetings for the alternative procedure run inside the I-9 workflow, and you can build your own reusable network of authorized representatives.
Employers who want remote Section 2 handled inside the software, with their own staff or a nationwide verifier network.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailBuilt inI-9 audit trails
- E-VerifyBuilt inSubmits after completion; agent status not published
- Remote procedureBuilt inVideo meetings in the workflow
- Supplement B remindersCheck with the vendor
- Retention and purgeCheck with the vendor
- IntegrationsDocumentedREST API and single sign-on
I-9Compliance.com
A cloud I-9 management system for paperless signing, storage and tracking of Form I-9 records, with expiration notices and printable PDFs. It describes itself as a federally designated E-Verify agent with E-Verify built in.
Smaller employers who want a plain, form-first I-9 tool with E-Verify attached.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailCheck with the vendorPaperless I-9; audit log listed, scope not described
- E-VerifyBuilt inStates it is a designated agent
- Remote procedureNot published
- Supplement B remindersDocumentedExpiration notices
- Retention and purgeNot published
- IntegrationsDocumentedPublished I-9 API; HRIS links unnamed
HireRight
A background screening firm whose Form I-9 service adds electronic completion, an I-9 dashboard and an E-Verify integration. Remote hires can meet one of more than 5,000 authorized representatives, or a representative by video under the alternative procedure for customers enrolled in E-Verify.
Employers who already screen with HireRight and want the I-9 on the same contract.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailCheck with the vendorElectronic I-9; audit trail not described
- E-VerifyBuilt inAgent status not published
- Remote procedureBuilt in5,000+ representatives or video
- Supplement B remindersCheck with the vendor
- Retention and purgeNot published
- IntegrationsCheck with the vendor
Accurate Background
A background screening firm with a paperless Form I-9, electronic signatures and a direct E-Verify connection, and its page says it integrates with GryphonHR. Section 2 and Section 3 can be done by an employer-chosen, candidate-chosen or third-party verifier.
Employers who want the I-9 started from the same ATS order as the background check.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailCheck with the vendorE-signatures; audit trail not described
- E-VerifyBuilt inAgent status not on its I-9 page
- Remote procedureBuilt inEmployer, candidate or third-party verifiers
- Supplement B remindersCheck with the vendor
- Retention and purgeCheck with the vendorRetention stated, purge not
- IntegrationsDocumentedGryphonHR; ATS links unnamed
Paycom
A payroll and HR suite whose E-Verify tool runs inside the same software as onboarding, so the I-9 data is not typed twice. Verification documents land in the employee's personnel file and the system warns you 90 days before a reverification falls due.
Employers already running payroll on Paycom who want E-Verify without a second login.
- Electronic I-9 and audit trailBuilt inStored in the record, audit trail
- E-VerifyBuilt inInside the suite; agent status not published
- Remote procedureNot published
- Supplement B remindersBuilt inNotice 90 days ahead
- Retention and purgeNot published
- IntegrationsBuilt inPaycom onboarding and HR records
Running payroll elsewhere and want the I-9 inside onboarding instead? See onboarding software with I-9 and E-Verify.
Dates the software must track
Good I-9 software is mostly a calendar that cannot forget. These are the dates every product in the roster should compute for you, and that you should test with a sample hire before you buy. The free I-9 deadline calculator, reverification calculator and retention calculator give you the right answers to check the software against.
- Section 1, by the employee
- By the first day of work8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(i)(A)
- Section 2, by you or a representative
- Within 3 business days after day one8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(ii)
- E-Verify case
- By the 3rd business dayE-Verify User Manual 1.5
- Supplement B reverification
- By the expiry date8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(vii)
- Keep the form
- Later of hire + 3 years or end + 1 year8 CFR 274a.2(b)(2)(i)(A)
- Notice before an inspection
- At least 3 business days8 CFR 274a.2(b)(2)(ii)
Reverify on Supplement B no later than the day the work authorization expires. Green Cards, U.S. passports and List B IDs never trigger reverification, so a tool that flags them for a reminder has the rule wrong.
8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(vii); USCIS M-274 6.0
Employer agent or your own account
E-Verify calls a firm that runs cases for other employers an “E-Verify employer agent”. Some I-9 products enrol you as their client and create your cases through their own account; others connect your own E-Verify account to the form. Both are legitimate. The difference is whose account holds the cases and who you call when a case goes wrong.
An employer agent is “any person, company, or other entity that is providing the service of verifying employees as a third party to employers through the use of E-Verify.” E-Verify itself is free. DHS says: “We do not certify E-Verify employer agents nor do we regulate the fees they charge.”
E-Verify User Manual 1.0; e-verify.gov, Using an E-Verify employer agent
So read “certified” or “federally designated” on a vendor's page as the vendor's own wording. No official public list of agents turned up in our research, which is why the roster shows agent status only where the vendor states it. The E-Verify employer agents compared page goes deeper, and E-Verify for employers covers how the program works from your side.
Remote I-9 support
Since August 1, 2023, employers enrolled in E-Verify in good standing may examine I-9 documents over live video instead of in person, at their E-Verify hiring sites. Software that supports it should walk HR through each step and keep the proof with the form:
- Collect copies of the documents, front and back, before the call.
- Hold a live video call in which the employee shows the same documents.
- Tick the alternative-procedure box in Section 2 (or in Supplement B for a rehire or reverification).
- Keep clear copies of the documents with the form.
If you offer remote review at a hiring site, offer it consistently to everyone hired there; you may limit it to remote hires if that is not done for a discriminatory purpose. Every new hire at that site still needs an E-Verify case, whether or not the alternative procedure is used.
8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(ix); 88 FR 47749; USCIS, Remote examination of documents
Employers not enrolled in E-Verify still need someone to see the documents in person, often an authorized representative; see I-9 authorized representatives, the full remote I-9 alternative procedure guide and the remote I-9 verification services compared.
What to do
- Confirm every hiring site that will use remote review is enrolled in E-Verify.
- Ask the vendor to show where the document copies and the box live in a finished record.
How we compared
We read each vendor's own public pages and the lists named below on . A word in the table is what the vendor publishes. Where a vendor does not publish a feature, the table says “Check with the vendor” or “Not published”: ask them before you rely on it. Verdicts are by use case, never by price.
The 6 columns follow what 8 CFR 274a.2 and the E-Verify rules ask of an I-9 system. “Built in” means the vendor describes the feature as part of its product; “Documented” means it names the feature or the integrations without saying how deep they go. Employer-agent status appears only where the vendor states it, because E-Verify publishes no list of agents. First Advantage and Justifacts were left out because their sites blocked our reader that day.
Verdicts are editorial: no vendor can buy a verdict position or displace another vendor.
Sources read October 22, 2026
- 8 CFR 274a.2 on eCFR (verification, retention, electronic storage)
- E-Verify: Using an E-Verify employer agent
- USCIS: Remote examination of documents
- Equifax I-9 HQ
- Equifax I-9 HQ plans
- Equifax I-9 Anywhere
- Mitratech I-9 Compliance
- Mitratech E-Verify solutions
- Mitratech help: Purge Report tool
- EMPTrust electronic Form I-9
- EMPTrust E-Verify
- EMPTrust integrations
- GryphonHR features
- GryphonHR remote I-9
- I-9Compliance.com solutions
- I-9Compliance.com I-9 API reference
- HireRight Form I-9 and E-Verify
- Accurate Background Form I-9 and E-Verify
- Paycom E-Verify
- Paycom onboarding
Questions employers ask
Do I have to use electronic I-9 software?
No. Paper forms with handwritten signatures are still allowed. The rule says an employer “may complete or retain electronically”, and the storage, audit-trail and signature standards apply only once you choose a computer system (8 CFR 274a.2(e)(1)). The Form I-9 employer guide covers the paper route.
Does buying I-9 software make my forms compliant?
It helps, but the forms stay yours. You must be able to show an agency how your system creates, changes and protects forms, including its audit trails (8 CFR 274a.2(f)(1)), and the duty to complete and keep each form is the employer's (8 CFR 274a.2(b)). Ask the vendor for that documentation in writing.
Do I need an E-Verify employer agent?
No. You can enrol in E-Verify directly; E-Verify lists employer, employer agent, corporate administrator and Web Services as ways in, and the program itself is free. An agent saves you running cases by hand and keeps them next to the form, for whatever the vendor charges.
Will the software delete old forms for me?
Not always. Mitratech's help center says Tracker I-9 shows a purge date but never purges on its own: a user runs the purge. Whatever the tool does, never dispose of a current employee's form, and check its dates against the I-9 retention calculator.
Do I open a new E-Verify case when I reverify?
No. E-Verify cases are for new hires, by the third business day after work for pay starts. Reverification happens on Supplement B only, and it can use the remote alternative procedure if you are enrolled in E-Verify in good standing.
Which Form I-9 edition should the software show?
The 01/20/25 edition, or the 08/01/23 edition that expires 05/31/2027. USCIS told electronic I-9 systems to move to the version expiring 05/31/2027 by 07/31/2026, so a demo still showing the older printing is a red flag.