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More than most states, and they come from six different agencies. Some are forms the employee completes and you keep. Some are notices you hand over and never see again. Several are reissued every year, which is how a packet that was correct in January quietly stops being correct.
Every document below is a public government form, free to download and free to use. What none of them tell you is which apply to your business, in what order, or what to do with them once they are signed.
13 documents · Free · Retrieved from the issuing agencies February 2026
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
The federal form used to verify a new employee’s identity and authorisation to work in the United States. Completed partly by the employee and partly by the employer, and retained rather than filed.
Internal Revenue Service
The federal form on which an employee tells you how much income tax to withhold from their pay. Reissued each year.
California Employment Development Department
The California equivalent of the W-4, covering state income tax withholding. Separate from the federal form and not interchangeable with it.
California Labor Commissioner
The written notice setting out pay rate, pay day, employer details, and workers’ compensation carrier. Often called the wage theft prevention notice.
California Division of Workers’ Compensation
Explains what workers’ compensation covers, how to report a work injury, and what an employee is entitled to if one happens.
California Employment Development Department
Describes California’s State Disability Insurance programme, what it pays, and how an employee claims it.
California Employment Development Department
Describes California’s Paid Family Leave programme, covering time off to care for a family member or bond with a new child.
California Civil Rights Department
Explains what sexual harassment is under California law, and how an employee can report or file a complaint.
California Civil Rights Department
The Spanish-language version of the same fact sheet.
California Civil Rights Department
Sets out an employee’s rights around pregnancy, including leave and accommodation.
California Civil Rights Department
Explains the rights of employees who are survivors of violence, including time off and accommodation.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The federal notice covering discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and how to file a charge.
U.S. Department of Labor
Explains that coverage can be bought through the Health Insurance Marketplace, and how that interacts with any coverage you offer.
Having the forms is not the same as onboarding
Some of these depend on your headcount, your industry, or the individual employee. Several are reissued annually. And none of them tell you where the signed copies live, who checks them, or what a manager does on day one.
That is the part worth a conversation, and it is usually a short one.
Everything above is a public government form. What is missing is the half of a new hire packet that is specific to your business: the offer letter, the job description, the handbook and its acknowledgment, the policies that reflect how you actually operate.
Those are not downloads. A handbook that would suit any business protects none of them, and a generic offer letter is how avoidable problems get written down in advance. Maven Works HR builds those rather than publishing them.
Describe the role and your headcount. You’ll get a straight answer on what your packet needs and whether it is something you can handle yourself.
Lindsey Duenat, PHR
Founder, Maven Works HR
Or reach Lindsey directly
Every enquiry gets a reply within one business day, from Lindsey rather than an autoresponder.
