Employers in Kansas are subject to other provisions that are under the responsibilities of the Kansas Department of Labor.
Kansas New Hire Directory Reporting
Employers are required to report new hires or rehires pursuant to K.S.A. 75-5743. Maintenance of a new hire database is required by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193). The child support enforcement components require states to maintain a new hire database. The laws require that within 20 days of each new hire, rehire or employee returning to work from an extended layoff, the employer must report:
- The Social Security number, name, address and hire date of the new hire
- The employer’s Federal ID number (nine digits) with the employer’s corporate name and address
There are a variety of ways to comply with the statute. We encourage electronic reporting. It is the best method for updating current employment information. Some employers mail or fax a W-4 with items 1, 2, 8 and 10 completed. Some alternative reports designed by the employer are acceptable.
Multi-State Employers
Employers with workers in several states may elect to report them to a single state. Employers choosing this method can save time and money by consolidating their new hire reports and electronically submitting them to a single state. Multi-state employers who elect to report to a single state must:
- Report all new hires, rehires and returns to work
- Submit electronic reports twice a month in a file meeting the specifications of that state
To report to a single state, you must notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as to which state you have designated to receive all of your new hire information as part of multi-state employer registration. You can notify the Department in one of the following three ways:
- Register as "Multi-state Employer" via federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) Multistate Reporting website
- Complete Multi-state Employer Registration Form via OCSE or call (410) 277-9470 to request a copy of the form to be completed, and send via fax or mail to the OCSE address below
- Mail or Fax notification to the OCSE address below using your own letterhead with the following information:
- Employer's legal name, address, phone number, contact name, and contact phone number
- Employer's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) – if you have more than one FEIN, please make certain you use the same FEIN you use to report your quarterly wage information when reporting new hires
- State to which employer will be reporting
- List of all states in which the employer currently has employees
Remember, multi-state employers must electronically report the following information for each new hire:
- Employee Information: You must report the employee’s name, address and Social Security number. You also need to report the employee’s state of hire if you are reporting as a Multistate employer
- Employer Information: You must report the employer’s name, address, Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) and indicate if you are reporting as a Multistate employer. If you have more than one FEIN, please make certain you use the same FEIN you use to report your quarterly wage information when reporting new hires
For questions about multi-state reporting, please contact the Kansas New Hire Directory at (785) 296-5000 ext. 7700 or KDOL.NewHires@ks.gov.
Kansas Minimum Wage
The Kansas minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. All employees not covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standard Act must be paid Kansas minimum wage. Contact Federal Wage and Hour at (913) 551-5721 to inquire about whether your company is covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
Required Posters
Federal and Kansas State law requires that certain posters be displayed in the workplace. Please visit the Download Posters page for more information.
Workers Compensation
Kansas law provides that those injured in industrial accidents should be compensated regardless of who is at fault. Current workers compensation law covers all employers in Kansas, regardless of the number of employees or the kind of work they do, with two exceptions: employers engaged in agricultural pursuits and any employer who during a given calendar year has an estimated payroll less than $20,000, unless the employer is a subcontractor.
The State of Kansas pays no workers compensation benefits to injured workers unless they are state employees. Private employers pay all benefits owed to their injured workers, either directly from the employer’s own resources or indirectly through another party. While most covered employers obtain insurance from private carriers or group pools, provisions in the law establish criteria for certain employers to become self-insured. Potentially eligible employers must apply for approval to use the self-insurance option from the Director of Workers Compensation. The Kansas Insurance Department approves the formation of group-funded self-insurance pools and determines whether employers qualify for membership in a pool.
For more information, please contact the Division of Workers Compensation at (785) 296-4000.
Workplace Safety
The Industrial Safety and Health Division is charged with helping Kansas businesses prevent workplace illnesses and injuries. This is done through free safety and health consultations that help employers find potential hazards at their worksites. The division provides both educational and safety incentive programs to assist employers develop and continuously improve safety at their facilities.
For more information, please contact the Industrial Safety and Health Division at (785) 296-4386.