The HIRE Act, passed in March, provided tax incentives for companies to hire unemployed workers. One of these incentives is an exemption from social security payroll taxes for every qualified worker hired after February 3, 2010, and before January 1, 2011.
A new IRS form is now available for employers to document this payroll tax exemption for hiring unemployed workers. Form W-11 (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act Employee Affidavit) is to be filled out by the new hire, certifying under penalty of perjury that he or she was either unemployed or worked fewer than a total of 40 hours during the 60 days prior to taking the current job. The W-11 forms are not filed with the IRS; the employer must retain them along with other payroll records.
