Introduction

Hiring a farm employee is an exciting moment. It means the farm is getting large enough and stable enough to take on additional help. On the downside, the paperwork requirements of hiring feel much less exciting. Getting familiar with the process early is a tremendous help. Farm owners should start preparing well before the new employee begins their first day of work. This checklist will help farmers understand the basic paperwork process for hiring a farm employee.

Although it’s a useful starting point, this checklist does not explore every single area of farm employment law. It does not address wage-related recordkeeping, workplace safety laws, in-kind wage rules, and many other employment law matters. It’s simply a concise checklist of select legal issues at the time of hiring. Farmers should also consult Farm Commons’ other employment law resources for more information..

Farm Commons aims to help farmers get started, but moving through the checklist can lead to more questions than answers. On the positive side, knowing the right questions to ask is half the battle. Unfortunately, easy answers are often hard to come by. Calling the relevant agency, such as the Connecticut Department of Labor, Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, United States Department of Labor, or the federal Internal Revenue Service, is an excellent next step when complications arise. Agency employees are trained experts and able to answer most questions. Some farmers will prefer to contact an attorney with experience in farm employment law, which is always a good choice as well.