Human Resource Blog

I-9

I was told by a lecturer in one of the trainings I attended that there should be no abbreviations in filling up an I-9 form, the I-9 form fields for this purpose are too small or the space provided can look congested. Can I use the computer in filling them up or I must write their numbers and the names of the agencies.. Thanks a lot. This site is what I need for my daily questions being new in the HR department. Your site is updated almost everyday and you have detailed and comprehensive answers! Please keep it up.

You are very welcome! We are happy to provide this service to new HR pros like you!

Yes, you can type in the employers information on the I-9 form, if you like. What the lecturer meant to say was that use of abbreviations should be very limited. For example, you should not put *SSA* instead of Social Security Administration. However, if the address is 37001 South Pasadena Boulevard, it would be okay to use the abbreviation *blvd.* to make it fit. It is also okay if the information on the form is crowded or cramped. Most employers have this problem.

Ideally, the employee would still fill in his or her information by hand, and of course both signatures need to be done by hand.