Employer guideRead at source September 28, 2026

South Carolina New Hire Reporting: Deadline, What to Report and How to File (2026)

South Carolina employers must report each new hire and qualifying rehire to the state directory of new hires within twenty calendar days of hiring (S.C. Code § 43-5-598(C)). File online at newhire.sc.gov, or fax or mail the new hire form to the Department of Social Services. Independent contractor reports are optional. The civil penalty is up to $25 for the second offense and each one after, or up to $500 where employer and employee conspire.

South Carolina at a glance

South Carolina follows the federal 20-day ceiling and states it as calendar days. The full state comparison is on our new hire reporting requirements page.

Required fields, and the one South Carolina calls new

The statute sets a short list: the employer's name, address and federal identification number, and the employee's name, address and Social Security number. The state portal asks for more. Its program page lists employer name, address and federal identification number, employer phone (optional), and the employee's name, address, Social Security number, date of birth and date of remuneration (first day of work), which the portal flags as a new requirement. The federal contact guide lists date of birth and employer phone as optional and the hire or rehire date as required.

The practical reading: send all of them. For the employer address, the portal's FAQ says to use the corporate or centralized payment processing address where you want DSS to send income withholding notices, not the address of the store or job site. Each employee should be reported under the FEIN on their completed W-4, which matters for companies that run more than one entity through one HR team.

How to file in South Carolina

• Online: create an account with your FEIN at newhire.sc.gov and enter hires individually. The site gives a printable confirmation, and you can view and download what you reported over the previous six months.
• File upload: the portal accepts uploaded .txt or .csv files of up to 2.5 MB and offers a sample file validator to check the format before you send. The FAQ says secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) is not currently supported.
• Fax or mail: the portal says you can fax or mail the new hire form. The DSS South Carolina New Hire Reporting Form (linked from the DSS Employer Resources page) gives fax (803) 898-9100; the federal contact guide lists the same fax and the mailing address South Carolina Department of Social Services, Child Support Services Division, P.O. Box 1469, Columbia, SC 29202.
• W-4: the statute allows the report on a W-4 or, at the employer's option, an equivalent form, sent by first-class mail, fax, or electronically.

For name or Social Security number corrections after submitting, the portal FAQ asks employers to call customer service at 1-888-454-5294 rather than email the details.

Twenty calendar days, and a 90-day window in the portal

§ 43-5-598(C) reads that an employer who hires an employee who resides or works in the state shall report the hiring to the state directory of new hires within twenty calendar days of the hiring of the employee. Electronic filers may instead transmit semi-monthly, if necessary, not less than twelve nor more than sixteen days apart.

The statute defines date of hire as the first day the employee works for which the employee is entitled to compensation. The portal FAQ adds a detail that can mislead: the online system allows a hire date up to 90 days back. That is a data-entry window, not an extended deadline; the same answer repeats that state law requires reporting within 20 days of the actual hire date. For a manufacturer onboarding a class on a Monday, the 20 days run from that first paid Monday, even if offers went out three weeks earlier.

Independent contractors in South Carolina

Optional. Asked whether 1099 independent contractors must be reported, the portal's FAQ answers that it is optional for South Carolina, and the federal contact guide lists the state's contractor reporting as optional. The statute covers hiring an employee. A contractor who is really an employee under IRS rules should be on a W-4 and reported.

Penalties under § 43-5-598(G)

South Carolina builds a first-offense grace into the statute. An employer that fails to report is subject to a civil penalty of no more than twenty-five dollars for the second offense and every offense thereafter, unless the employer can show good cause for not reporting. Where the failure results from a conspiracy between employer and employee not to supply the report, or to supply a false or incomplete one, the cap is five hundred dollars for each and every offense. The first miss carries no fine under the statute's wording, but the second one does, and at volume that adds up.

Rehired employees and returning seasonal workers

The statute's definition of new hire includes an individual who has been rehired after being separated for at least sixty consecutive days, or who has returned to work after being laid off, furloughed, separated, granted leave without pay or terminated for at least sixty consecutive days. The portal FAQ says the same in shorter form: report a rehire if the person has been unemployed for more than 60 days and fills out a new W-4 with your company. For coastal hospitality and tourism employers who bring staff back each spring, returning workers who were gone through the off-season will usually cross that line. Our rehire policy guide covers the policy side.

Two more answers from the portal: someone who works a few hours or days and quits must still be reported if they filled out a W-4, and after taking over a business you only need to report existing staff if they must fill out a new W-4.

New hire reporting is not E-Verify

The state portal carries a note worth repeating: new hire reporting is separate from, and not related to, E-Verify. South Carolina law requires employers to verify the legal status of all new hires through E-Verify, with its own penalties, administered by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Filing one does not satisfy the other. See our E-Verify requirements by state and Form I-9 requirements guides.

Reporting South Carolina hires to another state

§ 43-5-598(E) allows an employer with employees in two or more states that reports electronically to designate one state for all reports, after notifying the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in writing. The mechanics are on our parent guide.

Hiring in South Carolina

Our guides to South Carolina labor laws and the South Carolina minimum wage cover the rest of the employer basics. Boostpoint's role comes earlier: social job ads on Facebook and Instagram that bring frontline applicants to your openings. Our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark (891 Boostpoint-managed campaigns on Meta) put the median at $13.88 per applicant across all roles; it has no state split.

Frequently asked questions