Hiring Employees in Texas
Unless you have a one-person business and you want to keep it that way, at some point you will hire employees.
Take a few minutes now to understand the legal implications that come with hiring employees, and you will be more confident about your business being able to comply with all the rules, both state and federal.
Filings/Applications
- IRS – Employer Identification Number
- UCIS I-9 and E-Verify
- Texas Attorney General – New Hires Reporting
- Texas Workforce Commission – Unemployment Tax Registration
- Texas Department of Insurance – Notice of No Coverage (if business has no worker’s compensation insurance)
Notices/Posters
- Texas Payday Law Poster
- Texas Unemployment Compensation Act
- Texas/Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Laws*
- Texas Child Labor Laws*
- Texas Workers Compensation
- Employer’s Notice of Ombudsman Program
- Earned Income Tax Credit
- OSHA Job Safety & Health Protection
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Your Rights Under the Family & Medical Leave Act
- Notice: Employee Polygraph Protection Act
* = optional
The U.S. Department of Labor has an online resource for helping you determine what federal workplace posters your business needs.
The Texas Workforce Commission has the Texas workplace posters available on their website.
Compliance with Laws and Regulations
Each of the Laws and Regulations listed below has its own requirements and legal implications which cannot be completely explained here.
- Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) – Prohibits discriminating against employees or job candidates on the basis of disability.
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) – Prohibits discrimination against employees or job candidates on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. Protects persons who complain about discrimination against retaliation. Also protects woman who are pregnant and new mothers.
- Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) – Prohibits unequal payment of wages to men and women who perform equal work in the same workplace.
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) – Prohibits discrimination against employees or job candidates who are 40 or older on the basis of age.
- Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) – Prohibits discrimination against employee or job candidates on the basis of genetic test, disease, disorder, or family medical history.
- Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 – Established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create and enforce workplace safety standards.
- Texas Workers’ Compensation Act – Establishes a system for providing compensation to employees who are injured in the workplace.
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – Requires employers to pay covered employees minimum wage and overtime pay.
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – Requires employers to allow a certain amount of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for specified family and medical reasons.
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) – Establishes rules to protect employee benefit plans from mismanagement.