Claimant earnings reported incorrectly on weekly requests for payment for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, whether by mistake or willfully, create overpayments. As part of an ongoing effort to detect and reduce improper UI benefit payments, the Division of Employment Security (DES) conducts crossmatches each week to compare the State and Federal New Hire databases to claimants who continue to file for UI benefits after the hire date submitted by their employers. Through this crossmatch, we identify individuals who should not be claiming benefits. In order to continue with an investigation, the DES needs employers to provide accurate wage information about the claimant. By working together, we can uncover fraud and reduce the improper payment of UI benefits.
Employer Benefits from Assisting in Investigations
- UI benefits are paid out of the Unemployment Trust Fund. In Missouri, employers pay into this fund. No deductions are made from the workers’ wages. When overpaid UI benefits are recovered, the money is returned to the Unemployment Trust Fund.
- The amount of UI benefits paid out may directly affect the tax rate on your UI tax account.
Questions about New Hire Audit and Investigation form?
If one of your employees was identified through the DES crossmatch process, you may receive a New Hire Audit and Investigation form (MODES-4396).
- This individual worked during weeks shown on the form, but these are not our company pay periods. How do I complete this form?
- The weeks shown on the form are Sunday through Saturday calendar weeks. Please provide a daily breakdown of the hours worked and the gross wages paid for your company pay periods. The DES can calculate the calendar week wages.
- I don't have a daily breakdown of hours worked. How do you want this information?
- A check, payment history, or payroll journal can be supplied instead of timecards or timesheets. Please include the name and telephone number of the person to contact for additional information about payroll.
- We are a school, college, or university. The individual shown on this form is a teacher and under contract, so there is no daily breakdown to supply. What information do you need?
- If this individual is a contracted employee, you will need to supply the following information:
- Length of the contract (e.g. for a 9-month or 12-month basis)
- Total dollar amount of the contract
- Number of days this contract covers
- School calendar or list of days when school is not in session
- This individual is paid a commission. How do I supply this information?
- Commissions are reportable and deductible on a claim when they are earned, no matter when they are paid. The exception is commissions from the sale of real estate by a licensed realtor, which is reportable during the week in which it is paid. Please provide a daily breakdown of the hours worked, how the commissions are earned, and when they are paid.
- This individual did not work during these weeks, but received a commission after he was laid off. Do I need to give you this information?
- If the individual did not physically do any work during the calendar weeks listed, any wages paid after separation would not be needed. As stated in Question 4, this would not apply to real estate commissions.
- This individual is paid an hourly wage plus tips. We do not keep track of the amount of tips each day, only each pay period. How do I supply that information?
- Please provide a daily breakdown of the hours worked and the gross wages (not including tips) earned. Also, supply a breakdown of total wages plus tips for each pay period. The DES will calculate the wages earned in the calendar week.
- The individual named on the form did not work during the listed weeks but did work before or after the listed weeks. Do you need that information?
- If you have a check, payment history, or payroll journal for this person, you can provide it and the DES will determine if further investigation is needed. The date shown for “W-4 Completed” is the date that was on the “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate” (Form W-4) when it was received by the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR).
- Can I mail back this completed form?
- Yes, send to: Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, P.O. Box 3915, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
- Can I fax back this completed form?
- Yes, the fax number is 573-751-2009.
- Can I email back this form?
- No, the DES cannot accept audits returned by email.
- This individual no longer works here (e.g., quit or was discharged). How do I let you know about this?
- There is a place on the front of the form to check the separation reason. Please provide any information regarding the separation on a separate page. Be sure also to provide the name and telephone number of the person to contact for additional information regarding the separation, if needed.
- I have an employee with the same Social Security Number (SSN), but a different name.
-
- The DES verifies all SSNs with the Social Security Administration. You should check to make sure that your records are correct, and your employee has not given you an incorrect SSN in error or has had a name change.
- If you are unable to recognize the individual identified on the audit form, please contact the Division at 573-751-1099 for assistance.
- This form was mailed to the wrong address. It went to the business location. The payroll is done elsewhere. Can you change the address?
- The address on the form was taken from the “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate” (Form W-4) that was submitted to the DOR. The DES cannot change the mailing address of these forms. You may consider changing the address on your Form W-4s to prevent this situation from occurring in the future.
- Is my UI tax account being charged for UI benefits this individual might be receiving?
- The receipt of this audit does not indicate that the individual is claiming “on your account.” It is a request for information on a UI claim to verify that the individual is reporting earnings correctly for unemployment purposes.
- Is the person stealing UI benefits?
- This form was sent to request information on a UI claim. It does not indicate the claimant is doing anything incorrectly or illegal. It is only requested for verification that the claimant is correctly reporting any wages earned.
If you are an employer and have questions concerning new hire crossmatches, email your questions to cm@labor.mo.gov. Provide your name, question, and telephone number (in the event that a telephone response would be more appropriate).
You also may contact us by calling this number and requesting to speak to the New Hire Unit: 573-751-4058, option 3.