What Changed and Why It Matters
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) periodically reissues Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, with updated expiration dates and, occasionally, substantive content changes. As of August 1, 2026, one of the two currently circulating I-9 editions becomes unusable for new hires: the edition dated 08/01/23 that carries a printed expiration date of 07/31/2026. USCIS has already reprinted that same edition with a later expiration date of 05/31/2027, and only the reprinted version may be used going forward.
This is a recurring administrative event, not a new law, but it is one of the more commonly missed compliance deadlines in payroll and HR operations because I-9 forms are usually generated automatically by onboarding software, and a stale template can silently continue producing invalid forms for weeks before anyone notices.
| Edition Date (bottom-left of form) | Printed Expiration Date | Status After Aug 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 01/20/2025 | 05/31/2027 | Valid |
| 08/01/23 (reprint) | 05/31/2027 | Valid (use this reprint) |
| 08/01/23 (original) | 07/31/2026 | No longer valid |
What Changed in the Current 01/20/2025 Edition
Beyond the routine expiration-date refresh, the version of Form I-9 dated 01/20/2025 (still valid through May 2027) incorporated several substantive wording changes from its predecessor:
| Location on Form | Previous Language | Current Language |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1, citizenship attestation | "a noncitizen authorized to work" | "an alien authorized to work" |
| List B document guidance | References to "gender" | References to "sex" |
| DHS Privacy Notice | Prior notice text | Updated privacy and data-use language |
These changes are terminology updates rather than procedural changes — the underlying verification process, document lists, and retention rules are unchanged.
Interaction with E-Verify
USCIS's decision to renew the I-9 form ahead of its original expiration cycle is understood to be connected to preparations for E-Verify NextGen, a modernization initiative for the E-Verify employment eligibility confirmation system. Employers enrolled in E-Verify should ensure their case-creation workflows reference the currently valid I-9 edition, since E-Verify cases are generated directly from I-9 data.