Remote hiring follows the usual steps, but location rules, video interviews, Form I-9, wage law and onboarding all change. Here is the process, the compliance basics and an onboarding plan.
- Decide where a remote employee may live before you post the job, because every state you hire in adds tax registration, wage-law and pay-transparency obligations.
- Screen for remote-specific skills such as written communication and self-management, using work samples and structured video interviews.
- E-Verify employers in good standing may examine Form I-9 documents over live video under a DHS alternative procedure; other employers must still review documents in the employee’s physical presence, directly or through an authorized representative.
- Federal wage rules apply at home too: nonexempt remote workers must be paid for all hours worked, including short breaks of 20 minutes or less.
- Plan the first two weeks of remote onboarding in detail, with equipment shipped before day one and a named onboarding buddy.
In this article
Remote hiring is the process of recruiting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding employees who will do their jobs from outside your offices, usually from home and often in another city or state. The steps look like regular hiring, but each one changes: you define where people can live, assess candidates by video and work samples, handle Form I-9 and state payroll for each location, and onboard without an office.
What remote hiring means for employers
A remote hire works off-site for all or nearly all of their schedule. That differs from hybrid roles, where people split time between home and an office, and from contractors, who aren’t employees at all.
| Arrangement | Where they work | What it means for hiring |
|---|---|---|
| Fully remote employee | Home or anywhere you allow | Widest talent pool; multi-state payroll and compliance |
| Hybrid employee | Some days in an office | Must live within commuting range; see our guide to hybrid work recruiting |
| Remote contractor (1099) | Anywhere | No payroll, but misclassification risk if you control how they work |
| Remote worker through a staffing firm or EOR | Anywhere | The staffing firm or employer of record runs payroll and compliance |
If you’re unsure which model fits, our comparisons of W-2 vs 1099 workers and EOR vs a staffing agency walk through the trade-offs.
The remote hiring process, step by step
- Confirm the role can be done remotely. List the tasks, the hours they must overlap with the team and anything that requires being on-site (equipment, client visits, travel).
- Set location rules. Decide which states (or countries) you can hire in, and whether pay changes by location. Do this with payroll and legal before posting.
- Write the posting for remote candidates. State “Remote” plus any location limits, time-zone hours, travel, equipment provided and the pay range.
- Source beyond your local market. Use remote-friendly job boards, professional communities and outreach to passive candidates in your target states.
- Screen with a short written step. A few written questions show communication skills that matter more when most work is written.
- Interview by video with a structure. Use the same questions and a scoring rubric for each candidate.
- Use a work sample. A short, paid or time-boxed exercise that mirrors real work beats unstructured conversation.
- Check references and run background checks. Follow the same rules you use for on-site hires.
- Make the offer in writing. Spell out work location, hours, equipment, expense rules and any in-person requirements.
- Complete Form I-9 and state payroll setup. See the compliance section below.
- Onboard remotely. Ship equipment early and plan the first two weeks.
How to write a remote job posting
Remote candidates filter hard on a few details. Put them near the top:
- Work arrangement: “Fully remote” or “Remote, U.S. only” or “Remote within [states]”
- Core hours and time zone (“available 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern”)
- Travel or in-person requirements, with how often
- Pay range, and whether it varies by location
- Equipment and home-office support you provide
- How the team communicates (chat, video, written updates)
Before you post a remote job without a range, check whether pay transparency rules in the states where you’ll accept applicants cover it. Our pay transparency laws by state guide summarizes the rules.
How to screen and interview remote candidates
Look for the same job skills you’d want on-site, plus the habits that make remote work go well.
| Remote skill | How to assess it | Sample question or task |
|---|---|---|
| Written communication | Written screening questions; work sample write-up | “Summarize this project update for an executive in five sentences.” |
| Self-management | Behavioral interview question | “Tell me about a week when you had no manager oversight. How did you plan it?” |
| Asynchronous collaboration | Behavioral question; reference check | “How do you keep a project moving when teammates are in other time zones?” |
| Proactive communication | Behavioral question | “Describe a time you flagged a problem early. How did you raise it?” |
| Tool fluency | Work sample in your actual tools | Short task in your shared documents or project tool |
Keep video interviews structured. Use the same questions in the same order, score each answer right after the call, and compare scores before discussing impressions. Our interview scorecard guide includes a template.
Tip: Test the setup, not just the candidate. Send a link and a backup phone number ahead of time, start on time, and introduce everyone on the call. Remote candidates judge your company by how well its own remote process runs.
Remote hiring compliance: I-9, wage rules and state law
Form I-9 for remote employees
You still must verify identity and work authorization for every new employee. Under a DHS alternative procedure, employers in good standing with E-Verify can examine documents remotely. USCIS describes the steps: the employee sends copies of the documents, you hold a live video call where they present the same documents, you keep clear copies, and you check the alternative procedure box in Section 2 of the 08/01/2023 Form I-9 edition.
If you offer it at a hiring site, you must use it consistently for all employees there, although you may limit it to remote hires as long as you don’t do so for a discriminatory purpose. Otherwise, the USCIS Handbook for Employers (M-274) says you or your authorized representative must review the documents in the employee’s physical presence. For remote hires, that usually means an authorized representative near the employee. Either way, Section 2 is due within three business days of the date employment begins.
Paying remote nonexempt employees
The Department of Labor’s Field Assistance Bulletin 2023-1 (February 9, 2023) confirms that FLSA rules apply to teleworkers:
- Nonexempt remote employees must be paid for all hours worked that you know or have reason to believe about.
- Short breaks of 20 minutes or less are paid work time, at home or on-site.
- Meal breaks interrupted by work calls generally aren’t true unpaid meal periods.
- Under the PUMP Act, remote employees get reasonable break time to express breast milk for up to one year after a child’s birth, and must not be observed through employer-provided video systems.
FMLA eligibility
The same bulletin says a remote employee’s home is not their worksite for FMLA purposes. Their worksite is the office they report to or receive assignments from. If that office has 50 or more employees within 75 miles, the remote employee meets that part of the eligibility test, wherever they live.
State registration, tax and wage laws
Hiring an employee in a new state generally means registering there for income tax withholding (where the state has income tax) and state unemployment insurance, and following that state’s wage-and-hour, paid leave, final pay and posting rules. Requirements differ widely, so confirm them with your payroll provider before the offer goes out. Our staffing compliance checklist covers the broader basics.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check with employment counsel for your situation.
Remote onboarding that works
Remote new hires can’t pick things up by overhearing the team, so you have to make the first weeks explicit.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before day one | Ship laptop and equipment; create accounts; send a first-week schedule; assign an onboarding buddy; arrange Form I-9 review, since Section 2 is due within three business days of the start date |
| Day one | Video welcome from the manager; IT setup call; team introductions; clear first small task |
| Week one | Daily 15-minute manager check-ins; meetings with key colleagues; written guide to how the team communicates |
| Weeks two to four | First real project with a deadline; weekly one-on-ones; feedback in both directions |
| Days 30, 60, 90 | Structured check-ins on goals, tools and whether the role matches expectations |
For a full checklist, see our employee onboarding checklist.
Common remote hiring mistakes
- Posting “remote” without location limits, then rejecting finalists because you can’t employ people in their state.
- Interviewing remote candidates less rigorously because the calls feel informal. Use the same structure and scoring as on-site roles.
- Skipping a work sample and judging remote ability on video presence alone.
- Vague offer letters that don’t cover in-person requirements, equipment or expenses, which leads to disputes later.
- Treating remote contractors like employees by setting their hours and methods, which raises misclassification risk.
- Leaving onboarding to chance and then wondering why remote hires leave early.
How Careerscape can help
Careerscape is a U.S. staffing and recruiting firm that recruits across many industries and U.S. markets. We can source and screen remote candidates for direct hire roles, or provide remote workers on our payroll through contract staffing so you don’t need to register in every state yourself.
Frequently asked questions
How do you hire remote employees in another state?
Confirm the role can be done remotely, then register as an employer in the employee’s state for tax withholding and unemployment insurance, and learn that state’s wage, leave and final pay rules. Put the work location in the offer letter. If registering in a new state isn’t practical, a staffing firm or employer of record can employ the worker for you.
Can you complete Form I-9 remotely?
Yes, if you’re enrolled and in good standing with E-Verify. USCIS’s alternative procedure lets you review copies of documents, hold a live video call where the employee presents them, keep clear copies and check the box in Section 2. Other employers must review documents in the employee’s physical presence, often through an authorized representative near the employee.
How many interview rounds should a remote hiring process have?
For most roles, three steps are enough: a short screening call or written questions, a structured video interview with the hiring manager, and a work sample or panel. More rounds slow you down and increase the chance that strong candidates accept another offer first. Senior or highly technical roles may need one extra step.
Do remote employees have to be paid for breaks?
Under federal law, nonexempt employees must be paid for short breaks of 20 minutes or less, whether they work at home or on-site, according to DOL Field Assistance Bulletin 2023-1. Bona fide meal periods where the employee is fully relieved of duty don’t have to be paid. Some states have additional break rules.
What is a remote-ready candidate?
A remote-ready candidate has the job skills plus the habits remote work needs: clear writing, reliable self-management, comfort with video and collaboration tools, and a habit of raising problems early. Past remote experience helps but isn’t required; behavioral questions and a work sample show these habits better than a resume line.
- USCIS: Remote Examination of Documents (Optional Alternative Procedure to Physical Document Examination)
- USCIS: Handbook for Employers M-274, 4.0 Completing Section 2
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2023-1, Telework under the FLSA and FMLA (February 9, 2023)