Is E-Verify Free in 2026? What It Costs an Employer

Yes. Running the federal E-Verify check costs an employer $0, and E-Verify+ charges nothing per case either. The fees come one layer up: employer agents may charge for running cases, and HR and payroll software sells E-Verify as an add-on or inside a plan. Insperity lists $4.00 per case submission. EMP Trust's I-9 and E-Verify module on ADP Workforce Now lists $12.00 per new hire a year, plus a $250 setup fee.

That answer covers the government service. The price an employer pays depends on how it runs the checks, and most of the figures we could confirm sit inside a larger software bill. This page separates the three routes (the federal service, employer agents and HR and payroll software), runs the arithmetic for a realistic hiring year, and lists what to ask before you sign.

What the federal service includes

E-Verify is an official Department of Homeland Security service. It checks a new hire's employment eligibility details against records held by DHS and the Social Security Administration. The government describes it in plain terms: "E-Verify is free, and it is the best means available to confirm the employment eligibility of new hires." The official pages we read list no enrollment fee and no per-case fee.

Free does not mean effortless, because the service has limits that cost staff time:

• One person per case. An employer verifies one new hire at a time, so a company that hires 20 people opens 20 cases.
• Enrollment runs in one session. The enrollment page warns that once you start, you cannot save progress if the process cannot be finished right away. Gather your company details before you begin.

Those limits are where the real cost sits. A people team pays in hours, not in invoices, and no vendor bill shows that line. Every hire adds a case, so the staff time grows with headcount and turnover.

E-Verify+: free, with narrower access

E-Verify+ combines the Form I-9 and E-Verify into one digital process. It does not replace E-Verify. The official FAQ answers "No" to whether it costs anything to use, and it states that "There is no charge to submit E-Verify+ cases."

Access is narrower than the standard service. Only Employer Access (web browser) accounts with an active program administrator can use E-Verify+. It is not available for Web Services or for employer agents. If your team runs E-Verify through a payroll platform or an agent, check the account type before you plan around E-Verify+.

Where the fees come from: employer agents

Some employers hand E-Verify to an employer agent, a firm that opens and manages the cases for them. The agent can charge for that work. The government's guide to employer agents says: "While DHS offers E-Verify as a free service, E-Verify employer agents may charge fees to their clients for their services. DHS does not certify E-Verify employer agents nor does it regulate the fees they charge."

That leaves the agent's fee as a negotiated price, not a list price. The guide was last reviewed in June 2018, and we found no agent that publishes a fee we could verify. So treat any agent quote as the only number you have. Ask for the per-case fee, any setup or monthly minimum, and whether the charge sits on top of an existing payroll or HR contract. Get the answer in writing.

Software prices we could confirm

HR and payroll platforms sell E-Verify three ways: as a per-case add-on, as a module priced per hire, or inside a plan. Three examples, verified on each vendor's own page in October 2026:

Insperity. Insperity calls E-Verify "a for-fee, optional HRCore add-on," priced at $4.00 per case submission, with a setup fee "based on client size." The setup amount is not published. The page is an announcement with no date. It says its "target release date will be in the next few weeks," so confirm the price is live before you budget against it. At that rate, the per-case cost is small. The setup fee is the number to ask about.

ADP Workforce Now, through EMP Trust. EMP Trust lists a Form I-9 and E-Verify module on the ADP Marketplace at $12.00 per new hire per year for 10 new hires and up, plus a $250.00 setup fee. It is a third-party listing, so the price belongs to EMP Trust, not ADP. The same listing's broader onboarding package includes E-Verify at no added cost, at $1,500.00 a year plus $24.00 per new hire per year for 25 to 100 hires. For a company that already runs ADP Workforce Now, read our ADP pricing guide before you add a module.

Paycor. Paycor's Essential plan includes "Onboarding & E-Verify," so E-Verify has no price of its own there. The plan card lists Essential at $149 a month plus $6 per employee per month. A bundle section on the same page shows Essential at $7 per employee, so ask for the quote in writing before you budget. Paycor's review covers the rest of the plan.

Toolradar data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, evaluated 73 payroll tools in its October 2026 ranking. Seven of its top 10 publish a paid price, and the median cheapest paid plan is $17 a month. E-Verify shows up as an add-on or as part of a plan, so compare full quotes, not the headline price. The payroll ranking shows each tool's starting price where one is published.

What 20 hires a year cost

This is our scenario, not a quote. A 25-person company hires 20 people a year and runs one E-Verify case for each. Each total uses the list prices above.

• Federal E-Verify: 20 cases at $0 = $0 a year.
• Insperity add-on: 20 cases at $4.00 = $80 a year, plus a setup fee Insperity does not publish.
• EMP Trust module on ADP Workforce Now: 20 hires at $12.00 = $240 a year, plus the $250 setup, so $490 in the first year.
• Paycor Essential: $149 + (25 employees x $6) = $299 a month, or $3,588 a year. That price covers payroll, tax filing, onboarding and online I-9 completion, so E-Verify is not a separate figure here.

On this roster, the federal route costs nothing and the add-ons cost $80 to $490 in year one. The decision is therefore about staff time and about what else you buy. If your team can run cases without losing a week, the free route is the cheapest. If you already pay for a payroll platform that bundles E-Verify, the add-on is a small addition to a bill you already have. For the wider payroll bill behind that choice, see how much payroll costs for a small business. If you are weighing a PEO instead, how much a PEO costs breaks down its fees, and best PEO services compares the providers. E-Verify belongs on any PEO quote too.

Who has to use E-Verify anyway

For most employers, E-Verify is a choice. Two situations change that:

• Federal contracts. Employers whose federal contracts include the Federal Acquisition Regulation E-Verify clause must comply with it. The government's employer page points contractors to that rule.
• State and local rules. Some states require E-Verify for some or all private employers, and the list changes. The federal service is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Check your own state's rule before you decide. OnPay publishes a state-by-state requirements guide that is a useful starting point, though it is a payroll vendor's summary and not the law itself.

If a contract or a state rule does not apply to you, enrolling is your decision. If it does, the question shifts from whether to use E-Verify to which route you use to run it.

Questions to ask before you pay anything

• Is the price per case, per new hire or per employee? Insperity bills per case, EMP Trust per new hire, and Paycor per employee.
• Is there a setup fee, and is it charged once or every year?
• Does the quote include E-Verify, or is it an add-on that appears on the invoice later?
• If you use an employer agent, what is its fee per case, and does it come with a minimum?
• Which plan includes onboarding and E-Verify, and what does the next plan up add?

Hiring checks cost money in other places too. A candidate's criminal and identity checks are a separate line, and our background check cost guide prices them per candidate. For the software that holds records and compliance paperwork, see best free HR software and best HR compliance software. If you are still choosing the platform itself, start with best HRIS for small business and how much an HRIS costs.

FAQ

Is E-Verify free for employers?

Yes. The government describes E-Verify as "the only free, fast, online service of its kind," and its user manual calls it free. Employers pay nothing to run the federal check. Fees come only from employer agents, and from payroll or HR software that sells E-Verify as an add-on or inside a plan.

Does E-Verify+ cost anything?

No. The official FAQ says "There is no charge to submit E-Verify+ cases." Only Employer Access (web browser) accounts with an active program administrator can use E-Verify+, and it is not available for Web Services or employer agents.

Can an E-Verify employer agent charge me?

Yes. The government's guide says employer agents "may charge fees to their clients for their services," and that DHS does not certify agents or regulate their fees. Ask any agent for its fee schedule in writing before you sign.

How much does E-Verify software cost?

The prices we could confirm are Insperity at $4.00 per case submission, plus a setup fee it does not publish. EMP Trust's I-9 and E-Verify module on ADP Workforce Now is $12.00 per new hire a year, plus a $250 setup fee. Paycor includes E-Verify in its Essential plan, at $149 a month plus $6 per employee.

Do I have to use E-Verify?

Only when a rule applies to you. Federal contractors whose contracts include the FAR E-Verify clause must comply, and some state laws require it for some private employers. If neither applies, enrollment is your choice.

Cite this: HRpresso, "Is E-Verify Free in 2026? What It Costs an Employer", October 2026.

How we checked these figures

Every government statement and price above was read on its source on 10 October 2026. The federal statements come from the E-Verify what-is page, the E-Verify+ FAQ, the employer agent guide, the user manual's background section and the enrollment page. The Insperity price comes from Insperity's E-Verify announcement, the ADP module from EMP Trust's listing on the ADP Marketplace, and the Paycor plans from Paycor's small-business pricing page. The payroll ranking figures are live from Toolradar's payroll ranking. The worked example is our arithmetic on those list prices, not a vendor quote.

Where these figures are thin: no employer agent publishes a fee we could verify, Insperity's setup fee is unpublished, and Insperity's announcement carries no date. The Paycor figures are the plan card, and the same page shows $7 per employee in one section. The add-on totals cover only the E-Verify charge. The Paycor total is the full plan, because E-Verify has no separate price there.

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