A worker of yours has an incomplete onboarding step — what Partners need to do
Last updated: August 27, 2026
Summary: When we email you that one of your workers has an incomplete onboarding step — an unfinished Form I-9, a pending identity verification, or a work-authorization issue — it means that worker cannot start work until it is resolved. The fastest fix is almost always you nudging the candidate directly.
Why you're getting the notice
Ascen is the Employer of Record, so we own onboarding, work authorization, and compliance for the workers you place. But we usually have only an email address for the candidate, while you have the relationship, the phone number, and the leverage of an imminent start date. Copying you is how we keep a placement from quietly stalling.
These notices are not a request for you to complete anything on the worker's behalf. They are a signal that a start date is at risk.
What to do
Contact the candidate directly. Ask them to log in at app.ascen.com and finish the outstanding step. Most stalled onboardings are simply an email that went to spam or a candidate who thought they were finished.
For an incomplete Form I-9 (US W-2 placements), point them at both halves. The worker completes Section 1 themselves and names an Authorized Representative. That representative — any trusted adult who is not the worker — then receives a secure link by email and completes Section 2 after reviewing the worker's original documents. The form is not complete until Section 2 is done, and it is frequently the representative, not the worker, who is the holdup.
Do not let them start work in the meantime. For US W-2 workers, Form I-9 must be complete before the first day of work for pay. Starting a worker before onboarding is finished creates a compliance problem and can delay their pay.
Tell us if the start date moves, or if the candidate has dropped out, so we can stop chasing them.
If nothing changes
We follow up with the worker on a set schedule and copy you as it escalates. If the step is still not resolved after those follow-ups, the work assignment is suspended. A suspended assignment can be reinstated once the worker completes the outstanding step or provides the required documentation — so it is recoverable, but it will cost you the start date.
What we can't do for you
Some steps are the worker's alone and cannot be completed, waived, or overridden by Ascen or by you — completing Form I-9 Section 1, choosing an Authorized Representative, passing identity verification, and resolving a work-authorization discrepancy with the relevant government agency. If a candidate asks you to complete any of these for them, redirect them to support@ascen.com.
Who to contact
Ascen — support@ascen.com: what exactly is outstanding for a named worker, resending an invitation to a corrected email address, and deadline questions.
You (the Partner): reaching the candidate, confirming whether they are still interested, and managing the start date with your client.
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A returning worker is being asked to redo steps they already did
If someone worked for you through Ascen in the past and their onboarding checklist has reappeared — Authorized Representative and other I-9 steps included — that is expected, not a bug. A worker who has not been on an active assignment for more than a year completes a new Form I-9 before starting again. A form completed several years ago cannot be reused. Until the new form is done, they cannot start work or have hours entered.
Tell the worker to log in and work through the checklist as if it were a new onboarding. See the worker-facing article "Why am I being asked to complete a new Form I-9?".