The custom that will soon be banned
Many site supervisors and planners are familiar with this: on Monday morning—or even as early as Friday afternoon—you go ahead and schedule the crew for the coming workdays. Quick entry, everything organized, done. It saves time and feels efficient.
However, starting January 1, 2027, this will be explicitly prohibited. The new regulations regarding Check-in-at-Work will put an end to advance registration. Specifically, this means:
- ❌ No longer sign in at the beginning of the week for the entire workweek
- ❌ Do not register the day before for the following workday
- ❌ No more batch registrations for a list of employees who will be arriving "soon"
- ✅ Only physical presence at the job site at that exact moment counts as a valid registration
This is not a minor detail. It directly affects the day-to-day work organization of contractors, subcontractors, and their site coordination.
Why is the government canceling prior registrations?
The government’s reasoning is simple: prior registration leaves too much room for abuse. Someone is “registered” on paper but is never physically present at the worksite. That is precisely the type of social fraud that lawmakers want to tackle.
The RSZ wants to be able to verify attendance in real time —not a schedule submitted retroactively as an attendance record. Whoever was present must have actually been there at the time the record was made.
For legitimate contractors, the actual situation on the job site remains unchanged. However, the way they use their registration system must change.
Everything you need to know about Check-in at Work 2027: deadlines, what’s changing, and specific steps you need to take — on our information page.
The problem with many existing systems
And this is where the problem lies for many construction companies that already use a digital tracking system today.
There are dozens of providers on the market—including smaller players—that offer an app, a badge system, or a QR code solution that lets you “check in.” But what actually happens behind the scenes during that check-in varies greatly.
Many systems only record a timestamp. They log that someone clocked in at a specific time, but do not perform real-time verification with the RSZ. This has two dangerous consequences:
- You won't know right away whether the registration is valid
- You only discover a potential problem afterward—during an inspection—and by then it’s too late
Registering is one thing. Knowing whether it's correct is another.
The crux of the matter is this: performing a registration and having a valid registration are two different things.
A system that merely tracks and logs data does not know whether the individual is properly registered as an employee or subcontractor, whether all social security obligations have been met, or whether there is an issue with the underlying contractor in the chain.
You think everything is in order. But a labor inspection could reveal that some of the workers on site were not properly registered. The responsibility lies with you as the general contractor.
How AllConnects takes a fundamentally different approach
At AllConnects, the checkinatwork registration process works differently—and that’s exactly what makes the difference under the new legislation.
When an employee or subcontractor clocks in through our system, that record is verified with the RSZ in real time. Not later. Not during a batch update. Right then and there.
You'll receive clear feedback right away:
No assumptions. No surprises during an audit. No fines for records that turn out to be incorrect.
That’s not just peace of mind—it’s the only way to be truly compliant after January 1, 2027.
"We used to schedule our staff for the entire week as early as Monday morning. That made things easier from an administrative standpoint. But once we realized that this would soon no longer be permitted by law—and that we never really knew for sure whether everything was properly registered with the RSZ—the decision was an easy one."Construction contractor — AllConnects customer
What is the difference in practice?
| Situation | System without real-time social security check | AllConnects with Social Security check |
|---|---|---|
| Advance registrations | Still possible in many cases today (and illegal after 2027) | Not available — registration is only possible at the time of the event |
| Validation with the RSZ | Not — only timestamp logged | Yes — real-time OK/NOT OK per entry |
| Identifying problems | Only upon inspection — too late | At the time of registration — action possible |
| Liability risk | High — you don't know what's right | Low — you know the status with every registration |
| Ready for the 2027 legislation | Not sure — depends on the provider | Yes — the system is built on this |
What should you check right now?
The legislation takes effect on January 1, 2027. That may seem a long way off, but everyone in the construction industry knows that system changes take time to implement. Employees and site managers need to become familiar with the new procedures. You can’t do that in the last week of December.
Ask yourself all of these questions now:
- Does my system receive an "OK" or "NOT OK" response from the RSZ at the time of registration?
- Is it still possible today to use my system to sign up in advance for the next workday or workweek?
- Does my system partner already know how they will implement the 2027 legislation?
- Are my site managers and planners aware of the new requirements?
If you can't answer "yes" to any of these questions, then it's time to take stock.
Why this affects smaller providers in particular
The real-time RSZ check is not a trivial integration from a technical standpoint. It requires a certified connection to the RSZ’s systems, maintenance of that connection with every API update, and proper error handling when the RSZ returns a “NOT OK” response.
Larger, specialized providers have had that integration in production for years. But some of the smaller providers—who offer checkinatwork as an additional feature alongside their main product—do not have that integration, or have never fully implemented it.
Those companies do record that someone is present. But they don’t provide any assurance that this record will be accepted by the RSZ. And after 2027, when advance registration is prohibited, that assurance will no longer be a luxury—it will be a legal requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Advance registrations are those in which workers or subcontractors are registered for a job site before they are actually present there—for example, at the start of the week for the entire workweek, or the day before. As of January 1, 2027, this will be prohibited. The government intends to accept only registrations made at the time of actual presence, in order to combat social fraud.
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The ban takes effect on January 1, 2027. As of that date, only registrations performed in real time—when the person is physically present at the worksite—will be valid. Prepare your system and work processes well in advance—system changes require lead time.
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Many time-tracking systems only record a timestamp—they log that someone has clocked in, but do not verify whether that entry is valid with the Social Security Administration (SSA). Systems that do perform a real-time SSA check provide immediate "OK" or "NOT OK" feedback. Only the latter approach guarantees that you are actually compliant in the event of a social security audit.
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If the response is "OK," the registration has been successfully processed by the RSZ and the person's attendance is valid. If the response is " NOT OK, " there is a problem—for example, a missing registration, an error in the personal data, or a compliance issue with the subcontractor. You are notified immediately, allowing you to take action before an inspection takes place.
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Ask yourself two questions: (1) Does my system return an “OK” or “NOT OK” response from the RSZ at the time of registration? (2) Is it still possible today to pre-register through my system? If you cannot answer “yes” clearly to either of these questions, your system likely does not comply with the 2027 legislation. Contact us for a no-obligation evaluation.
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A "NOT OK" result means there is an issue with the registration with the RSZ. This can have several causes: the person has not been properly registered, there is an error in the data, or there is a compliance issue with a subcontractor in the chain. You’ll know this immediately and can take action—contact the right party, resolve the issue before an inspection, or temporarily deny the person access to the site.
Does your system actually check with the RSZ?
In 30 minutes, we’ll show you how CheckInAtWork works through AllConnects: real-time social security verification, OK/NOT OK status for each registration, and no more pre-registrations.
