Whenever a worker profile is created or updated, Fountain can automatically check it against your existing worker records to determine whether this person has worked for you before. The result of that check determines two separate things: whether the new profile gets linked to an earlier profile, and how the worker's I-9 is handled. This article explains that logic end to end.
Linking profiles does not merge them or keep them continuously in sync. Each linked profile remains a separate record with its own worker status, portal URL, assigned tasks, segments, worker attributes, documents, and compliance history. Updating one linked profile — including changing its worker status — does not automatically update the other linked profiles.
For setup steps, see Worker Profiles Matching & Rehire and I-9 Center Settings.
Two Settings Pages Work Together
This logic is controlled by settings in two places: the Worker profiles matching & rehire settings page (matching attributes, rehire flagging, Force rehire via custom attribute, Restrict matching to same EIN) and the I-9 Center Settings page (the I-9 and W-4 profile automatic restart section).
How Worker Profiles Are Matched
Fountain compares a new or updated worker profile against existing worker records using the matching attributes you've selected, such as SSN, Personal email, or Date of birth. Depending on your matching logic, either all selected attributes must match, or any single attribute matching is enough to associate the two profiles.
Re-running the matching check after a worker is updated can create or confirm profile links. It does not sync worker status, tasks, attributes, documents, or other profile data across linked profiles.
If you use I-9 Center, two additional considerations apply, since a worker's I-9 is tied to a specific WorkBright subdomain (EIN):
Personal email must be one of your matching attributes. Email is the primary key in the WorkBright E-Verify system — if it isn't part of your matching logic, two different people who happen to share an email address could get blocked for duplication reasons inside WorkBright.
Enabling Restrict matching to same EIN ensures two profiles are only ever associated if they belong to the same EIN, even if their other matching attributes are identical. Fountain recommends keeping this setting on.
Forcing a Rehire Without a Matching Profile
Sometimes you want a profile flagged as a rehire regardless of whether a previous worker record actually exists for that person — for example, when inserting a "new" worker's documents into Fountain that should still be treated as a rehire. This is done with the Force rehire via custom attribute setting: choose a boolean custom attribute (any name you like), and when it's set to true on a worker's record, that worker is automatically flagged as a rehire even if no matching profile is found.
A Forced Rehire Flag Doesn't Create a Link
If no matching profile exists, setting the Force rehire attribute flags the worker as a rehire, but there's nothing for their profile to link to. This distinction matters for I-9 handling — see below.
What Happens After Matching
No matching profile found (or the EIN restriction blocked it): the two profiles aren't linked. The worker is treated as new for I-9 purposes.
If the matching check runs successfully and finds a matching profile, the two profiles are linked regardless of your rehire flagging setting. Linking profiles helps you identify that both profiles belong to the same person, but it does not sync worker status or other profile data between them.
Whether the profile also gets flagged as a rehire is a separate question from whether it's linked. If Force rehire via custom attribute is set, it always applies. Otherwise, it depends on your rehire flagging option: Flag as rehire if the new profile matches any existing profile, Flag as rehire only if the matched profile is terminated or has a known future termination date, or Don't flag rehire. Either way, the profile link itself exists independently of the flag.
How I-9s Are Handled for Linked Profiles
This Section Applies to I-9 Center V2
The restart behavior described below — the I-9 Center Settings toggles — applies to I-9 Center V2. Matching and flagging, described above, work the same regardless of your I-9 Center version.
I-9 handling depends only on whether the profile is linked — the rehire flag itself has no bearing on it.
Not linked (including a Force rehire flag with no profile to link to): the worker gets a new I-9 from scratch.
Linked: by default, the worker shares the same I-9 as their original profile, and no new form is required. If Automatically restart I-9 forms for rehire is enabled in I-9 Center Settings, every linked rehire is issued a new I-9 to complete instead.
This I-9 behavior applies only to I-9 handling. It does not mean the linked worker profiles share worker status, tasks, segments, attributes, portal access, documents, or other profile data.
If you've enabled that restart setting but want exceptions for specific workers (for instance, to process a Supplement B instead of a brand-new form) use the Keep existing I-9 attribute and Expected value fields, which appear once the restart toggle is on, in I-9 Center Settings. When a rehired worker's specified custom attribute matches the expected value, the restart is suppressed and they continue sharing their original I-9.
Set Exception Attributes Before the I-9 Is Assigned
If a worker already has an I-9 assigned before their Keep existing I-9 attribute is set, the exception is not applied retroactively — their I-9 will still restart as configured.
Here's the same logic as a flowchart:
Using integrations, imports, or data pipelines
If worker status or attributes are updated from an HRIS, integration, import, or Worker data pipeline, configure those updates to target the correct current worker profile. Do not assume that updating one linked profile will update every linked profile for that person.
Before enabling recurring updates, confirm which identifiers should be used for matching, whether a person can have more than one active profile at the same time, and how your team should handle records with no match or multiple possible matches.
Putting It Together
A worker is created or updated, triggering the matching check if your Automation Center rule is configured to run on that event.
If the worker has no populated matching-attribute values, they're only ever flagged through Force rehire via custom attribute — present means flagged as a rehire with no link; absent means not a rehire.
If the worker does have matching-attribute values, Fountain searches your other worker records using those attributes and your matching logic, then (if enabled) narrows to workers sharing an eligible EIN.
If no match is found, the same Force rehire fallback from step 2 applies.
If a match is found, the two profiles are always linked, regardless of your rehire flagging setting.
Once linked, whether the rehire flag is also set depends on Force rehire via custom attribute (if present, always sets it) or your rehire flagging option.
I-9 handling depends only on the link, not the flag: not linked means a new I-9 from scratch; linked means the existing I-9 is shared, unless restart-on-rehire is enabled and no Keep existing I-9 attribute exception applies — in which case a new I-9 is issued.
Linked profiles remain separate records. Worker status, portal URL, tasks, segments, attributes, documents, and other profile data do not automatically sync across linked profiles.