New Hire Checklist

This free new hire checklist is an onboarding checklist for US small businesses. It takes a new employee from signed offer letter to their 90-day review, with every task in order, an owner and a due date for each, and the federal paperwork deadlines printed next to the tasks they apply to. Print it, or edit the Word version to add the tasks your jobs need.

What you get

A five-page PDF, sized for US Letter paper, and an editable Word file:

• Pages 1–2: the blank checklist to print and fill in.
• Pages 3–4: the same checklist completed for a fictional dental office, so you can see how owners, due dates and notes work in practice.
• Page 5: notes on the paperwork deadlines, with links to the government sources.

Page one has fields for the new hire, job title, manager, first day of work for pay, location and onboarding buddy. Then come the tasks for before the first day and for the first day. Page two covers the first week and the first 30, 60 and 90 days. It also has blank rows for job-specific tasks, a notes box, and lines for the manager and employee to sign off.

What a good onboarding checklist includes

• The legal paperwork, with dates. Form I-9, Form W-4, any state withholding form and the state new hire report each have a deadline. A checklist that just says “do paperwork” doesn’t help.
• An owner for every task. In a small business the owner, office manager and a co-worker usually share the work. Writing a name next to each task stops things falling through the gaps.
• Work done before day one. Payroll set-up, equipment, logins and a planned first week mean the new hire spends day one learning, not waiting.
• A real first day. A tour, safety basics, how hours and pay work, key policies and introductions.
• Check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days. Most problems with new hires are small and fixable if someone asks early.
• Room for your own tasks. Every job has its own logins, licenses and training. Add them in the blank rows.

How to onboard a new employee

1. When the offer is accepted, fill in the top of the checklist and add any job-specific tasks.
2. Before the first day, confirm the start details and tell the new hire to bring original documents for Form I-9. Then set up payroll, equipment and logins.
3. Check that your workers’ compensation policy covers the new hire and that the required workplace posters are up.
4. On day one, the employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9 and Form W-4. Collect the state withholding form, direct deposit details and emergency contacts.
5. Examine the I-9 documents and complete Section 2 within 3 business days of the first day of work for pay.
6. Report the new hire to your state within its deadline, and run E-Verify if you use it.
7. Train on the main tasks in the first week, then hold the 30, 60 and 90-day check-ins. Sign off and file the checklist.

Completed example

The example in the download is for a front desk coordinator starting on a Monday at a fictional dental office in Vermont. The owner and office manager split the tasks before the first day. Section 2 of the I-9 is done on the first day, ahead of the Thursday deadline. The new hire report goes in well within Vermont’s 10 days. E-Verify is marked “not used”, because the practice isn’t required to use it. Two job-specific tasks are added in the blank rows, and the notes record a schedule change agreed at the 30-day check-in.

New hire paperwork and deadlines

These are the federal rules every US employer needs on their onboarding checklist:

• Form I-9: the employee completes Section 1 by their first day of work for pay. You complete Section 2 within 3 business days of that day (USCIS). The employee chooses which acceptable documents to show you.
• Form W-4: ask every new employee for a signed W-4 when they start. If they don’t give you one, withhold as if they are single (IRS). Check whether your state has its own withholding form too.
• State new hire reporting: report new and rehired employees to the state where they work within 20 days of hire, or sooner if your state requires it (HHS Office of Child Support Services).
• E-Verify: only if you are required to use it or choose to. If you do, create the case by the third business day after the employee starts work for pay (E-Verify).
• Posters and workers’ comp: the Department of Labor’s poster page shows which federal posters apply to you, and your state sets its own posters and workers’ compensation rules.

Employee onboarding template or orientation checklist?

People search for this under different names: employee onboarding template, new employee onboarding checklist, new employee orientation checklist. They overlap. An orientation checklist usually covers only the first day, while an onboarding template runs from the offer to the end of the first few months. This template does both. Use the first-day section on its own for orientation, and the rest for onboarding.

When to get advice

Get advice before onboarding if you’re hiring in a new state for the first time or bringing on a remote employee in another state. The same goes if the new hire needs visa sponsorship, or you’re unsure whether the role is exempt from overtime. Each changes which forms, posters and deadlines apply.

Not sure what your state requires for a new hire? That’s what hrsupport.io is for: HR answers for your state, with the law behind every answer.