Offboarding Checklist

This free offboarding checklist covers everything a US small business needs to do when an employee leaves. That runs from the resignation letter or termination meeting to the records you keep afterwards. It works as an employee offboarding checklist for resignations and as an employee termination checklist when you end the job. Every task has an owner, a due date and a tick box, and the deadlines that matter are printed next to the tasks they apply to.

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 veterinary clinic in California.
• Page 5: notes on final-pay deadlines, COBRA and record keeping, with links to the sources.

Page one records the employee, manager, notice date, last day, work state and type of separation. It then lists the notice, final pay and benefits tasks. Page two covers property and access, the knowledge handover, the exit interview and records. It ends with blank rows for job-specific tasks, a notes box and sign-off lines.

What a good offboarding checklist includes

• The final-pay deadline, first. It varies by state and can be the last day itself, so look it up before anything else.
• Final pay that adds up. Hours, overtime, tips or commissions, and any vacation or PTO your policy or state law requires you to pay out.
• Benefits and COBRA. Benefit end dates, and the notice to your plan administrator if federal COBRA applies.
• Property and access. Keys, equipment and uniforms back, and email, software, banking and building access removed on the last day.
• A handover. Open work, regular tasks and key contacts written down while the person is still there to ask.
• An exit interview. A short, honest conversation about why they’re leaving.
• Records. What to file and how long to keep it.

How to offboard an employee

1. Get the resignation in writing, or prepare a termination letter. Confirm the last day.
2. Check your state’s final-pay deadline and any written notice your state requires.
3. Fill in the top of the checklist and give each task an owner and a due date.
4. Agree how the team, and customers if needed, will hear the news.
5. Before the last day, hold the handover and offer an exit interview using our exit interview questions.
6. On the last day, collect property, remove access and hand over the final paycheck if it’s due then.
7. Tell your plan administrator about the end of employment, then file the checklist and keep the records for as long as required.

Completed example

The example is a fictional veterinary clinic in San Diego with nine employees. A veterinary technician gives two weeks’ written notice. Because she gave more than 72 hours’ notice, California law makes her final pay due on her last day. The office manager hands over a check with all hours worked and 22 hours of unused vacation. Federal COBRA is marked “not used” because the clinic has fewer than 20 employees, and the insurer confirms it will send a continuation notice. Two job-specific tasks are added in the blank rows. The notes record how long to keep her Form I-9.

Final pay deadlines vary by state

Under federal law, you don’t have to pay a former employee immediately, but many states set a deadline. For example:

• California requires wages immediately on discharge (Labor Code 201). An employee who quits must be paid within 72 hours, or at the time of quitting if they gave 72 hours’ notice (Labor Code 202). Unused vested vacation is paid as wages (Labor Code 227.3).
• Washington requires wages at the end of the established pay period, whether the employee quits or is discharged (RCW 49.48.010).

Check your own state’s rule when you get the notice, not on the last day.

Benefits and COBRA

COBRA generally applies to group health plans of employers with 20 or more employees. When an employee’s job ends or their hours are cut, you must tell the plan administrator within 30 days. The administrator then has 14 days to send the employee an election notice (DOL employer’s guide). If you have fewer than 20 employees, ask your insurer whether a state continuation law applies.

Records to keep

Keep a former employee’s Form I-9 for 3 years after the date of hire, or 1 year after employment ends, whichever is later (USCIS). If you have 15 or more employees, EEOC rules require you to keep personnel records for at least one year. Records of an involuntary termination must be kept for one year from the termination date, and longer if a discrimination charge is filed (29 CFR 1602.14).

Onboarding and offboarding

Offboarding mirrors onboarding. The same paperwork, equipment and access you set up on the first day has to be closed down on the last. If you use our new hire checklist, the two together cover an employee’s whole time with you.

When to get advice

Get advice before you end someone’s employment if they’ve recently complained about discrimination, harassment, pay or safety, asked for an accommodation or taken protected leave. Do the same if they have a contract or belong to a union.

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