Quick answer
- Start with the new hire onboarding checklist: 19 tasks from before day one to day 90, with due dates that fill in from the start date.
- Every US hire needs a Form W-4 and a Form I-9. Section 1 of the I-9 is due by the first day of work, Section 2 within three business days, and the state new hire report within 20 days or sooner.
- All 7 templates are free with no sign-up, in Excel or Word plus a printable PDF, and open in Google Sheets and Google Docs.
An onboarding checklist template is a ready-made list of every task needed to bring a new employee on board, with who does each one and when. This page is for US small-business owners, hiring managers and HR leads who hire a few people a month and want nothing missed: not the I-9, not the time clock login, not the 30-day check-in. Below are 7 free templates for different jobs: a master new hire checklist template in Excel, a paperwork list built around US federal and state forms, a first-day plan for managers, a 30-60-90 day plan, an employee onboarding checklist for hourly and shift workers, a remote version, and a tracker that shows HR every deadline across all new hires. Each one is shown filled in with realistic US sample data.
Which onboarding checklist do you need?
Most small businesses use the master onboarding checklist template for every hire, plus one of the role-specific checklists. Add the tracker once you hire more than two or three people a month.
| Situation | Best template | Format |
|---|---|---|
| One list for every new hire, with due dates | 1. New hire onboarding checklist | Excel, PDF |
| Making sure every required form is signed | 2. New hire paperwork checklist | Word, PDF |
| The manager running day one | 3. First-day checklist | Word, PDF |
| Office, sales and skilled trade roles | 4. 30-60-90 day plan | Excel, PDF |
| Restaurant, retail, warehouse and clinic staff | 5. Hourly employee checklist | Word, PDF |
| Employees who work from home | 6. Remote employee checklist | Word, PDF |
| HR tracking deadlines for several hires | 7. Onboarding tracker | Excel, PDF |
1. New hire onboarding checklist (Excel)
Best for any small business that wants one repeatable list
New hire onboarding checklist · Carlos Mendez, delivery driver · Metro Plumbing Supply, Phoenix, AZ · Manager: Rosa Diaz · Start date: Monday, October 19, 2026 · As of November 7, 2026: 16 of 19 tasks done (84%)
| Phase | Task | Owner | Due date | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before day 1 | Send signed offer letter and start-date details | Hiring manager | 10/09/2026 | Y |
| Before day 1 | Send W-4, state withholding and direct deposit forms | HR / payroll | 10/12/2026 | Y |
| Before day 1 | Add to schedule and time clock; create app login | Manager | 10/16/2026 | Y |
| Day 1 | Show how to clock in and out, breaks and call-out rules | Manager | 10/19/2026 | Y |
| Day 1 | Safety training required for the job | Trainer | 10/19/2026 | Y |
| Week 1 | Employer completes I-9 Section 2 (3 business days) | HR | 10/22/2026 | Y |
| Week 1 | Confirm first paycheck and pay stub access | Payroll | 10/26/2026 | Y |
| Week 3 | Report new hire to the state | HR / payroll | 11/02/2026 | Y |
| Day 30 | 30-day check-in | Manager | 11/18/2026 | N |
| Day 90 | 90-day review | Manager | 01/17/2027 | N |
Type the start date once and every due date fills in, from the offer letter ten days before to the 90-day review. Mark each task Y when it is done, and the summary box shows the percentage complete and anything overdue. Edit the task list once to fit your business, then copy the sheet for each new hire. In the example, the I-9 Section 2 deadline is Thursday, October 22, three business days after a Monday start.
2. New hire paperwork checklist (US)
Best for owners and office managers who handle hiring paperwork themselves
New hire paperwork checklist · Elena Torres, dental hygienist · Harbor Dental Group, San Diego, CA · Start date: Thursday, October 22, 2026 · HR contact: Rachel Kim
| Form or item | Deadline or rule | Done | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form W-4 (2026) | Before the first payroll | ☒ | 10/15/2026 |
| Form I-9, Section 1 | No later than the first day of employment | ☒ | 10/22/2026 |
| Form I-9, Section 2 | Within 3 business days of the first day | ☒ | 10/23/2026 |
| California DE 4 (state withholding) | Before the first payroll | ☒ | 10/15/2026 |
| State new hire report | Within 20 days of hire under federal law; check your state | ☐ | |
| Direct deposit authorization | Before the first payroll | ☒ | 10/15/2026 |
| Signed offer letter | ☒ | 10/09/2026 | |
| Employee handbook acknowledgment | ☒ | 10/22/2026 | |
| Emergency contact form | ☒ | 10/22/2026 |
This list covers the forms nearly every US employer needs and leaves room for your state’s extras. Use the current year’s W-4 from irs.gov; the 2026 version is the one to hand out now. Some states require a written notice at hire: New York, for example, requires a pay rate notice signed by the employee. Our guide to new hire paperwork explains each form, and the Form I-9 guide covers acceptable documents.
3. First-day onboarding checklist for managers
Best for the manager or shift lead who greets the new hire
The first day sets the tone. New hires who spend it waiting for a login or a uniform start wondering if they made a mistake. Print this for whoever is on shift, so a first day goes the same way even when the owner is out. The end-of-day questions catch confusion early. In the example, it was the tip-out, which is better explained on day one than argued about on the first payday.
4. 30-60-90 day onboarding plan (Excel)
Best for office, sales, supervisory and skilled trade roles
30-60-90 day onboarding plan · Ben Ortiz, HVAC service technician · Comfort Air Heating & Cooling, Raleigh, NC · Manager: Greg Lyons · Start date: November 2, 2026
| Phase | Goal | How we will know | Target date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1-30: Learn | Ride along on 20 service calls | Ride-along log signed by lead tech | 12/02/2026 | On track |
| Days 1-30: Learn | Learn the dispatch and invoicing app | Closes 5 jobs in the app without help | 12/02/2026 | Done |
| Days 31-60: Contribute | Run maintenance calls solo | 15 solo calls, no callbacks | 01/01/2027 | Not started |
| Days 31-60: Contribute | Complete company safety training | Certificate on file | 01/01/2027 | On track |
| Days 61-90: Own | Handle repair calls on own route | Average customer rating 4.5 or higher | 01/31/2027 | Not started |
| Days 61-90: Own | Join the on-call rotation | One on-call week completed | 01/31/2027 | Not started |
A checklist covers tasks; a 30-60-90 plan covers results. Write two or three goals for each phase with a measure you can check, and review the sheet at the 30, 60 and 90-day check-ins. By day 90, the plan becomes the basis for the first review on our employee evaluation forms. Agree on the plan in the first week, so the new hire knows what “doing well” means from the start.
5. Hourly employee onboarding checklist
Best for restaurants, retail stores, warehouses, clinics and field crews
Most pay disputes with hourly staff come from things nobody explained in week one: missed punches, unpaid meal breaks, overtime and tip pools. This checklist puts them first. Federal law requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek for non-exempt employees, and some states add daily overtime; our guide to exempt vs. non-exempt status explains who qualifies. Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks, but many states do, so fill in your state’s rule before you print.
6. Remote employee onboarding checklist
Best for employees who work from home full time or most of the week
Remote employee onboarding checklist · Hannah Cole, customer success specialist · Lakeview Logistics (Charlotte, NC) · Works from: Greenville, SC · Start date: Monday, November 2, 2026 · Manager: Kevin Walsh
| When | Task | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Before day 1 | Laptop and headset shipped, tracking sent October 27 | ☒ |
| Before day 1 | Email, chat and CRM accounts created | ☒ |
| Before day 1 | I-9 plan: authorized representative appointment at a local office, November 2 | ☒ |
| Before day 1 | Payroll set up for South Carolina withholding | ☒ |
| Day 1 | Video welcome, IT setup and security training | ☒ |
| Day 1 | Core hours 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern; reply to chat within 1 hour | ☒ |
| Weeks 1 to 4 | Daily 15-minute check-in for week 1 | ☒ |
| Weeks 1 to 4 | 30-day check-in booked for December 2 | ☐ |
Remote hires have two problems office hires do not: the I-9 and payroll for another state. For the I-9, the documents still have to be examined; an employer can name an authorized representative to do it in person, or, if the employer is enrolled in E-Verify, use the DHS alternative procedure for remote examination. Payroll must also match the state where the employee works, which is often not your office’s state. Everything else on the list is about making sure a person working alone is not forgotten in week two.
7. Onboarding tracker for HR (Excel)
Best for HR or the owner tracking deadlines across several new hires
Onboarding tracker · As of November 7, 2026
| Employee | Position | Start date | W-4 | I-9 Sec. 1 | I-9 Sec. 2 due | I-9 Sec. 2 done | State report due | Report filed | Handbook | 90-day review | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin O’Brien | Dispatcher | 11/02/2026 | 10/28 | 11/02 | 11/05/2026 | 11/03 | 11/22/2026 | 11/04 | 11/02 | 01/31/2027 | Paperwork complete |
| Jamal Wright | Warehouse | 10/29/2026 | 10/27 | 10/29 | 11/03/2026 | 11/18/2026 | 10/29 | 01/27/2027 | I-9 overdue | ||
| Maria Santos | Hygienist | 11/12/2026 | 11/05 | 11/17/2026 | 12/02/2026 | 02/10/2027 | In progress | ||||
| Tyler Nguyen | Driver | 11/16/2026 | 11/09 | 11/19/2026 | 12/06/2026 | 02/14/2027 | In progress |
The tracker is the safety net. Each morning, sort by status and deal with anything overdue, like Jamal’s I-9 in the example, which was due November 3. The state report column uses the federal 20-day limit; if your state is shorter, change the +20 in the formula. WORKDAY skips weekends but not holidays, so add your closed days if you are open fewer than five days a week.
How to use these onboarding checklists
- Choose your set. The master checklist for every hire, plus the hourly or remote list, and the 30-60-90 plan for roles that take longer to learn.
- Edit once. Open each onboarding checklist template and add your business name, your state’s forms and notices, your tools and your training. Delete what does not apply.
- Name one owner. One person is responsible for the whole checklist, even when others do the tasks.
- Start before day one. Send the offer letter (our job offer letter templates help), forms and first-week schedule in advance, so the first day is about people, not paperwork.
- Check deadlines daily. Use the tracker for I-9 and state reporting dates.
- Hold the check-ins. Put the 30, 60 and 90-day meetings on the calendar on day one.
- File the records. Keep the signed checklist in the personnel file, and keep I-9s for the required period.
For a deeper look at what a good program includes, read our guide to employee onboarding. Once you hire often, spreadsheets and paper forms are where things slip; that is when teams compare employee onboarding software that collects e-signatures and sets up payroll from the same forms.
US onboarding deadlines and rules to know
These are general principles checked against federal agency sources (USCIS, IRS, the HHS Office of Child Support Services and the Department of Labor). They are not legal advice, and states add their own rules, so check your state labor department.
- Form I-9, Section 1: the employee completes it no later than the first day of employment. They may do it earlier, but only after accepting the job offer.
- Form I-9, Section 2: the employer examines the documents and completes it within three business days of the first day of employment. If the job lasts less than three business days, it is due on the first day.
- Keep the I-9: for three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later.
- Form W-4: use the 2026 version from irs.gov for new hires this year. Our W-4 guide explains each step.
- State new hire report: federal law requires reporting within 20 days of the date of hire, with the employee’s name, address, Social Security number and date of hire, and the employer’s name, address and EIN. States may require it sooner, and some ask for more data.
- Pay notices at hire: some states require a written notice of pay rate and payday. New York, for example, requires a signed pay notice at hire and requires the employer to keep it for six years.
- FMLA notice: covered employers with eligible employees must give the FMLA general notice in the employee handbook, or to each new employee at hire if there is no handbook. Our employee handbook templates include a section for it.
Frequently asked questions
What should an onboarding checklist include?
Tasks for four stages: before day one (offer letter, forms, schedule, equipment), the first day (welcome, paperwork, time clock, safety), the first week (I-9 Section 2, training, first paycheck), and the first 90 days (state new hire report, check-ins, a 90-day review). Give each task an owner and a due date.
What paperwork does a new employee need to fill out in the US?
Federally, a Form W-4 for income tax withholding and a Form I-9 for employment eligibility. Most states with an income tax also have a state withholding form, and the employer must send a new hire report to the state. Add your own documents, such as the offer letter, handbook acknowledgment, direct deposit form and emergency contact.
When does Form I-9 have to be completed?
USCIS says the employee must complete Section 1 no later than the first day of employment, and the employer must complete Section 2 within three business days of that first day. For a Monday start, Section 2 is due by Thursday. If the job lasts fewer than three business days, Section 2 is due on the first day.
How long does employee onboarding take?
Paperwork takes the first few days, but onboarding usually runs 30 to 90 days, until the employee works on their own and has had a first review. Hourly roles in restaurants and retail often finish core training in one to two weeks, while office and skilled trade roles commonly use a full 30-60-90 day plan.
How soon must a new hire be reported to the state?
Federal law requires employers to report new hires to the state directory within 20 days of the date of hire, and states may set a shorter deadline. The report needs the employee’s name, address and Social Security number, the date of hire, and the employer’s name, address and federal employer identification number.
Who is responsible for onboarding a new employee?
In a small business it is usually shared. HR or the owner handles forms and payroll setup, the hiring manager runs the first day, schedule and check-ins, and a buddy or trainer teaches the job. Name one person as the owner of the whole checklist so nothing falls between them.