New employee onboarding checklist

What the new employee onboarding checklist does

A good start saves months of fixing. This checklist covers the documents to collect from a new employee, the registrations to complete, the equipment to prepare and the induction steps to schedule, with a responsible person, a due date and a done column, and a count of how much is finished.

Who it is for

Small business owners and office managers hiring their first or next employee, who want nothing missed, particularly the tax and statutory registrations that must be right from the first payslip.

How to use the workbook

1. Enter the employee name and start date at the top.
2. Assign each task to a person and set its due date.
3. Mark each task Done as you complete it.
4. File the finished checklist in the employee's record.
5. Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.

What is inside

• Documents, registrations, equipment and induction sections
• Responsible person and due date for each task
• Done or not done with a count
• Room for your own tasks
• A starting list written for Kenya

The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Checklist, Summary. The main table has the columns Task; Section; Responsible; Due date; Done?; Notes. Yellow cells are for you to fill in and grey cells calculate by themselves, so leave the grey cells alone. The example rows show how it works; type over them with your own entries.

Tips for getting it right

• Collect the KRA PIN, national ID and bank details before the first payroll.
• Register the employee for NSSF and SHIF the right way from day one.
• Give a written contract and keep a signed copy.
• Schedule the induction before the start date, not after.

Why keep this record

Staff records go wrong in small, repeated ways: a figure typed twice, a deadline forgotten, a promise that nobody wrote down. A tidy workbook that everyone uses the same way removes most of those problems. It also gives you something to show an employee, an auditor or a labour officer when a question comes up months later, and it makes the next payroll quicker because the facts are already in one place.

Questions people ask

Do I need to know Excel formulas? No. Type into the yellow cells and the rest is worked out for you. The formulas are visible if you want to see how a figure is reached.

Can I add rows or change the layout? You can add your own columns to the right and your own notes. If you insert rows inside a table, copy the grey formula cells down so the new rows calculate too.

Will it work on my phone or in Google Sheets? Yes for viewing and typing, but dropdown lists and the charts look best in desktop Excel or LibreOffice.

Keeping it safe and up to date

Payroll records are personal data and tax records at once, so keep the file somewhere only the people who need it can open, and keep each month's copy for at least five years. Statutory rates such as NSSF limits and the Housing Levy change, so check the Rates sheet against the official source before you rely on a figure.

Read how to run payroll for a small business for the wider picture. See more payroll templates or ask us for a custom one.

The workbook works in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. It is a tool to help you work out and record figures, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.

Related guides, calculators and templates

• Guide: How to run payroll for a small business in Kenya
• Guide: How PAYE is calculated in Kenya, step by step
• Guide: NSSF contributions explained: tiers, limits and what you pay
• Another template: Annual PAYE and payroll summary
• Another template: Annual leave planner and register
• Another template: Benefits and allowances register

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