New Employee Onboarding Checklist for Australian Employers

Last reviewed: October 2026.

Why every employer needs a new employee onboarding checklist

Onboarding is everything you do to bring a new employee into your business, from the signed offer to the end of their first few months. A new employee onboarding checklist makes sure nothing is missed: some steps are legal requirements with deadlines, such as giving the Fair Work Information Statement and offering a choice of super fund, while others simply help your new starter become productive and stay.

This guide sets out the documents Australian employers must give new employees, the tax and super forms to collect, a first-day induction checklist and the records to keep. If you are hiring for the first time, start with our step-by-step guide to hiring your first employee.

Before day one: pre-start checklist

1. Signed offer and employment contract. Confirm the employment type, award classification, pay, hours and start date in writing. For part-time employees, many awards require the regular pattern of hours to be agreed in writing.
2. Right to work check. Confirm the person can legally work in Australia and note any visa conditions (see our guide to right to work entitlements).
3. Payroll set-up. Add the employee to your STP-enabled payroll with the correct award rate, penalty rates, allowances and leave accruals.
4. Information statements ready. Download the current versions from the Fair Work Ombudsman website so you give the latest statement.
5. Workspace and access. Arrange equipment, uniforms, keys, logins and any licences or checks the role needs.
6. A first-week plan. Schedule introductions, training and a named person the new starter can go to with questions.

Documents employers must give new employees

These are legal requirements under the Fair Work Act 2009. Failing to give them can attract civil penalties (for conduct from 1 July 2026, up to $21,840 for an individual and $109,200 for a small business company per contravention).

• Fair Work Information Statement (FWIS): give it to every new employee before, or as soon as practicable after, they start (s 125). It explains the 12 National Employment Standards, awards, agreement-making, workplace rights and the roles of the Fair Work Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman.
• Casual Employment Information Statement (CEIS): for casual employees, give it at the start, after 6 months, after 12 months and every 12 months after that. Small business employers (fewer than 15 employees) give it at the start and after 12 months (s 125B).
• Fixed Term Contract Information Statement (FTCIS): for fixed-term employees, give it before, or as soon as practicable after, the contract is entered into (s 333K).
• Pay slips: give a pay slip within one working day of each payment (s 536).

You can give the statements in person, by post or electronically, for example by emailing a copy or a link to the current version. Keep a record of the date you gave each one.

Tax and super forms for new employees

Rates current from 1 July 2026.

1. Tax file number (TFN) declaration. Ask the employee to complete a TFN declaration. Send it to the ATO within 14 days of receiving it (most payroll software does this through STP). If an employee does not quote a TFN, you generally must withhold tax at the higher no-TFN rate.
2. Super standard choice form. Give the employee a standard choice form within 28 days of their start date so they can nominate their own fund (Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 s 32N). You don't have to give a standard choice form to a temporary visa holder.
3. Stapled fund check. If the employee does not choose a fund, request their stapled fund (an existing account that follows them from job to job) from the ATO before you use your default fund.
4. First super payment. Under Payday Super, you pay 12% of qualifying earnings with every pay run. The first contribution for a new employee must reach the fund within 20 business days of payday; after that, contributions must arrive within 7 business days.
5. Bank details and emergency contacts. Store them securely and limit who can see them.

First-day induction checklist

A structured first day sets the tone. Use this onboarding checklist for induction:

• Work health and safety induction: emergency procedures, first aid, hazards in the role, safe work procedures and how to report incidents and hazards. WHS laws require you to provide the information, training, instruction and supervision needed to work safely.
• Key policies: your code of conduct, bullying and harassment, IT and privacy, leave and after-hours contact. Employers have a positive duty to take reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent sexual harassment, so explain how to raise a concern.
• The role: duties, standards, hours, breaks, rosters and how performance will be reviewed.
• Pay and leave: pay day, how to read a pay slip, how to request leave and who approves it.
• People and culture: introductions to the team and a buddy for the first weeks.
• Acknowledgements: ask the employee to confirm in writing that they have received the information statements and policies.

An employee handbook brings these policies together in one place. Our HR policies and procedures service can prepare a handbook and policies tailored to your business.

The first three months: check-ins and probation

Onboarding does not end on day one. Book short check-ins at the end of week one, month one and month three to review progress, answer questions and give feedback. Keep brief notes of each meeting.

If you use a probation period, explain what success looks like and raise any concerns early, with support to improve. Unfair dismissal protection starts after the minimum employment period: 6 months, or 12 months with a small business employer (Fair Work Act s 383). Probation does not change the employee's NES or award entitlements. For ongoing performance support, see our guide to performance management.

Example: onboarding a casual employee

A café with 9 employees takes on a casual barista. Before the first shift, the owner gives the Fair Work Information Statement and the Casual Employment Information Statement, and the employee completes a TFN declaration online. The owner gives a super standard choice form in week one, runs a safety induction covering the espresso machine, hot liquids and the first aid kit, and puts the employee on the award's casual rate including the 25% loading. Because the café is a small business employer, the next Casual Employment Information Statement is due after 12 months, and the owner adds that date to the calendar.

Records to keep for each new employee

You must make and keep employee records for 7 years (Fair Work Act s 535). For each new starter, keep:

• the employee's name, start date and whether they are full-time, part-time, casual or fixed-term
• the award and classification, pay rate and hours worked
• leave balances, super contributions and the fund details
• copies of the contract, any written agreement on part-time hours and the dates the information statements were given
• pay slips and any individual flexibility arrangement (see our glossary entry on record-keeping)

Common onboarding mistakes

• Giving an old version of the Fair Work Information Statement, or none at all.
• Forgetting the 6-month and 12-month Casual Employment Information Statements.
• Missing the 28-day deadline for the super standard choice form.
• Paying the first super contribution late under the new Payday Super rules.
• Skipping the safety induction for short-term or casual staff.
• Not recording the agreed hours for part-time employees in writing.

Need help with your situation? Call our 24/7 HR advice line on 1300 144 002 for free initial advice.

Onboarding checklist: frequently asked questions

What should be on a new employee onboarding checklist?

A signed contract, a right to work check, the Fair Work Information Statement (plus the casual or fixed-term statement if relevant), a TFN declaration, a super standard choice form, bank details, a safety induction, your key policies and check-ins during the first three months.

When do I have to give the Fair Work Information Statement?

Before, or as soon as practicable after, the employee starts. You don't have to give it again if you employ the same person more than once in 12 months.

How long do I have to offer a choice of super fund?

Within 28 days of the employee starting. If they don't choose, request their stapled fund from the ATO, and only use your default fund if they have no stapled fund.

When is the first super payment due for a new employee?

Under Payday Super, which started on 1 July 2026, the first contribution for a new employee must reach their fund within 20 business days of payday. After that, each contribution must arrive within 7 business days.

Does an employment contract have to be in writing?

A contract can be verbal, but a written contract is strongly recommended because it records the agreed terms. Many awards require part-time hours to be agreed in writing.

Can onboarding be done online?

Yes. You can send the information statements and forms electronically and collect signed acknowledgements online, as long as you keep records of what was given and when.