Contractor onboarding checklist: Getting contractors set up in 1-3 days

Good contractor onboarding sets the tone for the entire engagement. It establishes clear expectations, ensures legal compliance, and gets work started quickly. Bad onboarding creates confusion, delays, and potential legal issues.

This checklist covers everything you need to onboard contractors properly, whether they're local or international. Follow these steps in order, and you'll have contractors ready to work with all documentation in place.

Step 1: Collect required information

Before sending contracts, gather basic information from the contractor. This information goes into the contract and payment setup.

Personal and business details: Full legal name, business name (if they're operating as a company), business address, and contact information (email and phone). For international contractors, confirm their country of residence. This information is essential for contracts and tax documentation.

Tax information: Tax ID number (Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number for U.S. contractors, equivalent for others). For international contractors working with U.S. companies, you'll collect their W-8BEN form during the next step to establish foreign status and avoid withholding.

Payment details: Bank account information (for direct transfers) or payment platform details (Wise, PayPal, Payoneer). Confirm the currency they prefer for payment. For international contractors, verify their payment method supports their country and currency.

Portfolio and references: Links to previous work, portfolio website, or professional references. This isn't legally required but helps verify skills and set expectations for deliverable quality.

How to collect this: Use a simple form or email template to request everything at once. Making it easy for contractors to provide all information together prevents back-and-forth delays. Missing information causes delays in contract preparation and payment setup.

Step 2: Send and sign contracts

The contract is your legal foundation. It should cover general terms that apply to all work with this contractor, not just the current project.

Essential contract clauses:

Independent contractor status: Explicitly states the contractor is self-employed, not an employee. This establishes proper classification.

Scope of services: General description of the types of work the contractor will perform.

Payment terms: Specifies net 15, net 30, milestone-based payments, or whatever structure you're using.

Intellectual property ownership: Clarifies who owns the work product. Usually: "All work product is owned by [Your Company]."

Confidentiality: NDA provisions protecting your information and competitive details.

Termination conditions: How either party can end the engagement—notice period, cause for immediate termination, etc.

Country-specific considerations: Some countries require specific language in contractor agreements. For EU contractors, include GDPR compliance language if you're handling personal data. For UK contractors, consider IR35 implications and include appropriate language. For high-value or long-term engagements, consult local counsel about country-specific requirements.

How to sign: Use electronic signature tools (DocuSign, HelloSign, PandaDoc) to send and track contracts. This creates a professional record and makes signing simple. Set a deadline for signing—typically 48 hours. Follow up if the contractor doesn't sign within the deadline.

Store contracts centrally: Keep signed contracts in one organized location with clear naming: ContractorName_Contract_Date.pdf. You'll need these for audits and reference.

Step 3: Create the Statement of Work (SOW)

The SOW is project-specific. It defines exactly what the contractor will deliver, when, and for how much. The SOW references the master contract but focuses on the current project.

SOW components:

Project description: What you're building. Example: "Complete website redesign for e-commerce platform."

Specific deliverables: List each one clearly. Don't write "Design a website." Instead: "Design 5 website pages (Home, About, Services, Blog, Contact) with desktop and mobile mockups in Figma, delivered by October 15."

Milestones with deadlines: Break work into phases with specific dates. Example: "Milestone 1: Kickoff and discovery (September 1). Milestone 2: Design mockups (September 15). Milestone 3: Development (October 1)."

Payment schedule: Tied to milestones. Example: "25% upon kickoff, 25% upon design approval, 50% upon completion."

Acceptance criteria: How you'll judge completion. Example: "Pages must pass WCAG accessibility standards and load in under 3 seconds on 4G connection."

Revision policy: How many rounds of changes are included. Example: "Two rounds of revisions per milestone included. Additional revisions $150/hour."

Why be specific? "Design a website" is vague and leads to scope creep. "Design 5 specific pages with mockups in Figma, delivered by October 15" is clear. Specificity prevents disputes.

Separate document: The SOW should be a separate document from the master contract. This allows you to create new SOWs for future projects without re-signing the master contract. Both parties sign the SOW before work begins.

Step 4: Set up tool access

Contractors need access to your tools and systems to do their work. Set up access after contracts are signed but before work begins.

Common access needs:

Project management tools: Asana, Trello, Jira, or whatever you use to track work.

Communication platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams, email lists.

Design tools: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch.

Code repositories: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket.

Documentation and knowledge: Google Docs, Notion, Confluence, SharePoint.

Grant minimum necessary access. Contractors don't need admin rights or access to unrelated projects. Use guest accounts or limited permissions. This protects your data and makes offboarding easier later.

Document what you've granted. Keep a simple list: ContractorName → Slack (guest), GitHub (repo X), Figma (project Y). When the project ends, you'll know exactly what to revoke.

Send credentials securely. Use password managers or secure sharing tools. Don't send passwords in plain email. Include brief instructions for each tool if the contractor isn't familiar with it.

Test access before kickoff. Ask the contractor to confirm they can access each tool. Catching access problems before work starts prevents frustration.

Step 5: Set up payment

Configure payment before the first milestone is due. This prevents delays when it's time to pay.

Add contractor as a payment recipient. In your payment platform (Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, or bank), add the contractor's payment details. Verify accuracy carefully—one wrong digit in a bank account number delays payment.

For international contractors: Confirm the currency and any required intermediary bank information (SWIFT code, IBAN, etc.). Test with a small amount if possible.

Clarify invoice requirements. Explain how the contractor should submit invoices. Provide a template if you have one. Specify required information:

• Invoice number
• Date
• Description of work completed
• Amount
• Payment terms
• Your company details

State your payment timeline clearly. Example: "Submit invoice after milestone completion. We review within 2 business days. Payment sent within 5 business days of approval." Clear timelines prevent confusion.

Test the payment setup. If possible, process a small test payment to confirm everything works before larger amounts are involved. This catches setup errors early.

Step 6: Kick off the first milestone

With contracts signed, access granted, and payment configured, you're ready to start work. Schedule a kickoff call or send a detailed kickoff message.

Kickoff agenda:

Review the SOW carefully and confirm the contractor understands deliverables and milestones. Clarify the first milestone and exact deadline. Introduce key team members and explain communication channels and expectations. Answer questions about process, tools, or anything unclear.

Set a check-in schedule. For new contractors, check in frequently at first—daily or every other day for the first week. Once they're up to speed, reduce frequency to weekly or milestone-based. Regular early check-ins catch issues before they become problems.

Provide context. Share relevant background documents, brand guidelines, previous work examples, or user research. The more context contractors have, the better their work will be. This investment upfront saves revision rounds later.

Confirm the first deliverable date. Make sure the contractor has the deadline on their calendar and understands what "done" looks like. Clear expectations from day one prevent misunderstandings.

Document the kickoff. Send a follow-up message summarizing what you discussed, confirming deadlines, and listing next steps. This creates a record both parties can reference.

Onboarding checklist template

Here's a checklist you can copy and use for every contractor:

Before onboarding:

• ☐ Collect contractor information (name, address, tax ID, payment details)
• ☐ Verify contractor availability and start date
• ☐ Prepare contract and SOW templates

Contracts & documentation:

• ☐ Send master contractor agreement for signature
• ☐ Send project-specific SOW for signature
• ☐ Collect W-8BEN (for international contractors to U.S. companies)
• ☐ Store signed documents in central location with consistent naming

Access & setup:

• ☐ Grant access to project management tools
• ☐ Add to communication channels (Slack, email lists)
• ☐ Provide access to design/development tools
• ☐ Share relevant documentation and brand guidelines
• ☐ Set up contractor as payment recipient in your payment platform
• ☐ Confirm contractor can access all tools

Kickoff:

• ☐ Schedule kickoff call or send detailed kickoff message
• ☐ Review SOW and first milestone in detail
• ☐ Clarify communication expectations and check-in schedule
• ☐ Answer questions and confirm understanding
• ☐ Confirm first deliverable date
• ☐ Send written follow-up confirming discussion summary

Common onboarding mistakes

Starting work before contracts are signed. Never let contractors begin work without signed agreements. If the relationship goes bad, you have no legal protection. Always get signatures first, even for small projects.

Vague statements of work. "Build a website" isn't a scope. List specific deliverables, deadlines, and acceptance criteria. Vague SOWs lead to scope creep and disputes.

Granting excessive access. Contractors don't need admin rights or access to everything. Grant minimum necessary access only. This protects your data and makes offboarding much cleaner.

Unclear payment process. Contractors need to know how to submit invoices, when payment happens, and what information to include. Document the process clearly and share it during onboarding.

No kickoff meeting or message. Jumping straight into work without alignment causes confusion and rework. A 30-minute kickoff call or detailed kickoff message prevents misunderstandings and sets the right tone for the engagement.

Not documenting what you've done. If you don't remember what access you granted or which tools the contractor uses, offboarding becomes a nightmare. Keep simple documentation: what tools, what access level, what data they have.

The bottom line

Good onboarding takes 1-3 days but sets up months of smooth collaboration. Follow this checklist for every contractor: collect information, sign contracts, create SOW, grant access, set up payment, and kick off the first milestone. This process protects you legally and gets work started quickly.

The checklist is the same whether you have one contractor or fifty. The only difference is scale. For one contractor, you can do most of this manually. For dozens, you'll want systems to track contracts, access, and onboarding status systematically.

Key principle: Document everything as you go. Store contracts with clear names. Keep notes on what access you granted. Record the kickoff discussion. This documentation protects you in disputes and makes audits straightforward.

Invest time upfront in good onboarding. It prevents problems that would cost far more time and money to fix later.