January 4, 2026 · 15 min read

HR Onboarding Checklist for SaaS Startups: The First 90 Days

Onboarding at a SaaS startup is a different beast. You're moving fast, resources are limited, and that new engineer needs to ship code next week while you're still trying to get their I-9 sorted.

This is the onboarding checklist we wish we had when we were running HR at high-growth startups. It's comprehensive, practical, and acknowledges that you probably don't have a team of 10 HR people to execute it.

Before Day 1: The Pre-boarding Essentials

Great onboarding starts before the employee walks in (or logs on). Here's what needs to happen between the signed offer and their first day:

Paperwork & Legal (Do First)

  • Send offer letter and collect signature
  • Send background check authorization
  • Initiate background check
  • Send new hire paperwork packet (tax forms, direct deposit, emergency contact)
  • Collect completed I-9 documents (must be done by Day 3)
  • Send employee handbook acknowledgment
  • Set up employee in HRIS (Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR, etc.)
  • Add to payroll

Benefits Enrollment

  • Send benefits overview packet
  • Schedule benefits enrollment (30-day window usually)
  • Provide benefits portal login credentials
  • Send plan comparison resources

Equipment & Access

  • Order laptop (do this EARLY - shipping takes time)
  • Order any additional equipment (monitors, peripherals)
  • Create company email account
  • Set up SSO/Okta access
  • Add to Slack/Teams
  • Add to relevant Slack channels
  • Set up necessary software licenses
  • Create accounts in core tools (GitHub, Figma, etc.)

Manager Prep

  • Notify manager of start date and logistics
  • Confirm first-week schedule with manager
  • Assign onboarding buddy
  • Schedule first 1:1 for day 2 or 3
  • Prepare role-specific onboarding materials

Day 1: First Impressions Matter

Day 1 sets the tone. It should feel welcoming, organized, and not overwhelming. (Note: "not overwhelming" is aspirational. Do your best.)

Morning

  • Send welcome message before they start
  • Ensure equipment is ready and working
  • Complete I-9 verification (you have until Day 3, but why wait)
  • HR welcome meeting: company overview, culture, logistics
  • Review employee handbook together
  • Answer initial questions (there will be many)

Afternoon

  • Manager introduction and team welcome
  • Tour of tools: Slack norms, calendar, documentation
  • Onboarding buddy lunch (virtual or in-person)
  • Begin role-specific setup and access
  • Add to team meetings on calendar

Week 1: Getting Oriented

The goal of week 1 is basic competence: Can they find things? Do they know who to ask? Are they set up to actually work?

HR Tasks

  • Verify I-9 completion (deadline: Day 3)
  • Confirm benefits enrollment started
  • Check in on equipment issues
  • Schedule end-of-week HR check-in
  • Send resources on company policies and norms
  • Introduce to cross-functional partners

Manager Tasks (HR Should Enable)

  • First 1:1 meeting
  • Share 30/60/90 day goals
  • Introduce to key collaborators
  • Assign first project or task
  • Set expectations for communication

Days 8-30: Building Foundations

By now, the new hire should be past the "where is everything" phase and into actual work. Your job is to check in and remove blockers.

Week 2

  • Benefits enrollment reminder (deadline approaching)
  • Check in on questions about policies
  • Ensure buddy relationship is working
  • Gather initial feedback on onboarding experience

Week 3-4

  • Confirm benefits enrollment completed
  • 30-day HR check-in meeting
  • Manager check-in on performance
  • Address any emerging issues
  • Collect formal onboarding feedback

Days 31-60: Integration

At this point, the new hire should be productively contributing. Your involvement shifts from "onboarding" to "ongoing support."

HR Tasks

  • 60-day check-in
  • Review initial feedback and address concerns
  • Ensure they know how to access HR resources
  • Check in with manager on progress
  • Identify any additional training needs

Days 61-90: Confirmation

The 90-day mark is a natural checkpoint. In many companies, it's the end of the probationary period. Make it count.

90-Day Milestone

  • 90-day performance conversation (with manager)
  • 90-day HR check-in
  • Comprehensive onboarding feedback survey
  • Confirm probationary period completion (if applicable)
  • Transition to standard employee support

The Reality: Why Most Onboarding Falls Apart

You now have a beautiful checklist. Here's why it won't work perfectly:

  1. You're doing 17 other things. Onboarding is important, but so is that compliance deadline, that employee issue, and that recruiting pipeline.
  2. Managers are inconsistent. Some are amazing at onboarding. Others forget they have a new hire until Thursday.
  3. New hires don't read things. You sent them the handbook. They skimmed page 1 and then asked you everything anyway.
  4. Every new hire has different questions at different times. Synchronous support doesn't scale.

Deb handles the "where do I find..." questions for you

New hires ask Deb about policies, benefits, and logistics. You focus on the human side of onboarding.

Join the Waitlist

How to Actually Scale Onboarding

1. Automate the Automatable

Sending reminders, collecting paperwork, answering FAQ-type questions — none of this requires your personal touch. Automate it so you can focus on what does.

2. Empower Managers

The manager relationship is the #1 predictor of new hire success. Give managers clear expectations and templates. Hold them accountable.

3. Make Self-Service Actually Good

New hires have 1,000 questions. If self-service sucks, you become the answer to all 1,000. Invest in tools that actually work.

4. Front-Load the Relationship Building

The stuff that requires you — culture conversations, concern resolution, relationship building — do it early when you have their attention.

The Onboarding KPIs That Matter

The last one is often overlooked. If new hires are constantly pinging you with basic questions, your onboarding isn't self-serve enough.

Final Thoughts

Good onboarding is the difference between a new hire who's productive in week 2 and one who's still confused in month 2. It's also the difference between retaining employees and losing them before you've recouped your recruiting costs.

Use this checklist. Adapt it for your company. And invest in the tools and automation that let you scale onboarding without losing your mind.

Want to automate the Q&A part of onboarding? Check out Deb — she's like an onboarding buddy who never gets tired of questions.