Guide overview

What must be ready before an EOR employee starts?

Confirm the contract, work permission, payroll and equipment.

Agree the employing entity, signed terms, work permission, payroll route, benefits and working equipment before confirming the first working day. The illustrative 14-day plan has named owners and readiness checks; the actual start depends on the country, provider and hire.

Contract and permission

Clear before starting

Confirm the applicable contract and right-to-work requirements.

Employment setup

Check readiness

Agree registration, payroll and benefits requirements with the EOR.

Equipment

Confirm delivery

Order against the employee’s confirmed delivery date.

Payday

Plan a compliant route

Agree how contractual and statutory payment dates will be met.

Check before acting

Use a country-specific plan and start only after the EOR clears the applicable requirements.

What to record in the worksheet

Scope

Task or required check · Country and employee · Person responsible

Evidence and follow-up

Dependency · Due date / timezone · Evidence · Employee action · Readiness status

Use the editable worksheetUse the onboarding checklist

Complete these checks before setting the first working day

The applicable country rules and the written offer determine what must be completed before the start.

Gate Evidence needed Owner to confirm
Gate
Work location and permission
Evidence needed
Actual work country, immigration status and any required checks.
Owner to confirm
EOR; employee supplies documents.
Gate
Employment terms
Evidence needed
Correct employer, role, pay, date and required local documentation.
Owner to confirm
EOR and employee; client checks commercial terms.
Gate
Registrations
Evidence needed
Required registrations and their legal deadlines, with status recorded.
Owner to confirm
EOR, including any local partner.
Gate
First pay
Evidence needed
Contractual payday, onboarding cutoff and any off-cycle payment that meets local pay rules.
Owner to confirm
EOR payroll and client finance.
Gate
Benefits
Evidence needed
Statutory arrangements and confirmed start date for promised insured cover.
Owner to confirm
EOR or insurer; client approves the package.
Gate
Tools and first-week work
Evidence needed
Delivered equipment, tested access and a named manager.
Owner to confirm
Client IT and hiring manager.

An active login tells you the account is ready. Get the EOR’s written clearance for this employee and resolve any pay or coverage gap before confirming they can start work.

Confirm readiness before the start date
Legal readiness

Employment documents and any work authorization are ready.

Pay and benefits

Payroll funding, payment timing and enrolment are confirmed.

Equipment and access

Required tools and access are available.

Manager readiness

The manager owns the first-day plan.

Confirm the start date

Set the date around the dependencies that apply to this hire.

Illustrative dependency map. Several tasks can run in parallel.

How to use the illustrative 14-day onboarding plan

Day one in this plan is the day the employee accepts the offer. We count calendar days, while a supplier may quote delivery in working days. Your team provides the offer details and equipment and sets up time with the manager. The EOR handles the contract, registrations, benefits and payroll. The employee supplies their documents and signs. Each task names the person the next one depends on.

Request the local onboarding schedule and a delivery date for the equipment before you set the start date. Benefits enrolment and first payroll also have deadlines, so start those conversations while the contract is being prepared.

This example assumes the EOR employs through its own entity and the hire already has permission to work where they live. If the EOR uses a local partner, ask which entity will employ the person and who needs to approve the start. If the hire needs a visa, get a separate timeline for that country and case.

The plan also assumes the EOR agreement is signed and you are onboarding your first hire. If you have not picked a provider yet, do that first. The EOR cost guide sets out the inputs for your hiring budget.

Day 1: send complete offer data to the EOR

Incomplete offer information can delay drafting; ask which missing items block the next step. Send one message with everything:

Send the local employer the role, work location, pay, working time and proposed start so it can identify missing drafting inputs.
Ask which missing item would stop contract drafting. Assign that item first.
1
Identity: legal name as written on the passport, residential address, nationality and work-authorization status in the country of residence.
2
Role: job title, seniority, manager, working hours and the city where the work happens, because some statutory items (transport allowances, regional holidays, collective agreements) depend on the city.
3
Money: base salary in local currency, variable pay and how it is calculated, signing bonus, allowances and equity if any.
4
Terms: start date, probation length and any notice terms you want above the statutory floor.
5
Extras: supplemental benefits tier and equipment needs, both of which have deadlines later in the plan.

An Italian passport and an interview from Germany tell you little about where a candidate living in Spain will do the job. Ask where the person will usually work and whether any work will take place across borders. Have the EOR assess those facts for employment, tax and social security before it drafts the offer.

Set the start date with the payroll cutoff in mind. If the ordinary cutoff cannot be met, agree a payment route that still satisfies the contractual payday and local law before the hire starts.

Days 2–3: review the local employment contract

Review the country template’s mandatory provisions with the EOR, including working-time limits, minimum leave, notice floors and a 13th-month salary where the law or a collective agreement requires one. Do not agree terms below a mandatory floor. Ask the EOR to explain the applicable law, collective agreement and any permitted variation, then review the commercial terms:

1
Salary, title and start date, exactly as offered, because a typo means a redraft and a lost day.
2
Probation length, set within the applicable law and collective agreement and appropriate for the role (see the probation and notice rules below). Confirm the actual trial arrangement, permitted amendment or renewal procedure and local notice rules before changing it; do not assume that an early pass or extension is always available.
3
IP and confidentiality language. Identify the type of right, its initial holder and any statutory reporting or claiming step, then verify the effective employee–EOR–client transfer chain. For example, German service-invention rules can involve claiming by the legal employer before onward transfer, so a direct-assignment phrase may not cover every right.
4
Non-compete terms, only where they are enforceable and you need them. Germany requires compensation of at least 50% of final pay for a post-contract non-compete, so do not add one by default.

Before you approve the first draft, read our guide to the nine EOR contract clauses and confirm any amendment charge.

Changes after signature are slow because an amended contract goes back through drafting and review. Deel’s help center quotes 3–5 business days per amendment request, and up to 10 for complex cases.

Days 4–5: employee review and right-to-work checks

Give the employee at least 48 hours with the contract. Meanwhile, the EOR platform collects their documents: passport or national ID, tax identification number, social-security number, bank details (IBAN in most of Europe), proof of address and professional certificates for regulated roles.

The right-to-work check must be complete before the start date. The EOR runs it as the legal employer, but get written confirmation. In the UK, since 13 February 2024, the civil penalty for employing someone without a valid check has been up to £45,000 per worker for a first breach and £60,000 for a repeat. A compliant check may establish a statutory excuse, subject to the Home Office rules and exceptions, including knowledge of illegal working.

Complete the right-to-work checks and documentation required before work begins, and record any registration deadlines that fall later. Do not assume that an unsigned document makes someone uninsured or prevents an employment relationship from arising. Avoid informal early work while requirements remain unresolved.

By this checkpoint, obtain both signatures and complete the employee’s onboarding documents.

Days 6–8: check equipment delivery and IT access

Order hardware after offer acceptance, working backward from a confirmed delivery date. International delivery can take ten working days or longer, depending on the route and customs. Allow for possible customs delays in Brazil or India.

Route How it works Best when
Route
Deel IT (built on Hofy, acquired 2024)
How it works
Device procurement and lifecycle support through Deel IT. Confirm availability for the destination, delivery commitment, customs/duties, device management and offboarding retrieval in the actual quote; do not treat a global marketing estimate as the hire’s delivery date.
Best when
You use Deel as your EOR and want one system of record.
Route
Firstbase (part of AppDirect)
How it works
AppDirect-owned procurement and device lifecycle platform, separate from your EOR. Confirm the destination, customs and duties, storage, repairs, device-management scope and retrieval terms. Ask for the quoted delivery commitment and its conditions rather than assuming a published aggregate delivery rate applies.
Best when
You hire in more than one country or expect churn, and your EOR is not Deel.
Route
Local procurement
How it works
Purchase locally or arrange a payroll stipend. Compare the full device, support, warranty and retrieval cost. Confirm local tax and expense-documentation treatment before choosing reimbursement or a cash stipend.
Best when
One hire, one easy-shipping country, and you accept the retrieval risk.

Fig. 1 · Three equipment routes for international hires, compared by fit

When you order the laptop, record who owns it and who will collect it when the employee leaves.

Days 7 and 8 cover IT setup, which you cannot hand to the EOR. The EOR is the legal employer, but your systems, data and access decisions stay with you. Before the first day:

1
Create the email account and the identity-provider login (Okta, Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra), and put the new hire in the right groups so app access follows automatically.
2
Enroll the device in MDM before it ships, using zero-touch enrollment through Apple Business Manager or Windows Autopilot, so the laptop arrives configured.
3
Request access now to systems with approval queues (code repositories, CRM, finance tools), and obtain each system owner’s expected approval time.

By day 8 in this example, test the setup the employee needs for their first task. When the laptop arrives, they should be able to sign in and get to work without waiting for another access approval.

Days 9–11: benefits enrollment and payroll readiness

Provide the required information and confirm statutory enrolment and effective dates with the EOR. Registering the employee for social security, healthcare and state pension is the EOR’s legal duty and part of employment registration, so ask it to confirm the registration is complete. Two other items need your attention:

In the example, the 22nd start follows the 11th-day cutoff. Agree a compliant first-payment route and date before work begins.
Ask about an off-cycle payment or another way to pay on time under local rules if the routine run would miss the employee’s due date.
1
Supplementary health, dental and life cover may be required by local law, a collective agreement or the employment terms. Confirm which coverage the EOR must arrange and which additional options you are choosing. They follow the insurer’s joiner deadline rather than the EOR’s calendar, so get that deadline in writing and confirm the enrollment went through. Our benefits administration guide covers what is standard in each region.
2
UK pension auto-enrolment starts on day one of employment. The employer may use postponement for up to 3 months but must give the notice no later than 6 weeks and one day after postponement starts, and the employee can opt in during the postponement. The EOR handles this, but find out whether it postponed, because the employee will ask you.

The payroll cutoff governs routine processing. Here are two examples, current as of June 2026:

1
Remote: the standard cutoff is the 11th at 23:59 UTC, and some countries use the 16th. Contract amendments and data changes are due earlier, by the 5th, to make that month’s run.
2
Deel: the EOR cutoff is the 20th of the month in most countries, and expenses need client and Deel approval by the morning of the cutoff day.

Check that the EOR has put the hire on the country’s payroll and has the signing bonus, relocation allowance and first expenses before cutoff. For a start on the 22nd after an 11th-day cutoff, get the first pay date in writing before work starts. If the ordinary run would miss the deadline, agree an off-cycle payment or another way to meet the payday. Use the monthly EOR payroll calendar to track the handoff.

Days 12–14: final checks and the first working day

On day 12, ask the employee whether the laptop arrived. The day 8 tracking update can’t confirm that. Give them the week-one calendar, the name of their buddy and a first task they can finish that week.

The manager runs day 13, the first day, which covers four things:

1
A 30-minute welcome call with the manager in the first two working hours of the employee’s day, in their time zone, not yours.
2
Team introductions booked through week one, 20 minutes each, with a one-line “why you’ll work with this person” in the invite.
3
The 30/60/90 expectations document, shared in writing on day one, because later probation decisions depend on whether expectations were ever stated.
4
An agreed, written overlap window of two to four hours of shared working time.

On day 14, schedule a daily 15-minute check-in for the first week, then twice-weekly one-to-ones through probation. Book review dates, for example at the halfway and 80% points, early enough to meet the actual probation, notice and procedural deadlines. Also book a 20-minute payslip walkthrough for after the first payroll run and invite the EOR’s payroll contact. A German payslip has a dozen deduction lines that a US or UK manager cannot explain on the spot.

Give the employee a usable welcome pack

Put the legal employer’s name, signed terms, first payday and payslip instructions in the welcome pack. Tell the employee when benefits start, how to enrol or ask for leave, and how to get their equipment and sign in. Include the manager’s and payroll team’s contact details and where to escalate a problem. If anything is pending, name the person following up. Ask what else the employee needs for day one.

The welcome pack identifies the employer, first payday and payslip access, benefit start and enrollment, and contacts for help.
Give each pending item an owner and tell the employee where to follow up.

An illustrative 14-day international onboarding checklist

The table pastes into Sheets or Notion as 14 rows, one per day, each showing who is responsible.

Day Task Owner
Day
D1
Task
Send the complete offer data pack: identity, role, money, terms, benefits tier, equipment needs. Confirm habitual work location, planned cross-border work and right-to-work status; obtain the EOR’s country clearance.
Owner
You
Day
D2
Task
EOR drafts the local contract from the country template.
Owner
EOR
Day
D3
Task
Review commercial terms: salary, title, start date, agreed probation terms that local law allows, IP assignment.
Owner
You
Day
D4
Task
Employee reviews the contract and uploads ID, tax number, social security number, bank details.
Owner
Employee
Day
D5
Task
Right-to-work check confirmed in writing; both parties sign; platform onboarding complete.
Owner
EOR + Employee
Day
D6
Task
Check equipment delivery and setup against the confirmed start date. Place orders after offer acceptance; record ownership and the return route.
Owner
You
Day
D7
Task
Create email and SSO accounts; enroll the device in MDM for zero-touch setup.
Owner
You
Day
D8
Task
Request approval-gated access (repos, CRM, finance tools); verify shipment tracking.
Owner
You
Day
D9
Task
Confirm supplemental benefits enrollment before the insurer's joiner deadline; check pension/auto-enrolment handling.
Owner
You + EOR
Day
D10
Task
Get the country payroll calendar in writing; confirm the hire is registered in the current run.
Owner
You + EOR
Day
D11
Task
Submit signing bonus, allowances, and first expenses before your country's published cutoff.
Owner
You
Day
D12
Task
Final prep: laptop delivered, week-one calendar populated, buddy named, first task assigned.
Owner
You
Day
D13
Task
First day: welcome call in their time zone, team intros booked, 30/60/90 document shared.
Owner
You
Day
D14
Task
Set the meeting schedule: daily check-ins in week one, twice-weekly 1:1s, probation reviews scheduled, payslip walkthrough booked.
Owner
You

Fig. 2 · The 14-day onboarding checklist, one row per day with owner

Turn the checklist into an onboarding tracker

Set actual dates from the country process and payroll calendar. Each task needs an owner, dependency and evidence of completion. Record any document, work-authorization or payroll dependency that requires a different start date.

The working record Fields to complete
The working record
Scope
Fields to complete
Task or required check · Country and employee · Person responsible
The working record
Evidence and follow-up
Fields to complete
Dependency · Due date / timezone · Evidence · Employee action · Readiness status
Download the editable worksheet (.xlsx)

Probation, notice and review rules to confirm

Agree any permitted probation arrangement before employment begins, choose a period appropriate to the role and book reviews. Confirm when the relevant review and notice periods start. These reference points are current as of June 2026. Confirm the contract type, collective agreement, renewal rules and any protected status.

Country Selected contract or notice rule Notice during probation
Country
Germany
Selected contract or notice rule
For an agreed probation period, §622(3) allows the two-week-notice regime for at most six months; this is not a universal trial-duration cap
Notice during probation
Two weeks under §622(3), subject to applicable contractual/collective rules. Confirm the valid form and delivery date before relying on that notice regime.
Country
Netherlands
Selected contract or notice rule
2 months (permanent contracts); none allowed on contracts of 6 months or less
Notice during probation
Immediate, either side, but the reason must not be discriminatory.
Country
France
Selected contract or notice rule
For an open-ended contract, initial periods are 2–4 months by category. A permitted renewal depends on the applicable sector agreement, contract and employee agreement; up to eight months for cadres with a valid renewal.
Notice during probation
Staged “délai de prévenance”: 24 hours to 1 month depending on time served.
Country
Spain
Selected contract or notice rule
Absent a governing collective agreement: normally six months for qualified technicians, two months for others; small-employer and short fixed-term rules differ (art. 14)
Notice during probation
Immediate, either side.
Country
Brazil
Selected contract or notice rule
90 days total, typically structured 45 + 45 (CLT art. 445)
Notice during probation
An employer’s premature ending may trigger half the remaining remuneration under CLT art. 479; check the early-termination clause and art. 481 before applying that result.
Country
United Kingdom
Selected contract or notice rule
No general statutory probation cap; use the actual contract and applicable statutory rights rather than an assumed customary period
Notice during probation
Check contractual and statutory notice separately. For ordinary unfair dismissal, Great Britain usually requires two years now, with a six-month period scheduled from 1 January 2027; Northern Ireland usually requires one year. Exceptions and other day-one protections remain.

Fig. 3 · Selected probation and notice reference points for six countries. Contract type, collective agreement and individual rights can change the result; the Great Britain/Northern Ireland distinction and Germany notice scope were checked 15 October 2026.

A probation label does not remove applicable discrimination, wage, notice or procedural rights. Schedule reviews early enough to follow the actual local process, serve valid termination notice and meet the relevant deadline. If performance is borderline, add support and obtain country-specific advice before any renewal or extension; permitted routes differ.

If the working relationship looks more like a project engagement than employment, read EOR vs contractor, which covers when each is the right choice.

Record the first-day readiness decision

Before confirming the start, name the legal employer and check the signed terms, work permission where required, payroll funding, benefits start date and employee access. Keep the confirmation and approver for each item. If a required check is still open, name who will resolve it and agree a revised date.

The start decision needs employer and authorization evidence, payroll and funding readiness, employee access, and a named approver.
An illustrative 14-day plan becomes useful when each gate has an actual date and evidence of completion.

EOR onboarding FAQs

Can my new hire start working before the contract is signed?
Use written start clearance and complete the requirements that apply before work begins in that country. There is no universal rule that an unsigned contract means no employment or insurance: UK contracts can be unwritten, and ordinary German social-insurance registration is normally due with the first payroll, within six weeks. Some sectors require earlier reporting.
What happens if we miss the payroll cutoff?
The EOR must confirm how it will meet the contractual and statutory payday. A provider cutoff does not authorize moving salary to the next month; ask about a compliant off-cycle payment or a revised start date that the employee agrees to and local law allows. Confirm the actual payment date and whether it meets local requirements. Some providers charge a fee per off-cycle run. Confirm the compliant first-payment plan with the employee before their start.
Who owns the laptop if the employee leaves?
Ownership and return duties follow the purchase or lease terms. Confirm the legal owner, retrieval service, shipping costs and any customs duties when ordering. Equipment platforms are designed for this: Firstbase includes retrieval in its device lifecycle service, and Deel IT collects rented devices at offboarding.
Can an EOR sponsor a work visa?
Some can, in some countries. Deel, Remote and G‑P each offer visa sponsorship in a subset of their markets and quote immigration timelines in months. The 14-day plan assumes your hire already has the right to work where they live, so if they need sponsorship, obtain a case-specific immigration assessment and timeline before setting a start date.
Is 14-day EOR onboarding realistic in every country?
No. Get a country-specific schedule covering the required documents, work permission, contract review, benefits and first payroll. Ask which entity will employ the hire and who owns each outstanding step. Confirm the start date from those prerequisites and the actual payroll calendar.
Do I need to handle benefits myself with an EOR?
You choose the package and supply required information; confirm and monitor the EOR’s statutory and supplementary enrolment duties. The EOR registers the employee for social security, healthcare and pension contributions as part of employment registration. For supplementary cover, first confirm any mandatory country or collective-agreement requirements. Pick the tier when you send the offer data, get the deadline in writing and confirm enrollment in week two.

Sources and policy check dates

The sources behind this guide, grouped by topic. Dates show when we last checked a page. Prices and terms change, so confirm them in your quote.

Right to work, registration, pay and pensions

6 sources

  1. United Kingdom · Home Office

    Code of practice on preventing illegal working

    Civil penalties were raised to a maximum of £45,000 per worker for a first breach and £60,000 for a repeat, effective 13 Feb 2024.

  2. Germany · Deutsche Rentenversicherung

    Social insurance registration duties for employers

  3. Germany · German Customs (Zoll)

    Anmeldung und Beitragspflicht

    A new employment is reported with the first payroll, within six weeks at the latest. Immediate reporting at the start of work applies only in listed sectors such as construction and hospitality. Checked Sep 2026

  4. Germany · gesetze-im-internet.de

    DEÜV §6, registration

    Used in the onboarding example. Checked 3 Oct 2026

  5. United Kingdom · The Pensions Regulator

    Automatic enrolment postponement guidance

    Postponement notice deadline

    Postponement of up to 3 months. The notice deadline was checked 15 Oct 2026.

  6. Brazil · Presidência da República

    Lei 4.090/1962

    The statutory 13th salary.

Contract, probation and dismissal rules

13 sources

  1. United Kingdom · GOV.UK

    Employment contracts

    Written statement of employment particulars

    Used in the onboarding example. Checked 3 Oct 2026

  2. European Union · EUR-Lex

    Rome I Regulation, Article 8

    Used in the onboarding example. Checked 3 Oct 2026

  3. Germany · gesetze-im-internet.de

    Civil Code: BGB §622(3)

    Two-week notice during agreed probation for at most six months; not a universal duration cap. Checked 15 Oct 2026

  4. Netherlands · Overheid.nl

    Civil Code, Book 7: art. 7:652

    Probation is capped at 2 months on permanent contracts and not allowed on contracts of 6 months or less.

  5. France · Code du travail numérique

    Période d’essai

    2 to 4 months by category, with a staged délai de prévenance. The statutory provisions are French Labour Code art. L1221-19 to L1221-26.

  6. Spain · Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE)

    Workers’ Statute, consolidated text

    Article 14 sets the probation limits.

  7. Brazil · Presidência da República

    CLT consolidated text

    Arts. 445 and 479: the 90-day probation cap and the early-termination indemnity.

  8. United Kingdom · Acas

    Employment Rights Act 2025

    Great Britain’s scheduled six-month ordinary unfair-dismissal qualifying period from 1 Jan 2027; not the Northern Ireland rule.

  9. United Kingdom · GOV.UK

    Unfair-dismissal eligibility

    The Great Britain and Northern Ireland distinction. Checked 15 Oct 2026

  10. United Kingdom · business.gov.uk

    Government employer guide: unfair dismissal rights

    Great Britain scope and the scheduled Jan 2027 change. Checked 15 Oct 2026

  11. Germany · gesetze-im-internet.de

    Commercial Code: HGB §74

    A post-contract non-compete requires compensation of at least half of final pay.

  12. Germany · Federal Labour Court (BAG)

    Press release on case 8 AZR 453/21, 25 August 2022

    Quotes HGB §74(2): a post-contract non-compete requires compensation of at least half of final pay for each year it runs. Checked Sep 2026

  13. Germany · gesetze-im-internet.de

    ArbnErfG §6

    Employer claiming of German service inventions. Checked 15 Oct 2026

Provider help centers and announcements

3 sources

  1. Deel

    Payroll cut-off datesFlexible payroll announcementIntroducing Deel ITImmigration services

    The payroll cut-off is the 20th of the month in most countries (checked Sep 2026); the EOR cutoff extension to the 20th rolled out in 2023. Deel IT is historical service background: confirm current destination and delivery scope. Immigration and visa sponsorship are offered in a subset of markets.

  2. Firstbase

    IT procurement servicesAppDirect acquisition

    IT procurement and device lifecycle; confirm the actual destination and service quote. AppDirect’s Firstbase acquisition is dated 17 Dec 2024 (checked 15 Oct 2026).

  3. Remote

    Payroll cutoff

    Payroll cutoff on the 11th of the month at 23:59 UTC, or the 16th in some countries.

If you spot a changed price or a conflicting source, send it through the contact page and we’ll review it.

This guide is for general information only and does not provide legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice. For advice about your business, consult a qualified professional familiar with the rules where you hire. Read our research methodology to learn how we assess sources.