HR year end checklist
Close the year without a payroll surprise. This HR year end checklist covers the final payroll run, W-2 accuracy, benefits reconciliation and the setup work for January.
- Document without effort
- Centralize and organize
- Make easily accessible
What's in the HR year end checklist
Close out payroll
- Run the final payroll of the year before 31 December
- Decide whether early January payments count for this year
- Calculate year-end bonuses and apply the right withholding
- Reconcile quarterly filings against the year-end totals
Verify employee data
- Check every Social Security number digit by digit
- Match legal names exactly to Social Security cards
- Confirm current home addresses for form delivery
- Update terminated employee records and final pay
Benefits and compliance
- Verify coverage start and end dates for each employee
- Validate dependent information and eligibility
- Audit affordability calculations for full-time employees
- Run the ACA measurement period and hours test
Set up the new year
- Distribute W-2 and 1099 forms by 31 January
- Update tax tables, rates and contribution limits
- Load the new holiday calendar and accrual balances
- Schedule open enrolment and review dates
Run this year end pass in Whale: use Checklist to assign each block, analytics and reporting to see what is still open, and approval flows so payroll changes get signed off before they go out.
How does this free template stack up to Whale?
A static checklist template
- Customizable
- Free
- Free mobile app
Whale
- Customizable
- Free
- Free mobile app
- Employee Training tools
- Employee Onboarding tools
- Automated Workflows
- Reporting
- Insights on knowledge
- Insights on Checklist runs
Create checklists with ease
- Add and describe. Add your steps one at a time and offer a description for clarity sake.
- Add an input field. Offer the option to add comments or other inputs for each step.
Assign to your team and track
- Assign. Assign checklists to an individual or a team, in the office or on the go.
- Track completion. Monitor when and who completed which tasks in the insights report.
Frequently asked questions
Start for Free01How do I use this checklist template?
Copy the checklist into Whale and work through it step by step. Every item can carry its own description, so whoever runs it knows exactly what the step means and what done looks like.
02Can I customize the checklist for my team?
Yes. Add your own steps one at a time, write a description for each, and add an input field wherever you need someone to leave a comment or record a result.
03Can I assign a checklist and see who completed it?
Yes. Assign it to one person or a whole team, in the office or on the go, then monitor when and who completed which tasks in the insights report.
04Is this checklist template free?
The template is free to use. Whale adds the training flows, onboarding, automated workflows and reporting on top for when a checklist becomes part of how the team works.
Other features
Training Flows
Build the onboarding path once. Assign it to every new hire.
Learn about Training FlowsAI-Generated Quizzes
Turn any SOP into a quiz in one click
Learn about AI-Generated QuizzesAnalytics & Reporting
See what your team uses, what they skip, and who needs help
Learn about Analytics & Reporting