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Use case

New hire paperwork, in before day one.

For HR teams and office managers: send each new hire one checklist when the offer is accepted, set the due date before their start date, and let reminders chase what's missing.

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Last updated · Facts checked

How it works

One new hire's paperwork, four steps.

The same start for an office hire, a licensed field role or a contractor.

  1. 1

    Pick the template

    One list for each kind of role.

    Start the request from your template for the role, then add or remove documents for this new hire.

    Create a template
  2. 2

    Send a private link

    One link, no account.

    Set the due date a few days before the start date and send. Your new hire uploads from a phone or computer, and their progress is saved.

    Create a request
  3. 3

    Let reminders follow up

    Only what's missing, until it's in.

    By default, reminders go out 3 and 7 days after you send the request and shortly before the due date, listing only what's outstanding.

    How automatic reminders work
  4. 4

    Review each file

    Approve it, or ask for it again.

    Approve each document, or ask for a replacement when a policy isn't signed or a page is missing. The earlier file stays in the history.

    Ask a client for a replacement file

Features

What gets the paperwork in before the start date.

A template for each role

Build your lists for office hires, licensed field roles and contractors once, then start each request from the one that fits.

Create a template

A note on each document

Say what a document should show, or how to send it. Your new hire sees the line under that document's name.

Add, remove or rename requested documents

Due dates before the start date

Set each request's due date a few days before the person starts. It turns amber in its last three days and red once it's overdue.

Due dates and overdue requests

Replacements for unsigned forms

A policy that isn't signed, a license photo cut off at the edge: ask again with a note shown next to that document.

Ask a client for a replacement file

A link, not another login

Your new hire opens one link on any device. If it's forwarded by mistake, generate a new link and the old one stops working.

How client links are protected

ZIP download for your records

Download a new hire's documents as one ZIP for your HR system. GarnerDocs deletes them after your retention period.

Download all files as a ZIP

A new hire's paperwork, start to finish

Before anyone starts, build a template for each kind of role you hire for: an office hire, a licensed field role, a contractor. Each request gets its own copy to tailor.

When the offer is accepted, add your new hire as a client: a name and an email address. Create their request from the template that fits, remove what doesn't apply and set the due date a few days before their start date. They get one private link for the whole list, with no account or password.

As files arrive, reminders chase only what's still missing. If a policy comes back unsigned, ask for a replacement with a note your new hire sees next to that document.

When it's all in, approving the last document completes the request. Download the files into your HR system. GarnerDocs deletes them after the retention period you choose.

Signed policies and emergency contacts

Every document in a request is a file upload. For a handbook or safety policy, send your new hire the policy, ask them to sign it, and add a document for the signed copy. They upload a photo or scan of the signed page. GarnerDocs doesn't do e-signatures, and it has no form fields to fill in.

For emergency contact details, add a document for your own form. Your new hire can upload it filled in, or leave a note with a name and phone number instead. If they use a note, remove that document so reminders stop asking for it.

Example checklist

Tax and pay

  • Form W-4, and your state's withholding form where there is one
  • Direct deposit form

Policies

  • Signed handbook acknowledgment
  • Other signed policies, such as safety or IT use

The role

  • Certifications and licenses the role needs
  • Driver's license, for driving roles

Contacts

  • Emergency contact details, as a file or a note
Typical examples to tailor to each new hire

This isn't what any employment rule requires. Your own process sets what you collect for each role.

Form I-9 stays with you

Copies collected before day one don't replace the I-9 examination.

Form I-9 is the employer's to complete. Under USCIS rules, you examine your new hire's original, unexpired documents, in person or, if you're an E-Verify employer in good standing, remotely under the alternative procedure. Copies uploaded to GarnerDocs don't replace that examination. See I-9 Central and Remote Examination of Documents on uscis.gov (checked on 19 October 2026). This page isn't legal advice.

What GarnerDocs doesn't do

GarnerDocs does one job: getting paperwork from your new hires to you, complete and checked. It isn't an HR system or a payroll system, and it doesn't connect to either. It doesn't complete Form I-9, use E-Verify, run background checks or send documents for e-signature. Files are stored privately with encryption and only your team can download them. Read how on the Security page.

Questions

Do new hires need to create an account?

No. They open the private link you send them and upload from a phone or computer, with no registration and no password. Their progress is saved, so they can finish later.

Can new hires sign our policies in GarnerDocs?

No. GarnerDocs doesn't do e-signatures. Your new hire signs the copy you sent them and uploads a photo or scan of the signed page, and you review it like any other document.

Can we collect Form I-9 documents this way?

You can collect copies, but Form I-9 stays with you. USCIS rules have the employer examine the original documents, and a copy uploaded to GarnerDocs doesn't replace that.

What if a new hire doesn't have a document?

They can say so in a note from their upload page. You see it on the request, and you can remove that document so reminders stop asking for it.

How long are new hire documents kept?

For the retention period your team chooses: 30, 90, 180 or 365 days after a request is completed. Then they're deleted, and your workspace's owner is emailed 14 and 3 days before. Download what you need into your own records first.

Related

  • For HR teams and recruiters

    New hires, candidates and contractors: send each person one list through a private link, set the due date before their start date, and let reminders chase what's missing.

  • Checklist

    New hire document checklist for US employers

    Typical documents to collect from a new hire before their first day, with "why we ask" lines, and why Form I-9 documents stay off the list.

  • Templates

    Create a template

    Save a checklist you send often, then start new requests from it.

Spend less time chasing. More time doing the work that matters.

Make document collection the easiest part of working with your clients.

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