Onboarding software UK: right to work first, everything else second

Building the UK sequence

1. Fix the right to work method per candidate type. Manual document check, the online service, or a certified identity service provider for some British and Irish citizens. The route differs by document and status, and using the wrong one leaves you without the excuse you thought you had.
2. Collect starter information the payroll needs. Starter declaration, previous employment details where relevant, and the information that sets the tax code. Getting this at onboarding rather than at the first pay run avoids an emergency code and a confused new starter.
3. Trigger pension assessment from the start date. Automatic enrolment assessment begins with employment, and communications have deadlines. If onboarding does not hand the start date cleanly to payroll, this slips quietly.

What an onboarding platform must do about right to work

The check must happen before employment starts, follow one of the accepted routes, and be recorded with the date it was made. Retention rules apply afterwards. Where a follow up check is needed because permission is time limited, a diary date has to exist and has to be actioned.

Ask any vendor precisely which routes they support and what they store. Products that hold a photograph of a passport and call it a check are offering filing rather than compliance, and the distinction only becomes visible in an inspection.

What an onboarding portal should show a new starter

Their start date, who to ask, what they need to bring or complete, and what happens on the first morning. That short list does more for the experience than any amount of branded video, and it is what people actually look for the night before.

Forms should be completable on a phone and saveable part way. New starters complete these in the evening on the device they have, and a portal that assumes a desktop generates chasing that the product was bought to remove.

Where onboarding systems meet payroll and HR

The start date, the tax information and the pension assessment all have to arrive at payroll without retyping. Where onboarding is a module of the same system, this is automatic. Where it is not, the handover is a recurring manual step with a deadline attached.

Check leavers too, since the same product often handles them. A leaver's final pay, holiday and access removal are the mirror image, and products that are strong on arrival and weak on departure are common.

Common questions

When must a right to work check be done?

Before employment begins. Doing it afterwards does not provide the protection, however complete the record looks.

Can right to work checks be done digitally?

For many people yes, through the accepted routes, and the route depends on the person's documents and status. Confirm the product supports the right one for each case.

How long do we keep the check evidence?

For a defined period after employment ends, and the record needs a date. Check the product's retention default rather than assuming it matches the requirement.

Does onboarding software handle pension enrolment?

It usually hands the start date to payroll, which performs the assessment. Confirm that handover exists, because the enrolment deadlines are unforgiving.

Coverage by country

• Employer of record vendors covering Singapore
• Employer of record vendors covering Mexico
• Employer of record vendors covering Spain
• Employer of record vendors covering Colombia
• Employer of record vendors covering United Kingdom
• Employer of record vendors covering France
• Employer of record vendors covering Hungary
• Employer of record vendors covering New Zealand