New Client Onboarding Document Checklist
When you take on a new client, you typically need to collect three things before work can start: a signed agreement that sets the scope and terms, the contact and billing details you will communicate and invoice through, and any access, credentials, or background files the work depends on. The exact list depends on what you do — a bookkeeper needs bank access a designer does not — so use the checklist below as the standard starting point, remove what does not apply, and send it.
For Agencies, consultants, accountants, and any service business onboarding a new client. Last updated June 2026.
18 items selected
Frequently asked questions
- What should be on a new client onboarding checklist?
- A new client onboarding checklist covers the agreement (a signed engagement letter or service agreement and the accepted proposal), the contact and business details you will communicate and bill through, the billing setup (payment authorization, PO, tax-exempt certificate), and any access, credentials, brand assets, or background files the work depends on. Keep the items that apply to the engagement and drop the rest.
- What is the difference between a client onboarding checklist and an intake form?
- An intake form is what a client fills in to give you their information. An onboarding checklist is the full set of documents and access you need to collect to start the engagement — the signed agreement, billing authorization, credentials, and assets, of which the intake form is one part. Onboarding is not done until every item on the checklist is collected.
- How do I collect onboarding documents from a new client?
- The fastest way is a single secure upload link. Instead of emailing back and forth for the contract, the logins, and the assets, you send one link, the client uploads each item from their phone or laptop with no account to create, and you see exactly what is still missing. That is what this checklist becomes when you send it with DokuTrak — and sensitive items like credentials never sit in an email inbox.
Sources
- U.S. Small Business Administration — Business Guide
- Nacha — ACH Network (payment authorization standards)
- IRS — About Form W-9
This is a general checklist. Confirm the exact documents for your client's specific situation.
Other checklists
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Everything a 1040 client needs to send you: income forms, deductions, and ID.
Monthly bookkeeping
The monthly-close packet a bookkeeper needs from each client to reconcile the books.
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The income, asset, and ID documents a borrower needs for a mortgage application.
Law firm client intake
The intake packet a law firm collects from a new client: ID, signed engagement, conflict-check info, and the documents that establish the case.
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