Why keep an employee master
Payroll, PF, ESI, TDS, gratuity and the full and final settlement all start from the same few facts: who the employee is, when they joined, what their statutory numbers are and where their salary goes. Keeping those in one master sheet – rather than scattered across offer letters, emails and the payroll software – means every other register can pick them up, and nothing is missed when an inspector, auditor or bank asks.
The onboarding checklist
The checklist covers 16 items: offer letter accepted, appointment letter issued, PAN, Aadhaar (masked copy), address proof, photograph, bank details, educational certificates, the previous employer's relieving letter and salary details for TDS, PF UAN and declaration, ESIC declaration, PF and gratuity nominations, background verification, policies signed (code of conduct, POSH, NDA), assets and system access, and adding the employee to payroll.
Each item is Verified (checked against the original), Received (copy collected, not yet checked), Pending or N/A. KYC is shown as Verified only when PAN, Aadhaar and bank details are all verified. Under the OSH Code, 2020 every employer must issue an appointment letter to each employee, so it is on the list for everyone.
Probation and confirmation
Enter the probation period in months (the default comes from Settings) and any extension. The confirmation due date is the date of joining plus probation plus extension. The Probation status column shows Confirmed, On probation, Due in N days or Overdue, and confirmations due within your chosen window appear on the Action List with the department, so managers can be reminded before the date passes.
Personal data and the DPDP Act
Employee records are personal data under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The template is designed to hold only what HR needs day to day: the last four digits of Aadhaar and the bank account rather than the full numbers, which should stay in the original documents or the payroll system. Keep the file access-controlled and remove records you no longer need.
Free vs Pro
The free edition has the employee master, onboarding checklist and action list. The Pro edition adds a headcount and attrition dashboard, a printable employee profile and an asset and access register for exits.
Written by Prakash Bagchi, finance professional and founder of PB Lab. Last reviewed .