Client onboarding checklist for freelancers

Why onboarding decides the whole project

The end of the year is when many clients sign for the next one, and January is when those projects start. It's also when things slip: the access you need arrives three weeks late, nobody agreed on who approves the work, and the first invoice surprises everyone. None of that is about your skills. It's about the first two weeks.

A client onboarding checklist fixes it by making the start of every project the same: the same questions, the same documents, the same first meetings. You stop relying on memory, the client sees a professional process, and problems show up on day two instead of week six.

The client onboarding checklist

Adapt it to your work, but most freelancers and small teams need these five blocks.

1. Paperwork

Signed proposal or contract, with the scope and what is not included.
Deposit invoice sent, and the payment terms written down.
Billing details: company name, address, VAT or tax number, who receives invoices.

2. People

One main contact, and one person who approves the work (often not the same).
How they prefer to be reached, and how fast they expect an answer.
Who else on their side needs to be kept in the loop.

3. Access

Every account, tool or file you need, listed on day one, so they can be requested all at once.
Shared folder or space for deliverables.
Agree how access will be shared securely, and never by plain email.

4. Kick-off

A kick-off call with an agenda: goals, scope, milestones, risks, next steps.
A written recap sent the same day, so everyone has the same version.
The first milestone and its date, agreed together.

5. Rhythm

A regular check-in or status update, weekly for most projects.
When and how you'll report progress and send invoices.

Keep the checklist in Documents

A checklist only works if it's the same every time. On the Pro plan, Documents gives it a permanent home that your whole team shares. The Documents guide covers the basics.

Press New document and call it "Client onboarding checklist". Title words weigh the most when flags are picked, so a clear title makes it easy to find.
Write the five blocks above in Markdown, one heading each, with - list items under them. The live preview shows the result and it saves by itself.
Add a flag such as "onboarding" with Add flag.
For each new client, create a second document, "Onboarding: client name", copy the checklist into it, and fill in the answers: contacts, access requested, kick-off recap. Give it the same flag, so every client's onboarding sits together.

After each project, improve the template: add the question you wish you'd asked. After a few clients, it becomes the best description of how you work.

Turn it into tasks for each new client

The document says what to do; Tasks makes sure it gets done. When a client signs:

Create a flag for the client on the Flags page, in your account menu, for example "Acme".
Add the first-day tasks with that flag: "Send deposit invoice", "Send access list", "Book kick-off call". New tasks land on today's list.
Open each task and add the useful link under Links: the onboarding document, the contract, the shared folder. The first link shows on the task's row, one click away.
Use Filter by flags to see only that client's tasks while you set things up.
Didn't get to one? Press the re-schedule icon and it moves to tomorrow. Anything left undone shows up as a late task with a red edge, so nothing quietly disappears.

To send the client a quick status, filter by their flag and use Export undone tasks as text: it copies what's still open, ready to paste into an email. The Tasks guide covers flags, links and exports in detail.

Set the rhythm of the first weeks

Onboarding doesn't end with the kick-off. The habits you set in the first weeks are the ones the project keeps.

Weekly check-in: add a task "Acme: weekly update" with a weekly recurrence. When you complete it, the next one is scheduled automatically.
Monthly invoice: for a retainer, add "Acme: send invoice" with a monthly recurrence.
Daily email: switch on the daily task report in your Profile to get your client tasks by email, grouped by flag.
Follow up when they go quiet: if the access or feedback you need doesn't arrive, a short, polite reminder works best. See follow-up emails that get replies.

Your recurring client tasks also make your weekly review faster: every active client shows up on its own.

Tips

Ask for everything once. One access list on day one beats five separate requests over three weeks.
Recap in writing. A five-line summary after every call avoids most misunderstandings.
Name the approver. Knowing who says "yes" saves days of waiting.
Keep the template short. If it takes an hour to fill in, you'll skip it with the next client.
Close the loop. When the project ends, remove or complete the recurring tasks so they don't follow you into the next one.

FAQ

What should a client onboarding checklist include?

The paperwork (contract, deposit, billing details), the people (main contact and approver), the access you need, a kick-off call with a written recap, and the rhythm of updates and invoices.

Can my client see my tasks?

No. Tasks are personal. Share the open items with Export undone tasks as text, or send a summary from your onboarding document.

Do I need the Pro plan?

Running the checklist as tasks, with flags, links and recurrence, works on the free plan. Keeping the checklist template in Documents is part of the Pro plan.