Starting a new job: the 17 items
None of it is hard, but two or three of these papers have real deadlines, and most of them will matter again years from now.
Scope: United States. Deadlines vary by state, employer and plan — confirm the ones that matter.
| Document or task | Why, where, how urgent |
|---|---|
| The offer letter | |
| ☐ The final signed offer letter or employment contract — not the draft | Salary, bonus structure, equity, start date, title, severance terms: the signed copy is what counts |
| ☐ Negotiation emails, exported or screenshotted | Promises made in email have a way of not appearing in the letter |
| Day one: the I-9 | |
| ☐ Original documents for the I-9, located the week before you start | Either one document proving both identity and work authorization (most commonly a US passport) or a combination — typically a driver’s license plus a Social Security card or birth certificate |
| ☐ Check the current acceptable-documents list on uscis.gov before day one | |
| ☐ Photograph the I-9 documents while you have them out | |
| Tax forms | |
| ☐ W-4 (federal withholding) and usually a state equivalent | The IRS withholding estimator is worth ten minutes with two incomes or a salary jump |
| ☐ Keep a copy of the W-4 you submitted | The first thing to compare against if your first real paycheck looks wrong |
| Benefits enrollment — the deadline that bites | |
| ☐ Your exact enrollment deadline — a date, not “30 days” | Most US employers give about 30 days from the start date; miss it and you generally wait for open enrollment |
| ☐ The plan summaries for each option | |
| ☐ The confirmation page once you enroll — screenshot it | |
| ☐ Keep the plan documents after you choose | You will want the plan summary next to the first medical bills and insurance statements |
| The 401(k) | |
| ☐ Your contribution election and the plan’s match terms | |
| ☐ Your beneficiary designation | It quietly outranks your will for this account; keep a copy so you know what it says |
| Don’t let the old job evaporate | |
| ☐ Final pay stub from the old job | Shows paid-out vacation and year-to-date withholding to check against the W-2 |
| ☐ The COBRA notice, if there is a gap before new coverage starts | |
| ☐ Old 401(k) statements and rollover paperwork | A statement with the plan administrator’s name is how you find the money again in ten years |
| ☐ Bonus letters, equity statements — anything proving what you earned | |
Copied from the scenario page: Starting a new job
How to use this list
Tick each box as you find or file the document; the count at the top of the widget updates and the ticks are kept in this browser’s local storage, so the list is where you left it next time on the same device. Print gives a clean page with boxes; the .txt download gives the same 17 items with [x] marks to paste into a note or send to family.
For the reasoning behind each item — why it matters and what to keep afterwards — read the full Starting a new job scenario page. The other four lists are on the document checklist page.
How to use the document checklist
- Pick the moment. Choose moving, new baby, death in the family, new job or travel from the menu. The list loads with its groups in the order the paperwork arrives.
- Tick what you have. Tap a box as you find or file each document. The count at the top updates; ticks are saved in this browser so the list is where you left it next time.
- Print or download. Print gives you a clean paper checklist with boxes. Download .txt gives you the same list as text, with [x] for ticked items.
- Read the full scenario when something is unclear. Every list links the page it was copied from, which explains why each document matters and what to keep afterwards.