End-of-Year HR Checklist Template

Prepare for ACA compliance responsibilities, including:

• Calculate number of Full-Time Employees (FTEs)
• Perform Affordability Test on your benefits offerings
• Double-check status of grandfathered plans to see if they can carry over
• Distribute Health Insurance Marketplace Notices to employees
• Consider amending employee pre-tax contribution to FSA to meet any increases
• Prepare for reporting Forms 1094-C and 1095-C to the IRS
• Prepare to distribute written statements to your employees

Examine benefits package, including:

• Compare your offering to market averages to stay competitive
• Update benefits package (if needed)

Other

• Finalize employee open enrollment details
• Verify employee dependent coverage
• Distribute new health insurance cards to employees
• Ensure proper end-of-year PTO carryover in the system or pay employees out for PTO, depending on your policy

Review company-wide salaries, including:

• Perform cost-of-living adjustment, if necessary
• Compare your offering to market averages to stay competitive

Other

• Schedule & issue holiday bonuses
• Prepare for the first payroll run of the new year
• Confirm new year payroll schedule
• Order W-2s and 1099s
• Review employee wage, tax, and withholding information (such as W-4s)

• Ensure employee classification compliance
• Update employee handbook
• Audit personnel files for compliance
• Verify that correct labor laws are properly posted
• Research new state, city, or federal labor laws
• Update OSHA logs
• Distribute annual notices to employees, e.g. ERISA
• Ensure that anti-harassment training is completed
• Move terminated personnel files to storage

Review hiring processes

• Analyze recruiting process, onboarding length, etc.
• Have departments check staffing needs to plan for new hires
• Create and update succession plans
• Update job descriptions

• Review HR budget for the new year to begin to allocate resources
• Perform annual performance reviews
• Plan holiday party
• Make departmental New Year’s resolutions
• Review and update company policies
• Remind employees to update information (addresses, tax documents, etc.)
• Review vendor contracts and set up renewal details
• Back up any necessary HR data and personnel files
• Clean and organize personal workspaces
• Create and distribute vacation calendar for new year