An offboarding checklist that closes every door
When someone leaves, their accounts should stop working on their last day — and their work should stay with the company. Here is the checklist we use.
Before the last day
- Agree the exact end date and time with HR and the manager.
- List the systems the person uses, including tools they signed up for themselves.
- Identify shared passwords they know and plan to rotate them.
- Ask the manager where the person's files and mailbox should go.
On the last day
- Disable the main account (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or directory) and sign out all sessions.
- Remove MFA methods and revoke app passwords and tokens.
- Convert the mailbox to a shared mailbox or set up forwarding to the manager, as agreed.
- Transfer ownership of files, calendars and shared drives.
- Disable accounts in other business systems: CRM, accounting, chat, VPN, code repositories.
- Collect the laptop, phone, keys and access cards.
Within a week
- Rotate shared credentials the person knew, such as Wi-Fi or supplier portals.
- Wipe and re-image returned devices before reuse.
- Release licences you no longer need.
- Record what was done and when — auditors and future you will appreciate it.
The best offboarding starts at onboarding: if every account is created through one process, every account can be removed through one process.
Onboarding and offboarding are handled end to end in our managed IT plans.