📝 Overview
This article covers everything you need to add a new worker to payroll: what information to have on hand, how to create the worker profile, how to send a self-onboarding invitation, and how to track payment readiness.
🔑 What You'll Need
Before adding a new worker, make sure you have the following information available. Workers will be prompted to provide some of this during self-onboarding, but you'll need it on hand to complete the process.
Personal Information
Full legal name
Home address
Social Security number (or taxpayer identification number)
Date of birth
Contact information: phone number and email address
Employment Information
Job title or position
Start date
Employment status: full-time, part-time, temporary, etc.
Work location or department
Worker classification: employee or contractor
Compensation Details
Pay frequency: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.
Wage or salary rate
Any additional compensation: overtime rate, bonuses, commissions, etc.
Tax Forms
Form W-4 (Employee's Withholding Certificate): New employees must complete and sign this form to determine federal income tax withholding, including withholding allowances and filing status.
Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification): Federal law requires employers to verify the identity and employment authorization of all new hires. Employees must complete Section 1 on or before their first day of work and provide supporting documentation within three business days.
Payment Method
If paying via direct deposit, you'll need the worker's bank name, account number, and routing number.
🛠️ Add a Worker
Click the arrow to view the process
Click the arrow to view the process
Navigate to the employer and select Worker List
On the right side, select Add Worker
Complete the worker's details:
Basic info: Worker's legal name
Display name: How the name appears in the account
Worker type: Employee or contractor
Is this worker currently active?
Select Add Worker
📱 Worker Self-Onboarding
To make it easy for workers to enter their own information, such as home address, tax details, and payment method, you can send them a self-onboarding invite link to complete on their own.
You can send the onboarding link directly through the Add Worker form by selecting the "Send onboarding invitation" option.
🔍 Worker Payments Readiness
Before a worker can be paid, their profile must be fully completed. You can track completion status for all workers in the Worker List under the Payments Readiness column.
To see exactly what's missing for a specific worker, navigate to their profile. On the Overview tab, under Worker payments readiness, you'll find a status indicator along with a list of outstanding items. Once all items are completed, the status will update to Ready and you can process payroll for that worker.
Readiness Statuses
Below are the four statuses a worker profile can have:
Status | Description |
| Initial state when a worker is created and is being onboarded. A worker cannot be paid in this status. |
| All personal information and requirements have been completed. The worker is ready to be paid. |
| The worker was previously in |
| The worker was previously in |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.
Click the arrow to view frequently asked questions
Click the arrow to view frequently asked questions
Do I need to collect all required information before creating the worker profile?
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Click the arrow to see the answer
Not necessarily. You can create the worker profile with basic information (legal name, classification, and active status) and send a self-onboarding invite for the worker to complete the rest. The worker's profile will remain in ONBOARDING status until all required information has been provided.
What if the worker doesn't have an email address on file?
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Click the arrow to see the answer
If no email address has been entered on the worker's profile, you won't be able to send the onboarding invite by email. Instead, select Copy invite link after creating the link, and share it with the worker directly through another channel.
Can I add a worker who is no longer active?
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Click the arrow to see the answer
Yes. When completing the worker details during setup, you'll see the option "Is this worker still active?" which allows you to indicate whether the worker is currently employed. Inactive or terminated workers who worked during the current calendar year should still be added to ensure year-end tax forms are generated correctly.
What does PARTIALLY_READY mean, and can the worker still be paid?
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Click the arrow to see the answer
A PARTIALLY_READY status means the worker was previously fully set up but something has since changed in at least one jurisdiction, such as a home address update that introduces a new state tax requirement. Workers in PARTIALLY_READY status may still be payable in some jurisdictions. Review the outstanding items listed on their profile's Overview tab to resolve the gap.
What's the difference between ONBOARDING and NOT_READY?
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Click the arrow to see the answer
ONBOARDING is the initial state for any newly created worker profile. NOT_READY applies to workers who were previously fully set up but have since lost that status due to changes across all jurisdictions. In both cases, the worker cannot be paid until the missing requirements are resolved.
Is there a way to add multiple workers at once?
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Click the arrow to see the answer
Workers are added individually through the Worker List. If you're migrating from another payroll system and need to bring over multiple workers at once, refer to the applicable payroll migration guide for your previous provider.