How to Use Preboarding Packages

What is a Preboarding Package?

A preboarding package is a guided, step-by-step wizard sent to a new hire via email. The employee opens the link from any device, fills in the requested information at their own pace, and submits it when they are done. Their responses flow straight back into Timecloud — no manual data entry needed.

How It Works (Admin Side)

Navigate to HR > Employee Lifecycle.
Open the employee's lifecycle view and click Send Package.
The package editor opens, pre-filled with the employee's current settings. Review and adjust anything you need — toggle sections on or off, add or swap E-Sign documents, change due dates, or update assignees.
Click Send Package at the bottom of the editor to email the employee their preboarding link.
Track completion from the employee's lifecycle dashboard — each step shows whether it has been finished.

Prerequisites for Sending a Package

Before you can send a preboarding package, the following must be in place:

Work start date — the employee must have a work start date set on their profile. If no start date is set, the Send Package button is disabled with a tooltip explaining why.
Configured package — a preboarding package must be configured and saved in the employee's profile template.

If both conditions are not met, the Send Package button will be greyed out. Hover over it to see which requirement is missing.

Company Profile Requirements for Australian Preboarding

Before sending a preboarding package to an Australian employee, your company profile must be fully completed. If any required details are missing, Timecloud will show an error with a link to Settings > Overview where you can fill them in.

Make sure the following are completed in Settings > Overview:

Company name and website
Contact first name, last name, email, and mobile phone
AU Employer Details — Legal business name, ABN, branch code, legal contact name, and legal phone
Legal Address — Address line 1, city, state (valid AU state code, e.g. NSW), post code, and country

Employee Profile Requirements for Australian Preboarding

The employee's record must also meet a minimum standard before a package can be sent. If anything is missing or invalid, Timecloud shows a dialog listing exactly which fields need attention.

Minimum required fields:

First name and Last name — must start with a letter and contain only letters, spaces, hyphens, or apostrophes (60 characters max).
Email — a valid email address.

Recommended for a shorter onboarding experience:

If you also fill in the following fields, the employee skips the personal-details step in the Flare form and goes straight to bank, tax, and super:

Title
Gender
Date of birth
Mobile phone
Address (line 1, city, state, and postcode)

These fields are not required to send the package. If they are missing, the employee simply completes them inside the Flare form during preboarding.

If Lifecycle Is Not Configured Yet

When you open the Lifecycle tab and no preboarding package has been saved in Profile Template, a landing screen appears instead of the usual timeline.

If you have access to the organisation view, a Go to Profile Template button takes you straight to the configuration page.
If you do not have access, the screen advises you to contact an administrator with organisation access.

Once a preboarding package is configured in Profile Template, the normal lifecycle timeline appears automatically.

Customizing a Package Before Sending

When you click Send Package, the package editor opens with the employee's current settings pre-loaded. You can customize any part of the package for this specific employee before sending.

What You Can Customize

Toggle sections on or off — enable or disable E-Sign Documents, Profile Details, Competency Upload, Payment & Tax Details, or Additional Documents and Acknowledgements.
E-Sign Documents — add, remove, or replace documents and default files for this employee.
Profile Details — change which fields are required, optional, or hidden.
Competency Upload — add or remove competency items the employee must provide.
Additional Documents and Acknowledgements — add or update policy acknowledgements.
Welcome Letter — edit the welcome message this employee receives.
Due Date and Warning Threshold — adjust when the package is due and when warnings appear.
Assignee — change who is responsible for tracking this employee's package.

Naming a Package

You can give each package a custom name by clicking the edit icon next to the package title at the top of the editor. Type your preferred name and press Enter to confirm, or press Escape to cancel. The name appears on the employee's lifecycle timeline instead of the default numbering.

Reverting to Template Defaults

If you have customized a package and want to start over, click Copy from profile template at the bottom of the editor. This replaces the current settings with whatever is configured in the employee's profile template. Nothing is saved until you click Send Package or Save Changes, so you can still cancel.

Sending Multiple Rounds

You can send more than one preboarding package to the same employee. Each package appears as a separate row on the lifecycle timeline.

Click Send Package in the lifecycle header to create and send a new round.
If the new package differs from what the employee already has, Timecloud creates a new round automatically.
If nothing changed, the existing package is resent.
Each round is numbered on the timeline (e.g. "Preboarding Package (1)", "Preboarding Package (2)") unless you give it a custom name.

How Multiple Rounds Work for the Employee

Employees must complete packages in order. If a new round is sent while an earlier one is still open, the later round appears read-only with a message like:

You still have "Preboarding Package (1)" to finish. Complete that one first.

Once the earlier round is done, the next one unlocks automatically.

Managing Package Rounds

Each package row on the lifecycle timeline has a more options menu (three-dot icon) with the following actions:

Edit Package

Opens the package editor for that specific round. Changes are saved without sending a new email — use this to fix settings, update documents, or adjust due dates on a package the employee has already received.

Available on every package row.
Click Save Changes to apply. The employee's preboarding link reflects the updated settings.

Resend This Package

Re-sends the welcome email for that exact round. Useful when the employee did not receive or lost the original email.

Available on every package row.
Does not create a new round — it resends the same one.

Delete Package

Removes a package round and everything it was asking for, including any scheduled emails. Anything the employee has already submitted — signed documents, uploads, and details they filled in — is kept.

Only available on rounds you have customized for this employee (not the original template-based package).
A confirmation dialog explains what will be removed before you proceed.

Configuring Task Due Dates

When setting up lifecycle tasks in a profile template, the Due Date field represents a number of days relative to a meaningful employment date. The reference date depends on the phase:

Preboarding tasks — days before work start date
Onboarding tasks — days after work start date
Offboarding tasks — days before work end date
Post-termination tasks — days after work end date

For example, setting a preboarding task due date to "7" means the task is due 7 days before the employee's work start date. Setting an onboarding task due date to "3" means it is due 3 days after their start date.

The same applies to the Due Date field on the preboarding package itself — it represents days before the work start date.

E-Sign Documents

E-Sign documents are files you send to new hires as part of their preboarding package — typically a letter of offer, employment contract, or any other document you need them to review or sign. You can configure multiple documents and attach a default file to each one.

Default Files vs Per-Employee Overrides

Default file — a file you attach at the template level. Every new hire who uses this template receives that file automatically, unless overridden.
Per-employee override — a file you upload for a specific employee from their Lifecycle tab or from the Add Users table. This replaces the default for that employee only.

If a document has neither a default file nor an employee-specific file, the document will not appear in that employee's preboarding wizard (even if the E-Sign Documents section is switched on).

Configuring E-Sign Documents (Template Level)

Navigate to Human Resources → Organisation View → Profile Template.
Select the template tab, expand the Lifecycle panel, and click the pencil icon on the Preboarding Package row.
Click the pencil icon next to E-Sign Documents in the package contents list.
The E-Sign Documents modal opens, showing all configured documents.

For each document you can:

Name — give the document a name (e.g. "Letter of Offer", "NDA")
Upload a default file — click the paperclip area to attach a PDF. This file is sent to every new hire unless you upload a per-employee replacement.
Require upload of signed copy — toggle this on if the employee must upload a signed version back. Toggle off if the document is read-only (for their records only).
Description — add optional instructions or context shown to the employee.
Remove — click the delete icon to remove a document.

Click Add Document to add more documents. Click Save Changes when done.

Restore Defaults — if you've removed or renamed the seeded documents, click Restore defaults to bring back the standard "Letter of Offer" and "Employment Contract" documents.

Uploading E-Sign Documents for a Specific Employee

You can upload or replace the file for individual employees in two places:

From the Lifecycle tab

Open the employee's profile and go to the Lifecycle tab.
Click the E-Sign Documents button in the header.
The dialog shows every document configured for this employee's template.
Each row displays the document name, the currently attached file (if any), and a Read-only chip for documents that don't require a signed upload.
Click Upload file (or Replace file if one is already attached) to choose a new file.
Click Save Changes to apply your uploads.

From the Add Users table

When adding multiple employees at once, an E-Sign Documents column appears.
Each row shows upload buttons for every document that accepts a per-employee file.
Anything left blank uses the default file from the template.
Hover over a slot's tooltip to see which document it corresponds to.

Tracking Package Progress

Once a package has been sent, you can monitor per-step progress directly from the employee's Lifecycle tab:

A fraction indicator (e.g. 1/2, 3/5) appears next to the package row, showing how many steps the employee has completed out of the total.
Click the expand arrow beside the fraction to reveal the full step list.
Each step displays a green tick (done) or an open circle (pending).
If the Competency Upload step shows a yellow warning icon, it means the package asks for competencies the employee has not been issued yet. Re-send the package to include them — the next send will seed the missing competency items so they appear in the employee's wizard.

This lets you see exactly where a new hire is in their preboarding process without waiting for the full package to be submitted.

How It Works (Employee Side)

The employee receives an email with a personalised welcome message and a button to open their preboarding package. Clicking the link opens a step-by-step wizard. Depending on what the company has configured, the wizard can include any combination of the steps below.

Step 1 — Welcome

Displays the company's welcome letter (customised by the admin).
Click Start Preboarding to begin.

Step 2 — E-Sign Documents

If E-Sign documents have been configured with at least one file attached:

Each document appears as a separate section with its name and optional description.
Click Download to save the document to your device.
If the document requires a signed copy, an Upload Signed Copy button appears — upload the signed version after signing.
Documents marked as read-only show: "This document is for your records — nothing to return."
Accepted file types: PDF, PNG, JPG, JPEG. Max size: 10 MB.

Step 3 — Profile Details

Fill in the personal information fields your employer has configured. Which fields appear and whether they are required depends on how your admin has set up the profile template.
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required — you must fill them in before you can complete the package.
If you try to move forward without completing required fields, an inline error appears beneath each incomplete field explaining what is needed.
Emergency Contact — If included, enter the contact's Full Name, Relationship, Email, and Phone Number. The phone number field includes a country code picker that auto-selects based on your employment country.

Step 4 — Competency Upload

Upload copies of any required competency documents (e.g. licences, certifications, right-to-work documents).
Each item shows whether it is Required or Optional.
If a competency item has an Issue Date and/or Expiry Date configured, a date picker appears so you can record when the document was issued and when it expires. Required items must have their dates filled in before you can proceed.
Click Add files to attach documents. You can upload multiple files per item.
Some items may also include custom fields (e.g. a certification date or licence number) — fill these in alongside any uploaded files.

Step 5 — Payment & Tax Details

Provide your bank account, tax, and superannuation or KiwiSaver details. The fields displayed depend on your employment country.

Australian Employees — Flare Workflow

Australian employees complete their payment and tax onboarding through an embedded Flare form. Which steps appear in the form depends on how complete the employee's profile is at the time the package is opened:

Complete profile — if the employee's name, title, gender, date of birth, mobile, and address are already filled in, the Flare form shows only the bank account, tax file declaration, and super choice steps. This is the shorter path.
Incomplete profile — if any of those details are missing, the Flare form starts with a personal details step where the employee fills in the gaps, then continues to bank, tax, and super.

Either way, the employee completes everything inside the embedded form in one session.

Once the employee submits the Flare form:

Bank, tax, and super details are saved.
If the employee entered personal details (name, mobile, date of birth, address), those are automatically synced back to the employee's Timecloud profile. This keeps both systems up to date without any manual re-entry.
The step is marked as complete on the preboarding timeline.

Tip for admins: To give your new hires the shorter experience, fill in as many profile details as you can before sending the package. The more complete the employee record, the fewer steps they see in the Flare form.

Troubleshooting: If the form does not load or appears blank:

Allow third-party cookies for this site
Avoid private or incognito browsing
Turn off ad blockers or content blockers

If issues persist, click the Try again button to reload the form.

New Zealand Employees

New Zealand employees will see:

Bank Account — Account name and account number (15-16 digits). The account number field auto-formats as XX-XXXX-XXXXXXX-XX while you type, so you can enter or paste digits and the hyphens are added for you.
KiwiSaver — KiwiSaver status (Active, Opted out, or On savings suspension), effective date, and contribution rates (employee, employer, and ESCT). Contribution rate fields only appear when KiwiSaver status is Active.
Tax — IRD number, tax code, IR330 received status, and optional fields for tailored tax rate, student loan deduction, and child support deduction.

Australian Employees — Manual Entry (Legacy)

If the Flare workflow is not available, Australian employees will see the standard form:

Bank Account — Account name, BSB, and account number. The BSB field auto-formats as XXX-XXX while you type, so you can enter or paste digits and the hyphen is added for you.
Superannuation — Fund type (APRA regulated fund or SMSF), fund name, member number, and either a USI (for APRA funds) or Fund ABN and SMSF account name (for SMSFs).
Tax — Tax file number (TFN), employment basis, residency for tax purposes, tax-free threshold claim, and optional offsets and loan flags.

Sensitive fields (such as bank account numbers, IRD/TFN, and member numbers) are masked after you save them. If you need to change a previously saved value, click the Re-enter button next to the masked field.

Step 6 — Additional Documents and Acknowledgements

Read each company policy displayed on the page.
If a policy has an attached document, click the Download button to view the full policy file before acknowledging.
Tick the Acknowledged checkbox for every policy.
All policies must be acknowledged before you can submit.

Saving & Submitting

Save as Draft — saves your progress so you can come back later. Your link stays active for a limited time. (Note: Save as Draft is not available on the Flare payment step for Australian employees — complete it in one go.)
Next — validates the current step and moves to the next one. If any required fields are missing or contain errors, a warning notification appears listing exactly which fields need attention, and the page scrolls to the first issue so you can fix it quickly.
Complete (on the final step) — validates all steps before submitting, not just the current one. If an earlier step still has incomplete fields, the wizard navigates you back to the first step with issues and shows a combined warning listing every field that needs attention across all steps. A verification challenge appears before submission to confirm you are a real person.

Validation & Error Messages

The preboarding wizard checks your entries as you go and provides clear feedback when something needs attention:

Inline errors — each field with an issue displays a message directly below it (e.g. "This field is required", "Please enter a valid email", "Please upload a file", "Please enter a valid date").
Warning notification — a toast message appears at the top of the screen summarising all fields that need fixing, using the field names you see on the form.
Auto-scroll — the page automatically scrolls to and focuses the first field with an issue so you know exactly where to start.
Cross-step checking — when you click Complete, the wizard checks every step. If multiple steps have problems, the notification groups issues by step name.

Good to Know

Work start date required. You must set a work start date on the employee's profile before Timecloud will let you send the package.
Customize before sending. The Send Package button opens the package editor first, letting you review and adjust settings for this employee before the email goes out.
Multiple rounds. You can send more than one package to the same employee. Each round appears as its own row on the timeline.
Packages are completed in order. If you send a second round while the first is still open, the employee must finish the first one before they can start the next.
Submitted data is kept. Deleting a package round removes the configuration and scheduled emails, but anything the employee has already submitted (signed documents, uploads, filled-in details) is preserved.
Links expire. If your link has expired, contact your employer to resend the package.
One submission per round. After you complete a package round, that link cannot be reused.
Mobile friendly. The wizard works on phones and tablets — a progress bar at the top shows how far along you are.
Save often. Use Save as Draft if you need to step away. When you return, the wizard picks up where you left off.
Fix as you go. You can always click Next to check whether a step is complete — the wizard will tell you exactly what is missing before moving on.
E-Sign default files save time. Attach a default file at the template level and it applies to every new hire — override for individuals only when needed.
Empty sections are skipped. If a section is enabled in the package but has no usable content, it will not appear in the employee's wizard. For example, an E-Sign Documents section only counts documents that have a file attached, and Competency Upload only counts competencies set to Required or Optional (not "Not Required"). A warning icon in the package editor lets you know when a section is enabled but effectively empty.
Competency warning on the timeline. If you add a competency to a template after a package has already been sent, the employee will not have that competency item yet. A yellow warning icon appears next to the Competency Upload step on the timeline — re-send the package to seed the missing items.
Required fields are set by your admin. The fields marked with an asterisk are configured by your company — your admin chooses which details are mandatory for your preboarding package.
Australian preboarding requires a complete company profile. If you receive an error when trying to send a package, check that all employer details are filled in under Settings > Overview.
Employee name and email are checked for AU packages. Timecloud validates the employee's first name, last name, and email before sending an Australian preboarding package. If any are missing or contain characters the payment provider does not accept, a dialog lists the exact issues to fix on the employee's profile.
Personal details sync back automatically. When an Australian employee fills in personal details (name, mobile, date of birth, address) through the Flare form, those details are written back to their Timecloud profile. You do not need to re-enter them manually.
A complete profile means a shorter Flare form. The more profile details you fill in before sending an AU package, the fewer steps the employee sees. With a full profile (title, gender, date of birth, mobile, and address), they skip straight to bank, tax, and super.