# CLIENT OFFBOARDING CHECKLIST

> **Disclaimer — not legal advice.** This template is provided free of charge, as is and with no warranty of any kind, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. It is jurisdiction-neutral: you are responsible for adapting it, for your own legal and tax compliance, and for having a qualified professional in your jurisdiction review it before you rely on it. Full terms: https://trycolo.co/terms-of-use

**Client:** [CLIENT COMPANY NAME] | **Project / retainer:** [NAME] | **End date:** [DATE]
**Owner:** [YOUR NAME] | **Client contact:** [NAME], [EMAIL] | **Reason for ending:** [PROJECT COMPLETE / RETAINER ENDED / PAUSED]

Start this checklist [2] weeks before the end date. Anything still open at the end goes in the open items table at the bottom.

## Timeline at a glance

| When | Focus | Done when |
| --- | --- | --- |
| End date minus 2 weeks | Plan the close | End date, final invoice amount and wrap-up call confirmed |
| End date minus 1 week | Prepare handoff | Files and documentation ready for review |
| End date | Final delivery and invoice | Client has everything; final invoice sent |
| End date plus 1 week | Close out | Access removed, files archived, feedback requested |
| End date plus 30–90 days | Follow up | Check-in sent |

---

## 1. Plan the close — 2 weeks before

- [ ] Confirm the end date in writing with [CLIENT CONTACT]
- [ ] List remaining deliverables and agree what "done" means for each
- [ ] Check the contract for notice periods, handoff obligations and file retention terms
- [ ] Calculate the final invoice: remaining fee, unbilled hours, expenses, deposit credits
- [ ] Book the wrap-up call ([30] min) for the end date or the week after
- [ ] Tell subcontractors or collaborators the end date and their last deliverable

## 2. Final delivery — end date

- [ ] Deliver all final files in the agreed formats via [DELIVERY METHOD]
- [ ] Deliver documentation: [USER GUIDE / BRAND GUIDELINES / HANDOFF NOTES / LOGINS SHEET]
- [ ] For complex systems, run the project handoff checklist
- [ ] Ask the client to confirm receipt in writing
- [ ] Confirm any post-project support window: [e.g. 30 days bug fixes] or "none"

## 3. Billing close-out

- [ ] Final invoice sent on [DATE], number [INVOICE NUMBER]
- [ ] Deposit and earlier payments credited by invoice number
- [ ] Outstanding expenses billed with receipts
- [ ] Any credit owed to the client issued as a credit note
- [ ] Final payment received on [DATE] — or follow-up date set: [DATE]
- [ ] Retainer: confirm no further invoices will be issued after [DATE]

## 4. Access and security

| System | Your access | Action | Confirmed by / date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [CMS / WEBSITE ADMIN] | [ADMIN / EDITOR] | [REMOVED BY CLIENT / I REMOVED] | [NAME, DATE] |
| [HOSTING / DOMAIN] | [ROLE] | [ACTION] | [NAME, DATE] |
| [ANALYTICS / AD ACCOUNTS] | [ROLE] | [ACTION] | [NAME, DATE] |
| [SHARED DRIVE / CHAT WORKSPACE] | [ROLE] | [ACTION] | [NAME, DATE] |
| [SOCIAL MEDIA / EMAIL TOOL] | [ROLE] | [ACTION] | [NAME, DATE] |

- [ ] Delete client passwords from your password manager after handover
- [ ] Transfer any accounts, domains, licenses or subscriptions bought in your name: [LIST]
- [ ] Cancel or hand over recurring subscriptions you were paying and re-billing
- [ ] Send the client a written note listing all access removed

## 5. Files and records

- [ ] Archive the project folder to [LOCATION], named [CLIENT_PROJECT_YEAR]
- [ ] Keep signed contract, proposals, change orders, invoices and receipts
- [ ] Set a deletion date for working files: [DATE], per contract or your retention policy
- [ ] Tell the client in writing what you keep, for how long, and how to request copies
- [ ] Remove client data from local devices and personal accounts that are not part of your archive

## 6. Wrap-up call

Agenda (send in advance):

1. Results against the goals agreed at kickoff ([10] min)
2. What worked well and what we would change ([10] min)
3. What is next for [CLIENT] — upcoming projects, open questions ([10] min)

- [ ] Notes sent to the client the same day
- [ ] Any follow-on opportunity logged: [DESCRIPTION, NEXT STEP, DATE]

## 7. Feedback, testimonial and referral

- [ ] Send feedback request (form or three questions) within [2] days of the call
- [ ] Testimonial prompts sent:
  - What problem were you trying to solve before we started?
  - What changed as a result of the project?
  - What would you tell someone considering working with [YOUR NAME]?
- [ ] Draft testimonial approved by [NAME] on [DATE]
- [ ] Permission confirmed for use on: [ ] website [ ] proposals [ ] social media [ ] case study
- [ ] Specific referral ask made: [e.g. "other founders who need X"]
- [ ] Permission to show the work in your portfolio confirmed

## 8. Follow-up

- [ ] Thank-you note sent on [DATE]
- [ ] 30-day check-in reminder set for [DATE]
- [ ] 90-day check-in reminder set for [DATE]
- [ ] Client moved to [PAST CLIENTS] in your records with status and notes

**Offboarding complete — confirmed by:** ____________________ **Date:** [DATE]

---

## Open items

| # | Item | Owner | Due | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [e.g. Domain transfer pending client approval] | [NAME] | [DATE] | [NOTES] |
| 2 | [ITEM] | [NAME] | [DATE] | [NOTES] |

## Short version (small one-off jobs)

- [ ] Final files delivered and receipt confirmed
- [ ] Final invoice sent and paid
- [ ] Access removed and confirmed
- [ ] Thank-you note with a testimonial ask

---

### How to use this template

1. Start two weeks before the end date, not on the last day.
2. Fill the access table system by system and get written confirmation for each.
3. Send the final invoice the day you deliver the last files.
4. Ask for the testimonial within a week of the wrap-up call.
5. Keep the completed checklist with the project archive.

*Template provided by Colo (trycolo.co). Not legal advice — review with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.*