How to invite and onboard a new contractor

Last updated: August 27, 2026

Summary: Inviting a contractor only emails them a link to create an account — on its own it does nothing. What actually onboards a contractor is an assignment, and it must exist before you invite them. Without an assignment there is nothing for the contractor to onboard into.

You must create an assignment first

A contractor cannot onboard without an assignment, so the assignment has to exist before you invite them. If you invite a contractor who has no assignment, all that happens is they create an account — there is no onboarding for them to do, and nothing moves forward.

The assignment is what drives onboarding: it ties the contractor to a client, job, pay rate, and start date, and it generates the onboarding checklist they're asked to complete. Every assignment also requires a client, so the order is always:

  1. Create the client

  2. Create the assignment for the contractor

  3. Then invite the contractor

See How do I create an assignment? and Creating clients, jobs, and assignments — what's required and what can delay going live.

Invite the contractor

Once the assignment exists, open the contractor's record under Contractors and click Invite (or Resend Invite if you've invited them before). They receive a branded email with a link to set up their account, and the checklist their assignment generated is presented to them automatically. If they do not receive it, use Resend Invite rather than sharing a link yourself — the emailed link is the only supported way in.

To onboard several people at once, use Upload on the Contractors list to add contractors from a CSV.

What happens next

The contractor works through their onboarding checklist inside the platform. The exact steps and documents depend on their job classification and work country — the platform shows the right ones automatically (for example, a US W-2 employee completes Form I-9 and a W-4; a US independent contractor completes a W-9; workers in other countries complete locally appropriate forms).

W-2 note: A W-2 worker can't submit timesheets until their Form I-9 is fully complete, including the Section 2 review. If a worker can't enter time, checking their I-9 status is the right first step.

Track onboarding progress

You can see where a contractor stands in the Onboarding/Status section of their record, or view everyone at once with the Onboarding report under Finance › Reports. If someone is stalled, resend their invite from their record.

Need help? Email support@ascen.com.