Onboarding gets all the attention, but a sloppy exit costs just as much, in compliance risk, lost knowledge, and lingering system access. A repeatable offboarding checklist keeps every departure clean.
1. Acknowledge and document the separation
Record the type of separation (resignation, end of contract, authorized or just cause) and the effective date. The ground matters. It drives whether separation pay is owed. Accept resignations in writing and keep the paper trail.
2. Plan the knowledge transfer
Before the last day, have the employee document ongoing work, hand over files and responsibilities, and brief whoever picks up their tasks. This is the step most often skipped and most often regretted.
3. Run clearance and recover property
Route a clearance through the relevant departments, and recover company property, laptop, IDs, tools, documents. Any cost recovery from final pay must be based on written authorization.
4. Revoke access
On or before the last day, disable system logins, email, and building access, and reassign shared accounts. This is a security essential, not an afterthought.
5. Settle final pay and the COE
Compute and release the final pay within the expected timeline (commonly 30 days), and issue the Certificate of Employment on request. Report the separation to the relevant agencies.
6. Update records and, ideally, ask for feedback
Close out the 201 file, update headcount and payroll, and consider an exit interview, departing employees often give the most candid feedback you will hear.
Make every exit consistent
Offboarding goes wrong when it runs on memory. When the checklist, records, final-pay computation, and access list live in one system, each departure follows the same compliant path. BeavHR keeps the employee record, from onboarding to exit, in one place. Book a demo to see how it standardizes offboarding.
Related reading
- Final Pay Computation in the Philippines
- Final Pay and the Certificate of Employment
- Building an Employee 201 File
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal or tax advice, and Philippine rules and rates change over time. Always confirm the current requirements with the relevant government agencies, DOLE, BIR, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and the National Privacy Commission, or your legal counsel before acting. Last reviewed: July 2026.