Plane is gradually rolling out a new onboarding experience. If your workspace still uses the previous onboarding flow, refer to the guides labeled (classic).
This guide walks through how to onboard a contractor in Plane. During onboarding, both the admin or manager and the contractor complete a set of tasks to provide the information needed to begin working together and get set up for payments.
The example below shows the full contractor onboarding project, including the checklists used to configure role, payroll, agreements, and contractor profile information.
1. Start contractor onboarding
To begin onboarding a contractor:
Go to Add team member.
Enter the contractor’s basic details:
First name
Last name
Personal email
Select Contractor as the employment type.
Select the country where the contractor is based.
Before continuing, choose how you want to proceed:
Start onboarding – immediately starts the onboarding process and sends the contractor an invitation to Plane so they can begin completing their tasks.
Save for later – creates the contractor profile without starting onboarding. You can start onboarding later from the contractor’s profile.
2. Set role, compensation, and start date
Next, complete the core details for the contractor’s engagement.
These include:
Set role – provide the contractor’s job title and a short description of their responsibilities. You can also optionally assign a manager and department.
Set compensation – define how the contractor will be paid. Choose the wage type (for example per hour, per week, or per month), then enter the amount and currency for their regular earnings.
Set start date – specify the date when the contractor is expected to begin working.
3. Decide whether to add the contractor to payroll
During onboarding, you decide whether the contractor should be added to a recurring pay schedule.
Yes — add to payroll
Select the pay schedule the contractor should be paid on (for example weekly, bi‑weekly, or monthly).
Contractors with fixed compensation will receive recurring payments based on that rate.
Contractors with an hourly rate will receive payments based on hours worked.
No — do not add to payroll
The contractor will not be placed on a recurring pay schedule.
You can still pay them manually at any time.
You can also add them to a pay schedule later from the contractor’s profile.
4. Decide whether to include an agreement
Plane allows you to manage contractor agreements directly during onboarding.
In the Options checklist, you can choose whether to add an agreement for the contractor.
If you select Add agreement, you can choose one of the following options:
Use Plane’s standard agreement – Plane provides a locally compliant contractor agreement based on the contractor’s country.
Add a signed contractor agreement – upload an agreement that has already been signed outside of Plane.
I don’t need an agreement – continue onboarding without creating or attaching an agreement. You can always add an agreement later if needed.
If you create an agreement in Plane, you’ll complete a short setup step where you can configure key details such as the scope of work, the agreement’s effective date (which defaults to the contractor’s start date), and other agreement terms.
Once the agreement is created, Plane automatically adds an Agreement checklist to the onboarding project. This checklist guides the signing process:
The company reviews the agreement
The company signs and releases the agreement
The contractor signs the agreement
5. Contractor completes their profile
After receiving their invitation, the contractor will complete several onboarding tasks. These tasks appear in a dedicated onboarding page that shows only the steps the contractor is responsible for completing.
Contractors complete the following onboarding tasks:
Sign up for Plane – the contractor accepts the invitation and creates a Plane account.
Provide personal details – the contractor enters their legal name, date of birth, and citizenship.
Enter administrative details – the contractor indicates whether they are working as an individual or through a business and provides any required residency information and tax identifiers.
Add address – the contractor enters their primary address.
Set up bank account – the contractor adds the bank account where payments should be sent.
Sign your tax form – Plane automatically generates the correct tax form based on the information entered earlier in onboarding. This will typically be a W‑8BEN, W‑8BEN‑E, or W‑9. Once signed, the completed form is stored on the contractor’s profile for compliance and record‑keeping.
Sign your agreement – included when you choose to use Plane's standard agreement.
Admins can complete many of these steps on behalf of the contractor if needed. However, tasks that require the contractor’s personal signature or attestation must be completed by the contractor themselves.
6. Track onboarding progress
During onboarding, admins can view the full onboarding project and track progress across all tasks.
Contractors see a simplified onboarding page that shows only the tasks they are responsible for completing. Tasks assigned to admins or other parties are not visible to the contractor.
Once onboarding is complete, the contractor gains access to the rest of the Plane application. The onboarding page remains visible for a short period after completion (about one week) and then disappears automatically.
7. Complete onboarding
Onboarding is complete once all required tasks have been finished.
At that point:
The contractor’s profile is fully set up
Required tax and payment details are on file
The contractor is ready to receive payments in Plane
If the contractor was added to recurring payroll, they will also be included in upcoming payroll runs according to the assigned pay schedule.