Templates
Employee Form – & workplace-ready free
Free employee information form template for Excel and Google Sheets. GDPR-friendly employee master data fields for HR filing. Download now.
- 100% free
- Workplace-ready
- Excel & Google Sheets
What is an employee form (personal questionnaire)?
An employee information form (employee details form, new-starter questionnaire) collects master data for HR, payroll, and benefits. Without it, payroll cannot run correctly—names, tax identifiers, bank details, and employment terms must be on file before the first pay run.
An employee information form template typically covers personal details, tax and social identifiers (where applicable), job data, and payment information. Ordio’s version is free in Excel and Google Sheets. Manage completed forms in Ordio employee files for central, access-controlled storage.
Terms vary—"employee form", "new hire form", "personal questionnaire"—but the purpose is the same: one structured capture at joiner stage.
Fill out the employee form: step-by-step
The employee usually completes the form; HR or payroll verifies it before the first pay date. Best timing: before or on the first working day, as part of onboarding.
- Share the template: Excel, PDF, or a secure link—digital or print.
- Personal details: Legal name, date of birth, cover letter, phone, email, emergency contact if required.
- Tax and statutory IDs: e.g. US Social Security number and federal/state withholding (W-4); UK National Insurance number and starter checklist details—follow your payroll provider’s instructions.
- Employment: Start date, job title, department, contract type, contracted hours, work location.
- Bank details: Account for salary payments (format per country).
Check completeness and plausibility before payroll submission. Common errors: wrong tax withholding elections, transposed account numbers, missing start date. The Ordio template uses dropdowns and hints where possible. For urgent operational starts, collect the form as early as pre-boarding allows.
What belongs on an employee form?
Include only data needed for employment, payroll, and benefits— data minimisation under privacy law (UK GDPR / EU GDPR-style rules where they apply).
- Personal: Name, cover letter, contact, date of birth where legally required.
- Tax / payroll: Identifiers and withholding choices per country (US W-4; UK starter information; other locales per your adviser).
- Benefits / pensions: Scheme enrolment choices if applicable.
- Employment: Start date, role, department, hours, pay frequency reference.
- Bank: Account details for net pay.
Do not collect irrelevant or discriminatory data—for example political affiliation, unrelated health history, or prior salary unless local law explicitly allows and you have a lawful basis.
The Ordio template sticks to standard HR fields. More context: employee information form on our templates hub.
Payroll export vs. Excel template
| Payroll system form | Excel template (e.g. Ordio) | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Web portal or provider PDF | Excel, Google Sheets |
| Import | Direct to payroll | Manual entry or CSV handoff |
| Ideal for | Teams already on a payroll platform | Small teams, pre-payroll collection, flexible edits |
The Ordio employee form covers the same core fields most payroll setups need. Export or send the completed sheet to your provider. With Ordio employee files you avoid scattered copies and control who can view sensitive data.
Employee form for part-time and variable hours
Part-time, seasonal, and variable-hour workers still need correct master data—often with emphasis on contracted hours, pay rate, and work pattern. Some jurisdictions have simplified reporting for very small employers; your payroll adviser defines what is mandatory.
Ordio’s form supports employment type selection (full-time, part-time, casual) and hours fields so payroll can classify the role. Variable hours may need a separate process for actual time—use a timesheet or time tracking alongside the static employee form.
Combine with Ordio payroll or the payroll template when you manage mixed employment types in one team.
Tips for the employee form: privacy and compliance
Treat the form as a lawful, minimal data collection—not an open questionnaire.
Permissible: Identity, contact, tax/payroll identifiers, bank details, employment terms needed to pay and employ someone.
Avoid: Irrelevant personal questions; data you cannot justify under privacy law; fields that could enable discrimination.
Storage: Keep completed forms for the retention period your legal or payroll adviser recommends (often several years after employment ends). Restrict access; encrypt digital storage where possible. Employee representatives may have consultation rights on new HR forms in some countries—check internal policy.
With Ordio document management you store forms centrally with access controls. The Ordio employee information form template is free in Excel and Google Sheets—download and adapt to your payroll process.
Use digital employee files with Ordio
Save 5 hours per week on HR admin
Digital employee files
Documents stored securely and available anytime
Automated leave management
Manage leave requests, balances, and approvals digitally
Checklists & tasks
Structure onboarding, training, and tasks
GDPR-aligned
Data stored securely and compliantly
With Ordio:
See how Ordio streamlines HR admin
See digital employee files speed up processes · No obligation · 15 minutes
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Frequently asked questions about Employee Form – free & workplace-ready
Do I have to fill out the personal questionnaire?
There is no statutory duty, but in practice the personal questionnaire is standard: without the information (tax ID, social security, bank connection) you cannot create a wage bill. The employee fills the sheet, the employer stores it for the retention period. The Ordio Personalbogen template supports you with dropdowns and validation.
When do you need to fill out a personal questionnaire?
Best before or on the first working day - ideally during onboarding. So you have all the data in time for the first pay bill and the social security and tax office notification. The Ordio template is available as Excel and Google Sheets for free.
What do I need to fill in the personal questionnaire?
You need: personal data (name, cover letter, date of birth), tax (tax ID, tax class, denomination, children), social security (pension insurance number, sickness insurance), employment (entry date, position, type of work) and bank connection (IBAN, BIC). The Ordio Personalbogen template contains only GDPR-compliant, admissible fields and helps you not forget anything.
How can I insert a personal questionnaire in DATEV?
DATEV offers personal questionnaire (Word/PDF) for the recording in DATEV personal data. If you use the Ordio Excel template, you can export the data or transfer the filled file to your tax advisor. The fields correspond to the DATEV format. For clients with DATEV lease, the tax advisor usually uses the DATEV personal questionnaire directly.
Who needs to fill out the personal questionnaire?
The employee fills out the personal questionnaire - the employer or the pay-based agency (e.g. tax advisor) needs the information. The employee must answer valid questions; untrue information may lead to termination. The employer stores the completed sheet for the retention period.
How do I fill out the personal questionnaire for a minijob?
Minijobs require fewer fields (no pay tax, no full social security). In the Ordio Personalbogen template, you select the working type "Minijob" and fill out the relevant fields. Important: Weekly hours and hourly wages for the minimum wage (from 2026: 603,01 euros). The Minijob Center has its own forms for the message.
Is the personal sheet template free?
Yeah. The Ordio Personalbogen template is available free of Download as Excel and Google Sheets - without registration and without hidden costs. You download the template, give them to the new employee and store them in the personal file. GDPR compliant and immediately usable.
What questions can I ask in the Personalbogen?
Personal information, tax ID, tax class, denomination, pension insurance number and health insurance funds are required for payroll accounting. Inadmissible are questions about party membership, pregnancy (except for temporary contract), merit at the previous employer or KFZ mark. The Ordio template contains only permitted fields.
Can I use the personal sheet template in Google Sheets?
Yeah. The Ordio Personalbogen template is available as Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets. You can either download them and open them in Excel or copy them into Google Sheets and edit them there. Both formats contain the same fields, dropdowns and validation - GDPR compliant and free of Download.
How long do I have to keep the personal questionnaire?
The completed personal questionnaire must be stored to ensure the retention period - typically 6 to 10 years after the end of the employment relationship. With Ordio Digital Personalakte you have all documents centrally, GDPR-compliant and retrieved at any time. This is how you fulfill the retention obligation without paper chaos.