Employee Handover Document: Free Word & PDF Template

When an employee is leaving a job, a handover document gives the next person a clear starting point: what is in progress, what is due next, who can help and where the relevant files are. Use the free template below to prepare that handover. You can download a blank Word or PDF version, or fill in the same seven-part structure online without signing up.

Start here: Download the blank Word template, download the blank PDF template, or open the online handover editor. The downloads are empty templates for you to complete; the online editor lets you enter your own information.

Choose a handover template format

Use Word when you want to edit the blank template in your usual document app. Use the blank PDF as a printable worksheet. Choose the online editor to enter your role overview, projects, tasks and contacts in the browser. Pick the format your team can review and keep accessible after the employee leaves.

A handover document differs from a job description. A job description explains the responsibilities of a position. A handover explains the actual work someone is passing on, including current decisions, upcoming deadlines and practical experience. The manager agrees who will receive that information; the employee provides the working detail.

What to include in an employee handover document

1. Role overview

Describe the role in a few sentences: its purpose, main responsibilities, decisions it owns and the teams that depend on it. Add the employee's name, last working day and intended recipient. If a successor has not been appointed, name an interim owner so the document has somewhere to go.

2. Ongoing projects

For each project, record the current status, next action, deadline, responsible person and link to the working files. Separate a confirmed decision from an assumption. Someone reading the handover should know what to do next, rather than having to reconstruct the project from old messages.

3. Recurring tasks

List the work that repeats: reports, invoices, reviews, renewals or routine checks. Give each task a frequency, next due date and starting point. Include the template or checklist used and explain any exceptions. Replace broad entries such as “monthly reporting” with the steps needed to prepare the next report.

4. Key contacts

Include the relevant internal colleagues, clients and suppliers. Explain what each person handles and when to contact them. Keep the notes work-related: “Approves changes to delivery dates” is more useful than an unexplained name. Add the usual contact channel and a backup contact where one exists.

5. Access and tools

List the systems and shared resources needed for the work, their purpose and the person responsible for arranging access. Record whether ownership or permissions need changing. Keep passwords out of the document and arrange credentials through your existing IT or password-management process. Check that the recipient can open the linked files.

6. Practical knowledge and decision context

Capture details that a folder of files will not explain: why a method was chosen, what to check when something goes wrong and which exceptions need escalation. Ask for a recent example of a difficult situation and how it was resolved. Preserve useful judgement without treating every old workaround as a rule.

7. Open questions and risks

Make unfinished work visible. Note what is unresolved, why it matters, the next action and who will take it forward. State whether a deadline is confirmed or still being agreed. An open issue with an owner is easier to continue than a vague warning such as “watch this client”.

A worked employee handover example

The following is a fictional example for an operations coordinator handing over a monthly supplier review. Replace the example entries with your own work.

The entry gives the recipient an action, an owner and the context needed to continue. Use the same pattern for client work, internal projects and recurring administration.

Prepare and review the handover before the employee leaves

1. Agree the scope. The manager identifies the responsibilities being transferred, the recipient and the review date.
2. Start with live work. The employee records upcoming deadlines and unfinished projects before adding background material.
3. Talk through exceptions. Use questions such as “What would a new person miss?” and “What happens when the normal process does not work?”
4. Review a real task. Ask the recipient to describe their next action using the document. Add the missing context and confirm access.

Keep decisions and corrections in the shared document. GitLab's communication handbook offers a useful reference for documenting outcomes so people who were not in a conversation can still follow the work.

Final handover checklist

• ☐ The recipient or interim owner is named.
• ☐ Each live project has a next action, owner and deadline.
• ☐ Recurring tasks include their next due date and starting point.
• ☐ Contacts include the reason to approach them.
• ☐ Relevant files and tools are accessible to the recipient.
• ☐ Practical exceptions and unresolved decisions are recorded.
• ☐ The manager and recipient have reviewed the document.

Common questions about employee handover documents

Who should complete the handover document?

The employee supplies the detail about their work. The manager sets the scope and assigns ownership. The recipient checks that the information supports the tasks they are taking over.

What if there is no successor yet?

Assign an interim owner and record the open responsibilities. Keep the document in an agreed shared location so a later successor can use it.

How long should a handover document be?

Use enough detail to make the next tasks understandable. Link to existing instructions and files instead of copying everything into the document.

Further reading

• GitLab Handbook: Communication
• University of Giessen: Knowledge transfer during personnel changes (German)