What to gather before day one, the S-2200 deadline, what the digital work card removes and how the employee’s first access should work.
The deadline that drives the process
A hire must be filed in eSocial (event S-2200) by the day before work starts. That deadline organises everything else: whatever isn’t ready before turns into a fine, or into a hire registered with a date that isn’t the real one.
The practical consequence is simple: onboarding starts when the offer is accepted, not on the first day of work. The pre-employment medical exam, the documents and the record all have to fit in that window.
Documents that are still mandatory
The employee’s CPF and the CPF of dependents who will count for income tax or family allowance, date of birth, mother’s full name and full address. The CPF is the key in eSocial: get it wrong and the event is rejected.
The medical certificate (ASO) from the pre-employment exam, issued before work starts. Without a valid ASO the hire exists on paper, but the company is exposed in an inspection and in an accident.
Bank details for payment, proof of education when the role requires it, military and voter documents where applicable, and dependent documentation for benefits.
What the digital work card changed
The work card is digital and the record is filed through eSocial: there is no physical booklet entry for a new employment relationship. The employee follows the record in the CTPS Digital app, and that is where they check the hire, the salary and any changes.
This does not remove the written employment contract, the employee register or internal controls. What changed is the medium: what used to be a stamp is now a transmitted event, with a deadline and a receipt.
Configure before day one
Schedule and shift pattern set in the record, because the schedule is what defines overtime, night premium and the hours bank from day one. A 12x36 or 6x1 pattern needs its written agreement in place before it starts.
Benefits activated with the right start date: the transport allowance only deducts 6% once the benefit is granted, and a health plan posted late produces retroactive co-payments nobody can explain on a payslip.
Cost centre and responsible manager defined, otherwise the first cost report comes out wrong and timesheet approval has nowhere to go.
The employee’s first access
The employee should get their own access to payslips, the timesheet and the annual income statement. That cuts manual requests to HR and creates a trail of who saw what, which is exactly what a privacy audit asks for.
First-access passwords must expire. An invitation email forgotten in an inbox cannot become a way in months later, which is why the temporary password expires and only HR can reissue it.
Onboarding on one screen
In Avos onboarding is a form that validates CPF, schedule, benefits and bank details before saving, files the record and prepares the employee’s first access. What usually slips (a missing ASO, a dependent without CPF, an undefined schedule) shows up as a pending item instead of a surprise at close.