This free probation review checklist runs one new employee’s probation period, from the terms in the contract to the outcome. HR checks the probation terms in the contract and the written statement, the line manager agrees objectives and the standards expected in the first week, and short check-ins are logged until a mid-point review. Concerns at the mid-point bring a support plan. A final review before the end date leads to the line manager’s recommendation: pass, extend once, or not pass. HR checks the record, the decision maker decides with reasons, and the employment is confirmed in writing or ended with notice, a letter and the return of equipment. Pick the country on the first task to see the UK or US notes. Once probation is passed, the Employee Performance Review Checklist takes over.
A probation period is a time at the start of employment to check that a new employee suits the job, and that the job suits them. There is no legal requirement to have one in the UK, and it can be any length, so what matters is that the terms are written down, the employee knows what good looks like, progress is reviewed honestly and the decision at the end follows from the record.
This checklist runs one employee’s probation, from the contract to the outcome. It sits beside onboarding: the Employee Onboarding Checklist gets a new starter set up and settled, and this checklist decides whether the employment is confirmed. Three other checklists cover nearby processes.
Covers: one new employee, from the probation terms and first-week objectives to check-ins, the mid-point and final reviews, an extension if needed, the decision, and confirming or ending the employment.
Where: the UK (England, Scotland and Wales) and the United States, or general.
Output: a decision with its reasons, made on a dated record the employee has seen.
Covers: the yearly review cycle for established employees: self-assessment, evidence, calibration, the conversation and the development plan.
Use it: once probation is passed; the last tasks here hand over to it. Employee Performance Review Checklist.
Covers: a formal plan for an established employee who is not meeting the standard: objectives, support, check-ins and an outcome.
Use it: for capability problems after probation. During probation, the mid-point support plan and an extension do the same job. Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Process Checklist.
Nine phases follow one employee from the terms in the contract to the outcome. The country on the first task shows the UK or US notes and tasks, or keeps the checklist general. Concerns at the mid-point add a support plan, a recommendation to extend adds Phase 6, a recommendation not to pass adds a check by HR, and the decision shows either the tasks to confirm the employment or the tasks to end it. The decision maker’s decision is the gate: nothing after it can be completed until it is recorded.
Start this checklist when the offer is accepted. Enter the start date, the mid-point review date and the probation end date on the first task: Phases 1 and 2 count in business days from the start date, Phase 3 from the start date and back from the mid-point review date, Phase 4 from the mid-point review date and Phase 5 back from the end date.
Make the probation clear in the first week: what it is for, how long it lasts, what good looks like and how progress will be reviewed. A clear start is what makes the final decision fair.
Short, regular conversations between the formal reviews. Acas suggests informal check-ins throughout probation, so the outcome is never a surprise. Phase 3 counts from the start date and back from the mid-point review date.
A formal one-to-one review about halfway through, counted from the mid-point review date on the first task. If there are concerns, four tasks add a support plan, a check on other causes, a written note of what must improve and a follow-up review.
The final review takes place before the probation end date on the first task, which this phase counts back from. The line manager recommends one of three outcomes and sets the date the probation now ends: the original end date, or a new one if the probation is extended.
This phase applies only when the recommendation is to extend. Extend once, with reasons, new objectives and a new end date, confirmed before the original end date. The first three tasks count in business days from the day the recommendation is recorded, the last two back from the date the probation now ends.
HR checks the record, then the decision maker decides: confirm the employment or end it. The decision is the gate: nothing in Phases 8 and 9 can be completed until it is recorded. Both tasks count back from the date the probation now ends.
The decision shows one set of tasks: three to confirm the employment, or five to end it. They count from the date the probation now ends.
Whatever the outcome, keep the record and learn from it. These tasks count from the date the probation now ends.
The points that shape a probation review, with the source for each. The country on the first task shows the matching notes in the checklist.
| Point | UK: England, Scotland and Wales | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Is a probation period required? | No, and it can be any length (Acas guidance) | Set by the employer; in Montana it is 12 months if the employer sets none (Montana Code 39-2-910) |
| Where the terms go | The written statement must include any probation, its conditions and its length, given on or before the first day (Employment Rights Act 1996, ss.1(2) and 1(4)(ga)) | The offer letter, handbook or contract; check none of them promises dismissal only for cause |
| Extending it | Confirm before the original period ends (Acas) and confirm the change in writing within one month (s.4) | Montana: before it ends, and no more than 18 months in all (39-2-910(2)); elsewhere, your policy |
| Unfair or wrongful dismissal | Two years’ service today (s.108); six months where the effective date of termination is on or after 1 January 2027 (Employment Rights Act 2025, s.25; SI 2026/559) | Most employment is at will; in Montana, discharge without good cause after probation is wrongful (39-2-904) |
| Protection from day one | Discrimination (Equality Act 2010, s.39) and automatically unfair reasons such as pregnancy, family leave and whistleblowing (gov.uk) | Federal anti-discrimination law covers discharge decisions (EEOC) |
| Notice from the employer | At least one week once employed for one month, while service is under two years (s.86), or the contract’s longer notice | Depends on the state, the offer letter and any union contract |
| Written reasons | On request after two years’ service (s.92), six months from 1 January 2027; Acas advises written reasons in every case | Depends on the state and your policy |
The checklist turns three dates on the first task into due dates, then counts the decision and the outcome from the date the probation now ends, which the final review sets.
| Stage | What happens | Counted from | Where in the checklist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the first day | Terms checked, objectives drafted, induction planned | Start date, counted back | Phase 1 |
| First week | Written statement, the probation explained, objectives agreed | Start date | Phase 2 |
| Every two to four weeks | Short check-ins, each one logged | Start date and mid-point date | Phases 3 and 5 |
| Halfway | Formal mid-point review; a support plan if there are concerns | Mid-point review date | Phase 4 |
| About a week before the end | Final review and the line manager’s recommendation | Probation end date, counted back | Phase 5 |
| If extended | Extension confirmed in writing, new objectives, a second final review | The recommendation and the new end date | Phase 6 |
| By the end date | HR check, then the decision | Date the probation now ends | Phase 7 |
| After the decision | Confirm or end the employment, records and lessons | Date the probation now ends | Phases 8 and 9 |
Sources. The Employment Rights Act 1996 (sections 1, 4, 86, 92 and 108), section 25 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 and its commencement regulations (SI 2026/559), gov.uk’s Dismissing staff guide, Acas guidance on probation periods, Montana Code 39-2-910 and the EEOC’s prohibited employment practices. Acas guidance is not law. Northern Ireland has its own employment law, US states vary, and this table is not legal advice.
Enter the start date, the mid-point review date and the end date, and every task gets a due date in business days: the first-week tasks, the check-ins, the mid-point review and the final review a week before the end. The decision and the outcome count from the date the probation now ends. Overdue alerts go to the people assigned, so a probation does not run past its end date unreviewed.
One answer on the first task shows the UK notes and tasks, such as the day-one written statement and the new six-month unfair dismissal period, or the US ones on at-will employment and Montana. Concerns at the mid-point add a support plan, an extension adds its own phase, and the decision shows only the tasks for confirming or ending the employment.
The decision maker’s decision is a gate: the letter, the notice and the records cannot be ticked off until it is made with its reasons, after HR has checked the record. The Reports Grid lists every probation with its answers, so HR can see which are due and which were extended, and Analytics shows completion rates and overdue work. See how approval steps work.
CheckFlow does not decide whether someone passes probation or whether a dismissal is fair. The line manager, HR and the decision maker decide, with your policy and, where needed, legal advice. CheckFlow makes sure each review happens on time, every task has an owner and the decision rests on a dated record. HR checklist software shows how onboarding, probation and reviews run from templates across a team.
Start a new employee with the Employee Onboarding Checklist, and hold the check-ins with the One-on-One Meeting Checklist. Once probation is passed, the Employee Performance Review Checklist takes over. If the employment ends, run the Employee Offboarding Checklist for the last day. When health or disability is affecting work, use the Reasonable Accommodation Request Checklist, and for misconduct during probation, the Disciplinary Procedure Checklist. A new manager inheriting a team can find probation end dates with the New Manager Onboarding Checklist.
Employee Performance Review Checklist
Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Process Checklist
One-on-One Meeting Checklist
Employee Onboarding Checklist
Employee Offboarding Checklist
Describe the process in a sentence and the AI checklist generator drafts the phases and tasks for you.
Every step of one employee’s probation: checking the terms in the contract and the written statement, setting objectives and the standards expected in the first week, regular check-ins with a written log, a mid-point review, a support plan if there are concerns, the final review and a recommendation, HR’s check, the decision and its reasons, and then either confirming the employment in writing or ending it with notice, a letter and the return of equipment. This template adds the extension steps, and the UK or US notes, when they apply.
In the UK there is no legal requirement to have a probation period, and it can be any length. Acas guidance says it should be tailored to the job: a technical or specialist role may need longer for training and assessment. Whatever the length, it must be in the written statement of employment particulars, with its conditions. In the US the length is set by the employer; Montana sets 12 months if the employer does not set one.
Yes, if the contract or policy allows it. Acas says an employer should extend when performance is not yet satisfactory but likely to improve with more support, and must confirm the extension before the original period ends, as failing to do so could be a breach of contract. In the UK the change to the written statement must be confirmed in writing within one month. This template allows one extension, with reasons, new objectives, a new end date and a second final review.
Not directly. Acas says the Act does not affect probation periods: there is still no legal requirement to have one. What changes is unfair dismissal. Section 25 of the Act cuts the qualifying period from two years to six months, in force from 1 January 2027, for dismissals whose effective date of termination falls on or after that date. Acas notes that ending a probation before six months does not avoid legal risk, so a fair process matters either way.
Yes, but Acas calls dismissal during probation a last resort, after support and perhaps an extension, and advises a fair procedure with the reasons given in writing. In the UK, discrimination law and the automatically unfair reasons apply from the first day, and the correct notice must be given. In most of the US employment is at will, so probation does not by itself change what is needed, though state law, the offer letter and any union contract can; Montana requires good cause once probation is over.
In the UK, the notice in the contract or the statutory minimum, whichever is longer. Under section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, an employee who has worked for one month or more is entitled to at least one week’s notice while their service is under two years. Notice can be paid in lieu. In the US, notice and final pay depend on the state, the offer letter and any union contract.
Acas says employees have a right to request to be accompanied, by a colleague or a trade union representative, to meetings that could result in dismissal. The right might not apply to every probation review, but an employer can offer it, and must make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee, which might include a companion. This template tells the employee in the final review invitation if the meeting could end in dismissal.
A probation review runs for every new employee, whether things are going well or not, and ends with a decision to confirm, extend or end the employment. A performance improvement plan is for an established employee who is not meeting the standard. During probation, the mid-point support plan and an extension do the job a PIP would do later. After probation, use the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Process Checklist.
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