HR audit checklist (Canada)

A 25-point HR audit covering employment standards, payroll, statutory training, and policy hygiene. Run it quarterly to catch compliance drift before it becomes an incident.

Live documentReviewed for Ontario

About this template

An HR audit catches compliance drift before it becomes an incident. Quarterly is a good cadence for growing teams — annually is the minimum. This checklist focuses on the items most commonly cited in employment-standards complaints and CRA / Revenu Québec audits.

When to use it

Quarterly or semi-annual internal audit.
Pre-fundraise diligence prep.
After an incident or complaint, to identify systemic gaps.
When you cross a headcount threshold that triggers new obligations (e.g. Ontario JHSC at 20 employees).

What to include

Employment records completeness.
Payroll remittance and statutory filings (CRA, Revenu Québec, provincial payroll taxes).
Employment-standards compliance — wages, overtime, vacation, holidays, breaks.
Health & safety — policy, training, incident log, JHSC.
Privacy — PIPEDA / Quebec Law 25.
Policy hygiene — handbook review cycle, acknowledgements on file.
Termination documentation.

Frequently asked questions

How often should we run this?

Quarterly is best practice for growing teams. Annually is the minimum. After any incident — complaint, termination dispute, regulatory inquiry — run an immediate spot-check on the related items.

Do I need to fix everything before the next audit?

Triage by risk. Statutory filings (CRA remittance, T4s, ROEs) are non-negotiable — fix them within days. Policy hygiene and acknowledgements can be batched into a single sweep. Document what you fixed and when, so the next audit can verify.

Should we use external counsel?

For the audit itself, no — this is internal hygiene. Where the audit surfaces a specific risk (e.g. unclear contractor classification, a Quebec termination, a privacy incident), bring in counsel for the specific question rather than the audit as a whole.

Legal disclaimer. Compliance requirements vary materially by province, industry, and headcount. Many obligations only kick in above thresholds (e.g., 20 or 50 employees). Use this checklist as a starting point and tailor it to your specific operating context. For high-stakes audits, engage external counsel.

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HR audit checklist (Canada)