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.
HR Audit Checklist — Canada
Conducted by:
- Employment records
- Payroll & statutory remittance
- Employment standards
- Health & safety
- Privacy & data
- Policies
- Terminations & disputes
Notes & follow-up
Made with WalnutsHR Paper · Reviewed for Ontario · April 2026
No compliance hints for this jurisdiction yet — your document looks good for the basics. Have a lawyer review before sending anything consequential.
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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