Step 1: Activating your account
You'll receive an email invitation from Zelt, inviting you to the Onboarding lobby. Your employer may have sent this to your personal or work email, depending on availability.
Note that for logging in you will always need to use your work email. This is the email you see in the invite email.
Click the link in the invitation.
Set a password. Use something strong and memorable. Later, you can also enable MFA or use SSO, depending on your company policies.
Sign in at https://go.zelt.app/login.
If you can't find the invite, check your spam folder. If it still isn't there, ask your HR contact to resend it.
Step 2: Your onboarding lobby
When you first log in, you'll land in your onboarding lobby — the home for everything you need to complete before your first day. Each task lives as its own card.
How Stages work
Your employer may have organised your pre-boarding into Stages, grouped phases of tasks that become available at set points in the run-up to your start date.
If a Stage is upcoming, you'll see the date it's due to open. There's nothing you need to do to unlock it, Zelt makes it available automatically at the right time, and you'll typically receive an email letting you know when it does.
Within a Stage that's already open, you can complete tasks in any order. If your employer's template doesn't use Stages, all your tasks will simply be available from the moment you first log in.
Typical tasks
The exact tasks vary by company, but a typical list looks like this:
Personal details — confirm your name, date of birth, address, and emergency contact.
Right to Work check — upload your ID document. If your employer uses Zinc, you'll be redirected to a short verification flow.
Bank details — for salary payments.
Payroll onboarding — provide details of your tax information and previous earnings. This will only be valid for employers who process their payroll through Zelt (See Step 4 below)
Sign your contract — offer letter or employment agreement. Once signed, you will receive a copy in your account. (See Step 3)
Upload documents — your employer may ask for additional documents (qualifications, references, work permit).
Read and acknowledge company policies — handbook, code of conduct, etc.
Tasks turn green as you complete them. You can leave and come back at any time; nothing gets lost.
Step 3: Signing your contract
If your employer issues your contract through Zelt, you'll see a Sign contract task in your lobby.
Click the task to open the contract in the document viewer.
Read it carefully. You can download a copy at any point.
When you're ready, scroll to the signature field and click Sign.
Draw or type your signature in the box that appears, then confirm.
If your contract requires a witness signature, you'll be prompted to enter the witness's name and email — they'll get a separate secure link to sign their part, with a one-time code sent to their phone.
The signing page won't open? Try a different browser (Chrome or Safari work best), and check that you're signed in to the correct Zelt account. If the link from your email opens but immediately closes, copy the link and paste it into a fresh browser tab instead.
Step 4: Payroll onboarding (UK)
If you're being paid through Zelt's UK payroll, you'll have a dedicated Complete payroll onboarding task.
P45 details
A P45 is the document your previous employer gave you when you left. It tells HMRC how much you've earned and how much tax you've paid so far this tax year.
If you have a P45: upload it and enter the leaving date, tax code at leaving, total pay to date, and tax paid to date. Make sure the numbers match the P45 exactly — typos here could cause issues with your first payslip.
If you don't have a P45: you'll answer the HMRC Starter Checklist questions (see Employment and tax status below). This is normal and completely fine.
Personal details for payroll
You'll be asked to confirm your sex, this needs to match your birth certificate or gender recognition certificate, as it's required for HMRC reporting.
National Insurance number
If you have one: enter it.
If you don't: you can still complete onboarding, but you should apply for one as soon as possible.
Employment and tax status
You'll pick one of three options, which is what HMRC calls the Starter Checklist:
Option A: "This is your first job since 6 April [tax year]..." Pick this if you've not worked or received certain state benefits since the start of the current tax year.
Option B: "This is your only job, but you've had another job or received taxable benefits since 6 April..." Pick this if you've worked recently or received benefits earlier this tax year.
Option C: "You have another job or receive a pension." Pick this if you currently have a second job or receive a State or workplace pension.
Picking the right option matters because it determines your starting tax code. If you're not sure, Option B is the safer default; HMRC will adjust your tax code automatically once they have the information they need.
Add your Student Loan details. If you're not sure which plan you're on, you can check at gov.uk/sign-in-to-manage-your-student-loan-balance.
Tick the box to confirm everything is correct, then click Save. That's payroll onboarding done.
Step 5: Exploring your new account
Once your onboarding tasks are all green and you've started your new job, take a few minutes to explore. The main areas you'll use are:
Your profile: your personal details, contact info, documents, and emergency contacts. Click the pencil icon next to any section to edit.
Time: book holiday, log sickness, view your timesheet, see who else is off.
Money: your payslips, bank details, expense claims, and benefits.
People: your company directory and org chart. Find colleagues and see who reports to whom.
Dashboard (home): your widgets: tasks waiting for you, upcoming time off, recent payslips, anything you need to action.
What's visible depends on what your employer has enabled.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book a walkthrough call with someone from Zelt? Zelt is the platform your employer uses; we don't run 1:1 onboarding calls for individual employees. For a guided tour of the bits that matter for your role, the best person to ask is your manager or HR contact. They can also create a screen-share to walk you through anything specific.
Is there a mobile app? Yes. Search "Zelt" in the App Store or Google Play. The mobile app covers the most common things you'll need: booking time off, viewing payslips, submitting timesheets, and approving requests (if you manage anyone).
My start date is in the future — when can I start? You can begin your onboarding tasks as soon as your invite arrives. If your employer has organised your pre-boarding into Stages, tasks will become available in phases in the lead-up to your start date, and Zelt will let you know as each new Stage opens. Full access to Zelt's other modules switches on automatically on your start date.
Why can't I see all my tasks yet? Your employer has likely set up your onboarding using Stages, which release groups of tasks at specific points before your start date. Anything not yet available will show its opening date on the card, so you can plan around it. If you believe a task should already be available, contact your HR representative.
Something is asking for information I don't want to share. What do I do? Some fields (like your NI number, bank details, and signed contract) are legally required for your employer to pay you correctly. If you're uncertain about any particular field, ask your HR contact why it's being collected.
I made a mistake on payroll onboarding — can I fix it? Yes. Most fields can be edited from your profile after you've completed onboarding. For anything that's already been submitted to HMRC, your employer's payroll admin can correct it for you.
What happens if I don't finish before my start date? You'll still be able to log in and use Zelt, but some functionality may be limited, and your first payslip may be delayed or use an emergency tax code. Try to finish at least the payroll section before payroll runs for your first month.
Need help?
For questions about your role, contract, or company policies — talk to your HR contact or your manager.
For technical problems with Zelt itself (the app won't load, the signing page is broken, you can't log in) — your company admin should be your first port of call. They can also escalate to Zelt support if needed.
Trouble logging in? Use the Forgot password link on the login page. You can choose to send the reset link to either your personal or your work email.