What to Include in a VA Client Welcome Packet (Checklist + Examples)

Introduction

You landed the client. Now send one document that answers "how do we work together?" before the first task lands in your inbox.

A welcome packet is not your contract. It is the friendly operating manual: hours, scope edges, who sends access, when invoices go out. Filipino VAs working with US, AU, UK, or Middle East clients need this in writing because timezone gaps and "quick favors" show up fast when rules live only in chat.

This guide gives you the checklist first, then a copy-paste outline, then how to customize it. Pair it with the client onboarding communication checklist for week-one messages.

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Your welcome packet checklist

Use this as your table of contents. If a section is missing, expect friction in that area later.

That is the full answer to "what to include." Everything below shows you how to write each block.

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Copy-paste welcome packet outline

Paste this into Google Docs, Notion, or Canva. Replace bracketed fields. Export PDF when you send it.

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VA CLIENT WELCOME PACKET
Client: [Name / Company]
Start date: [Date]
Prepared by: [Your name], Virtual Assistant

1. WELCOME
Thanks for bringing me on. This packet covers how we work day to day.
Legal terms live in our signed agreement. Questions? Reply on [primary channel].

2. WHAT I HANDLE (SCOPE)
Included:
- [Task 1 — be specific, e.g. "Inbox triage Mon–Fri, flag urgent only"]
- [Task 2]
- [Task 3]

Not included (unless quoted as add-on):
- [Task type you often get asked for free]
- [Task type outside your niche]

Paid add-ons:
- [Rush work under 24 hours — fee + written approval]
- [Extra hours above retainer — same rate, written approval]

3. HOURS AND COMMUNICATION
Working days: Monday–Friday
Hours: [9:00 AM–6:00 PM Philippine Time (PHT / UTC+8)]
Overlap with [client region]: [e.g. 9:00–11:00 AM PHT = 6:00–8:00 PM PST previous day]
Primary channel: [Email for decisions / Slack for task notes]
Reply target: within [1] business day during working hours
After-hours messages: read next business day unless rush is approved

4. PAYMENT SUMMARY
Rate: [USD $X/hour OR USD $X/month retainer for Y hours]
Billing: [Weekly / Biweekly / Monthly] invoice
Due: [Net 15 / Net 30] from invoice date
Methods: [Wise / PayPal] to [details]
Late payment: work may pause if invoice is [14] days overdue
Full terms: see signed agreement

5. WHAT I NEED FROM YOU
By [date], please provide:
- [ ] Admin access to [tools]
- [ ] Brand kit and tone notes in one shared folder
- [ ] One named approver for deliverables (not a group chat vote)
- [ ] Feedback within [2] business days on drafts I send

6. RUSH, REVISIONS, AND TIME OFF
Included revisions: [1] round per deliverable unless stated otherwise
Rush requests: written approval + [fee] if due in under [24] hours
Planned time off: [X] days notice; urgent items covered per agreement
Confidentiality: client materials stay private; NDA terms in contract if signed

7. FAQ
Q: Where do I see progress?
A: [Weekly email / shared board / folder link]

Q: Can you jump on a call anytime?
A: Calls booked inside overlap hours unless rush is approved.

Q: What if scope grows?
A: We update the written list of deliverables and fee before new work starts.

8. YOUR NEXT STEPS
1. Sign agreement (if not done)
2. Pay deposit / first invoice
3. Return completed access checklist by [date]
4. Book kickoff call: [link or "reply with times"]

Customize these three blocks every time: scope table, hours/overlap window, and first-week checklist. Ten minutes of editing beats weeks of "I thought you meant..." chat.

For payment wording, pull clauses from payment terms for virtual assistants. For heavy project work, link a separate statement of work template instead of stuffing every task into the packet.

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Welcome packet vs contract

Both should agree. If the packet says Net 15 and the contract says Net 30, the client will pick the slower one. When someone asks "how do we work?", send the packet. When someone asks "what are we legally bound to?", point to the contract.

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Section-by-section notes

1. Welcome note

Two to four sentences. Thanks, start date, what the packet covers. Skip long bio blocks. Clients care about rules, not your origin story.

2. Scope table

This section saves the most arguments. Weak: "social media support." Strong: "3 posts/week drafted in Canva, scheduled in Buffer, one revision round." Add a not included column. That is where you block free extras before they start.

3. Hours and timezone

Write hours in Philippine Time (PHT) and show one overlap window for the client's zone. If live calls are rare, say async is default and calls are booked. Match this block to setting communication expectations.

Sample block:

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Working hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00–18:00 Philippine Time (UTC+8).
Primary channel: Email for decisions. Slack for day-to-day task notes.
Response target: within one business day during working hours.
Urgent: only if labeled URGENT and approved for rush handling.

4. Payment summary

Surface the readable version here even if full terms live in the contract. Amount or retainer, due dates, methods, currency, and what happens when payment is late. Clients who only see payment buried in legalese still ask in WhatsApp.

5. Client access checklist

Many VA weeks stall because logins or brand files arrive late. List what you need, by when, and who approves work.

Sample checklist:

• Admin or editor access to required tools by start date
• Brand kit, tone notes, and current SOPs in one folder
• Named approver for deliverables (one person, not a committee)
• Feedback within 2 business days unless otherwise scheduled

Tell clients where work will be documented. A shared folder, weekly email, or board link cuts "what did you do this week?" messages. Tools like project delivery and a work receipt generator help after kickoff.

6. Rush, revisions, and time off

If revision limits are missing, unlimited becomes the default. State included rounds and the rate after that. Rush under 24 hours needs written approval plus a fee. Planned time off gets notice days and a short coverage note.

7. FAQ

Use real questions from discovery calls. Good: "Do you work weekends?" Bad: filler nobody asked.

8. Next steps

End with a numbered client checklist: sign contract, pay deposit, return access list, book kickoff. Unclear endings create silent starts where you wait and they assume you are already working.

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How to build your packet (five steps)

Salag calls this the ALIGN Protocol — a build order so you do not forget a section. Plain English version:

1. Ask and capture facts — engagement type (retainer or project), primary channel, decision maker, first milestone. Put these in the packet header.
2. List scope in client language — deliverables they recognize, not internal labels.
3. Install communication rules — days, PHT hours, reply speed, what counts as urgent.
4. Guard payment terms — readable summary aligned with the contract.
5. Name next actions — numbered client checklist with dates.

Checkpoint before you send: Can a stranger read the header and know who decides, what channel is primary, and what week one looks like?

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When to send it

Send after the deal is confirmed — deposit paid or terms signed — and before billable work starts. Same-day send after kickoff works well.

You can share a short preview before deposit. Save detailed SOPs, templates, and system walkthroughs for after they commit. Protect your templates and systems.

If a client refuses a written packet, treat that like refusing a contract. Clarity is part of the service.

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Common mistakes

Mistake 1: Brochure instead of rules

Cut marketing fluff. Clients need operating rules, not a pitch deck.

Mistake 2: Payment only in the contract

If payment lives in a buried clause, clients still ask in chat. Surface the summary in section 4.

Mistake 3: No timezone statement

"I'll get back to you soon" invites midnight pings. Write PHT hours and the client's overlap window.

Mistake 4: Unlimited revisions by silence

State included rounds and the rate after that.

Mistake 5: Sending the full packet before commitment

Sequence matters. Confirm rate, deposit, and start date first. The packet reinforces decisions already made.

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Real-world example

Situation: Ana, a Manila-based executive VA, started with a US founder over Slack. No welcome packet. The founder messaged at 11 PM PHT, added "quick" investor deck edits outside scope, and delayed the first invoice review.

What went wrong: Hours, scope edges, and payment timing were verbal only. Ana felt rude enforcing boundaries she never wrote down.

Fix: Ana paused new tasks, sent a one-page packet plus contract addendum, listed included admin tasks, set 9–6 PHT response hours, required a 50% retainer before deck support continued, and moved approvals into email threads.

Outcome: The founder kept her for core admin, paid for deck work as an add-on, and stopped weekend pings. Ana tracked hours in her time ledger so the next retainer talk used numbers, not feelings.

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Retainer extras worth one paragraph

For monthly clients, add a short cadence block: when status updates go out, when invoices send, when scope gets reviewed. Example: Friday update email, invoice on the 1st, quarterly scope review.

If several people weigh in on your work, name one approver in the packet. Committee feedback without an owner is how a VA week disappears into conflicting instructions.

Keep a private red-line sheet (minimum retainer, tools you will not admin, industries you decline). The client PDF stays warm. Your private notes keep you from rewriting boundaries under pressure.

Store every sent packet with a date stamp. When someone says "you never told me," you point to the version they received.

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Final thoughts

A virtual assistant client welcome packet is not decoration. It is how Filipino freelancers turn verbal trust into written rules before scope and payment drift.

Build one master template. Swap scope, hours, and week-one checklist per client. Update it when you raise rates, change tools, or add a niche offer. Write reply times you can actually keep — if the packet says 24-hour replies and you reply in three days, it becomes evidence against you.

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How Salag helps

• Use the client onboarding communication checklist to sequence week-one messages around your packet
• Keep delivery evidence organized with project delivery and work receipt generator
• Track retainer hours cleanly in time ledger so packet promises match logged work

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Structured vs unstructured start

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Definitions

Welcome packet: A client-facing onboarding document that explains how the VA engagement runs day to day — scope summary, communication rules, payment summary, and client responsibilities.

Scope creep: Extra work that enters an engagement without a matching change to fee, timeline, or written inclusions.

Written list of deliverables: The project-specific task list (often called a statement of work) with milestones and done criteria. Use it alongside the packet for project-heavy work, not instead of the packet.