Your Year-End Mobility Checklist: What HR and Mobility Teams Should Review Before January
As the year wraps up, mobility teams face one of their busiest and most time-sensitive periods. Employees are completing last-minute moves, December reimbursements are closing out, and internal teams are working hard to finalize reporting before the January rush.
To help you finish the year with confidence, we’ve put together a simple, practical year-end checklist that keeps your mobility program organized, compliant, and ready for a strong start in 2026.
These steps require no tax technical review, but they make a dramatic difference in accuracy, efficiency, and employee experience.
1. Confirm All Outstanding Relocation Expenses Are Submitted
Employees often forget to submit expenses in December, especially those who are already overloaded with holiday travel and project deadlines.
Give transferees and managers a friendly nudge to:
Upload any remaining receipts
Submit pending reimbursements
Review temporary housing invoices
Flag anything missing or unusual
A final reminder now prevents January bottlenecks and misplaced expenses.
2. Clean Up Expense Coding and Categories
Before the reporting period closes, run a quick sweep through your mobility system or expense platform to ensure:
Each reimbursement or vendor invoice is coded correctly
Expense categories match your current mobility policy
Duplicate items are flagged or removed
Pending approvals are addressed
Accurate categorization keeps your finance and payroll teams aligned and saves hours of manual sorting later.
3. Review Active Relocation Cases for Loose Ends
A year-end review of open relocations helps identify anything lingering in the system, such as:
Incomplete housing move-out dates
Delayed household goods shipments
Outdated employee information
Missing cost center or department coding
Benefit approvals still pending
Closing these gaps brings clarity to both your program and your reporting.
4. Confirm Vendor Invoices and Capacity for December Moves
Year end often creates a wave of vendor delays and reduced capacity. It’s a good time to:
Confirm all expected invoices have been received
Ensure vendor timelines align with remaining December moves
Flag any late-year shipments or travel that require coordination
Identify exceptions that may need extra attention
Staying ahead of vendor volume helps prevent disruption for employees moving during the holidays.
5. Update Employee Communication for Year-End Expectations
Employees relocating in November and December face additional stress — personal, professional, and logistical. A brief, proactive email from the mobility team can make a meaningful difference.
Consider sending reminders about:
Holiday service delays from movers or housing providers
Internal deadlines for submitting expenses
Expected timelines for reimbursements
Who to contact during office closures
Clear communication reduces confusion and improves employee well-being during a chaotic month.
6. Align With Payroll, HR, and Finance Before the Final Close
Even without deep tax involvement, coordination across teams is essential. Quick alignment now can prevent issues later.
Sync with your internal partners on:
Final process cutoffs
Any outstanding mobility cases impacting payroll
Cross-team responsibilities going into year end
Points of contact during holiday office closures
A short alignment meeting ensures everyone is on the same page for December.
7. Document What Worked Well — and What Needs Attention in 2026
Year end brings clarity. You see which workflows ran smoothly and which ones struggled under pressure.
Take quick notes on:
Policy gaps
Vendor performance
Employee feedback
System limitations
Reporting challenges
These insights are gold when planning your 2026 mobility strategy.
The Bottom Line
A smooth December doesn’t happen by accident — it happens through small, intentional checks that keep your mobility program accurate, organized, and employee-friendly.
This year-end checklist gives you a practical framework to close out 2025 with confidence and start 2026 strong.
Orion Mobility helps teams streamline relocation processes, improve visibility, and simplify reporting — especially when every day counts.