Delete an Employee

This guide provides instructions for Account Owners on how to permanently delete an employee profile in BambooHR. Deletion is irreversible and removes all associated data. Before proceeding, ensure you are the Account Owner, have the correct profile, and understand the permanence of this action. If the employee was set up for BambooHR Payroll, they should be terminated instead of deleted. The steps include accessing the employee profile, selecting the delete option, confirming the action by typing "DELETE," and finalizing the deletion. Important notes highlight that only Account Owners can perform this action, and the deletion cannot be undone. Related articles offer further guidance on ending employment and understanding active versus inactive statuses.

  • Jul 7, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
Delete an Employee
Article Text
This feature is included in the Core, Pro, and Elite packages.

How do I delete an employee?

Summary:

This guide explains how an Account Owner can permanently delete an employee profile in BambooHR. Deleting an employee removes all data associated with the employee profile and cannot be undone.

Table of Contents

Who this is for

This guide is for Account Owners who need to delete an employee profile from BambooHR.

Only Account Owners can delete an employee.

Before you start

Before deleting an employee, confirm the following:

  • You are the Account Owner.
  • You are on the correct employee profile.
  • You understand this action is permanent.
  • You understand all data associated with the employee profile will be permanently deleted.
  • The employee was not set up to be paid through BambooHR Payroll.

If the employee was set up to be paid through BambooHR Payroll, simply end the employee's employment instead of deleting the employee. You are not charged for terminated employees because terminated employees are inactive.

Steps to delete an employee

  1. Open the employee profile you want to delete.
  2. In the upper-right corner of the employee profile, click the action menu.
  3. Select Delete Employee.
  4. In the confirmation window, type DELETE.
  5. Click Yes, Delete This Employee.

Important notes and limitations

  • This feature is only available to Account Owners.
  • Deleting an employee is permanent.
  • All data associated with the employee profile will permanently delete.
  • Employees cannot be deleted if they were going to be paid through BambooHR Payroll, even if they were never paid through Payroll.
  • If an employee is set up for BambooHR Payroll, the employee syncs to Payroll. Deleting and later re-adding the employee can cause downstream impacts.
  • The deletion cannot be undone from the confirmation window once completed.
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