Laptop and phone assignment form: handover, return and fault records

A new starter finds a laptop, a phone and a charger on their desk. Three months later someone asks where those same devices are: who has the laptop? Did the phone case and charger come back? Did the device couriered to the sales rep working from home arrive, and in what condition? The IT team looks for the answers in a spreadsheet, an email thread and someone’s memory. In this article we set out an assignment form template you can use for computers and phones, how to track devices issued to remote employees, and how to update the record when a device fails or is replaced.

A computer assignment form is the handover document that records the identifying details, accessories and condition at handover of a device such as a laptop, phone or tablet that a company issues to an employee; it is the document you turn to during returns and fault handling. It is also called a computer handover record or an IT equipment handover form. Some companies cover phones and computers on one form, others keep a separate form for each.

What fields should a computer assignment form include?

You can shorten or extend the template below to suit your device types. The entries in the right-hand column are examples only.

What is different between a computer form and a phone form?

Both device types fit on the same form, but they differ in a few fields:

• For a phone, the IMEI number and any mobile line details are written down separately; for a computer, the serial number is enough.
• For a phone, the form asks whether the screen lock and the find-my-device setting are switched on; for a computer, it asks about disk encryption.
• For a phone, the form includes a written clause on personal use and personal apps; for a computer, a clause against installing unauthorised software.
• For a phone, the accessory list covers the case and charger; for a computer, the bag, adapter and peripherals.
• On both, the end date of the manufacturer’s support period is noted on the form to make decisions easier when a fault occurs.

Whether you need one form or two depends on how many devices you issue. If each employee usually gets one computer and one phone, a single form is enough: the top section holds the employee’s details and the lower section has a separate row for each device. If devices are issued and returned at different times, a separate form for each device is cleaner, because returning one device does not muddle the record of the other.

Checklist for return day

Return day deserves a record as much as handover does. Ticking off these items in order when a device comes back prevents most later disputes:

• Does the serial number or IMEI match the number on the form?
• Have all the accessories listed at handover come back, and is any missing item written down?
• Has the device’s physical condition been compared with the handover note, and is any new damage noted with a date and description?
• Have the employee’s personal files and accounts been removed from the device?
• Has IT completed the backup or wiping needed for company data?
• Have the return date and the name of the person receiving the device been entered on the form, and have both sides signed?
• Has the device’s next status (idle, maintenance, scrap) been recorded?

How do you track a laptop assigned to a remote employee?

A remote employee does not collect the device in person; the handover becomes a shipment. That is why the steps showing that the handover really took place matter as much as the form:

1. Fill in the form before the device goes out, check the serial number and accessory list, and put the form in the box.
2. Note the courier tracking number on the assignment record; mark the device’s status separately, since it has not been delivered yet.
3. Ask the employee to confirm receipt, and keep a written trace of the confirmation (an email or a record).
4. Record the device’s location as “remote employee”, with city-level location details if possible.
5. At set intervals, for example once a year, confirm that the device is still with the employee and in working order.
6. When a return is needed, record the shipment and its receipt on the same card; note any missing accessory on that day.

How is the record updated when a device fails and is replaced?

Picture a simple scenario: a sales team member’s laptop will not switch on. IT issues a device from spare stock and sends the faulty one for repair. Without a record, three things are lost: which device the employee is using now, where the faulty device is, and who had the first device before.

• The faulty device’s assignment is closed and its status is updated to “Faulty” or “In Repair”.
• A new handover form is filled in for the spare device; the serial number and accessories are written down again.
• When the device comes back from repair and is not in use, it is set to “Idle” and issued to the next person with a new form.
• The repair dates and notes stay in the device’s movement history.

If you can say who has a device right now without opening a file, your assignment process is working.

When is an Excel inventory enough, and when does it fall short?

In a team with twenty or thirty devices, an Excel sheet and scanned forms in a folder do the job; columns for serial number, person and date answer many questions. As the number of devices and the pace of change grow, the sheet starts being updated from two places, fault notes stay in email, and the same device appearing on two rows against two different people becomes normal. The biggest weakness is lost history: when a row is overwritten, the previous user disappears.

If you stay with Excel, at least keep these columns separate and add new rows instead of deleting old ones: assignment number, serial number, device type, user, handover date, return date, status and note. If each handover or return is its own row, a device’s history can be pulled out with a filter. Even this discipline makes Excel adequate for a while, but you still have to decide who updates which row.

A device’s assignment and fault history in KurumsalPortal

In the Asset & Assignment Management module, each device gets a barcoded inventory card and a unique assignment number. The device is tracked in one of the statuses Idle, Assigned, In Repair, Faulty, Scrapped and Lost; assignment, return, transfer and repair movements build up on the card. You can bulk-import your existing Excel list instead of entering it item by item, and export an XLSX report for counts or audits.

On the fault side, the IT Support / Help Desk module collects the employee’s request as a ticket, sets its category and priority, assigns it to the specialist team and tracks the SLA and resolution time. A practical habit is to write the device’s assignment number in the ticket description, so you can later find which request belongs to which device. The modules run on shared user and permission infrastructure, and employees open them in their phone browser. That way administration, IT and HR look at the same device record, and the devices to be returned when an employee leaves are visible in the same place.

If you want to track device handovers, returns and repair movements on one card, take a look at the workflow on the Asset & Assignment Management page.