Handover is the point where a completed project becomes something the owner can manage. It should be described in the proposal rather than left to assumptions. The exact materials depend on the work, but access, editing guidance and a summary of changes are common elements.
Agree what will be transferred
Confirm administrator access, theme or plugin licenses, files, backup location, domain and hosting responsibilities, and any third-party accounts. The client should own the accounts that control the business website. Remove temporary access that is no longer needed and store recovery details securely.
Review the completed scope
Test the agreed pages and functions, verify forms or store flows and collect any final included revisions. A video call can be used to walk through the work and answer questions before handover. If the payment terms are 50/50, state that the final half is due after review and approval and before the final transfer.
Ask what maintenance is excluded. WordPress updates, backups and future content changes may be ongoing responsibilities or a separate care plan. A clear handover note prevents confusion about who owns the next task and gives a future developer useful context.
Written by Code Papa, an independent WordPress developer based in the UAE with 15 years of experience.