---
title: "Deactivate a staff member"
description: "Remove someone from your active team without losing the records attached to their name."
type: guide
updated: 2026-08-01
canonical_url: https://help.nestlicare.com/owners/staff/deactivate-a-staff-member
roles: ["center_admin", "super_admin"]
platforms: [web]
---
When someone leaves, you **deactivate** them rather than delete them. Deactivating stops them logging in but keeps everything attached to their name (the check-ins they made, activities they posted, their timesheets), which is exactly what you want for your records and any licensing review.

## Deactivate

1. Go to **Staff**.
2. Open the person.
3. Choose **Deactivate** and confirm.

Their status flips to inactive. They can no longer sign in, and they stop appearing in check-in screens, messaging, and staff pickers.

## What stays

Nothing is lost. Their timesheets, the check-ins and check-outs they recorded, the daily activities they posted, their messages, and their staff documents all stay filed under their name. If an inspector ever asks who checked a child in on a given day, the answer is a real person, not a blank.

## Bring someone back

If they return, filter the staff list to **Inactive**, open them, and reactivate. If they've forgotten their password, use the reset option. See [Reset a staff member's password](/owners/staff/reset-a-staff-password).

<Callout kind="tip" title="Clock them out first">
If someone is currently clocked in, have them clock out before you deactivate, so their timesheet for the day closes cleanly.
</Callout>

## Troubleshooting

**The deactivate option isn't available.** Only admins can deactivate staff. Also, you can't deactivate the organization's only super admin; make someone else an admin first.

**They could still open the app briefly afterward.** Their existing session ends shortly. They won't be able to log back in.