A recruiting placement start date should determine invoice timing only when the signed agreement says it is the billing trigger. Even then, the start date is not automatically the invoice issue date, due date, or expected collection week. Preserve those events separately so the forecast reflects an actual receivable and current payment evidence rather than a milestone copied into every field.

Begin with the agreement trigger

Recruiting contract resources from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation illustrate the importance of written terms for permanent placement, temporary work, introductions, and related arrangements. Use the applicable executed agreement for the engagement; do not borrow another firm's trigger or assume an industry-wide rule.

The trigger might be candidate acceptance, the actual start, a defined period after the start, or another contractual event. Record the clause reference and evidence that the event occurred. This is contract administration, not a forecast guess.

Separate four dates

Track at least:

  • trigger date: the event that permits billing under the agreement;
  • invoice date: when the valid invoice was issued;
  • due date: when payment is contractually due; and
  • expected collection week: when current evidence supports cash arrival.

Intuit explains that creating an invoice records an amount a customer owes and places unpaid invoices in accounts receivable. That makes the issued invoice a distinct source object. A start event that has occurred but has not produced an invoice is billing readiness or backlog, not open AR.

The recruiting placement invoice forecast provides the invoice-level workflow. The due-date versus collection-date guide explains why contractual timing and expected cash still differ after invoicing.

Treat guarantee terms as a separate exposure

A replacement or rebate guarantee may create later commercial exposure, but it should not automatically erase a valid current invoice or move its collection date. Record the guarantee window, conditions, owner, and any known event that could affect the receivable. Use the recruiting guarantee forecast guide for that separate decision.

If the candidate has not started and the start is the contractual trigger, the next action is to verify start status and billing eligibility. If the invoice has been issued, validate delivery, customer approval, due date, and current follow-up. If payment is received, reconcile it before removing the amount from expected collections.

Do not infer legal obligations from this page. US recruiting firms should use their own executed terms and qualified advisers when contract interpretation is required. The forecast should quote the operational fact and preserve uncertainty rather than make a legal conclusion.

AR Pulse analyzes an authorized QuickBooks receivables export and can separate placement milestones from issued invoices and cash assumptions. It does not contact clients or promise a payment outcome. Apply for AR Pulse when the invoice population needs a focused action and forecast review.