Why Revenue Recognition Matters in Recruitment

Unlike product-based businesses, recruitment firms often operate on complex fee structures and payment terms. Whether you’re placing permanent staff, managing contractors, or offering retained search, your income isn’t always earned at the moment it’s invoiced.

Here’s where things get tricky:

• Contingency fees may be invoiced after a placement but not “earned” until refund clauses expire

• Contractor revenue is spread over weeks or months—requiring staged or proportional recognition

• Retainers are paid upfront, but the work is delivered over time

Recognising revenue accurately means matching income to the actual service period, not just the invoice date. It’s essential for knowing how much of your reported income is genuinely yours to spend—and how much is still “deferred”.

Common Revenue Recognition Mistakes Recruitment Agencies Make

Even successful agencies fall into traps when revenue recognition isn’t aligned with delivery. Here are some of the most common issues we see:

• Booking revenue in full on invoice—even when delivery is spread over months

• Failing to account for refund periods or rebate clauses

• Recognising contractor margin too early

• Confusing cash received with revenue earned

These mistakes can inflate revenue, obscure true performance, and create a misleading picture of profitability. Worse, they can have knock-on effects in areas like tax planning, forecasting, or when preparing for sale or investment.

This is where tailored bookkeeping for recruitment agencies becomes critical—it ensures revenue reflects reality.

What Bookkeepers for Recruiters Should Be Doing

Specialist bookkeepers for recruiters should understand how revenue works in your specific model—perm, temp, contract, or a blend. They should also be able to align your financial reporting with accounting best practices like IFRS 15 or FRS 102.

Key responsibilities include:

• Tracking revenue by placement type – separating contractor margin from perm fees

• Monitoring earned vs. deferred income – particularly for retainers and rolling contracts

• Applying matching principles – so income aligns with when service is delivered

• Managing rebate provisions – ensuring accurate profit and cash expectations

• Liaising with payroll – especially where contractor payments influence revenue recognition timing

At GenZed, our bookkeeping for recruitment agencies is designed with these nuances in mind. We go beyond reconciliation—we build frameworks that reflect how recruitment really works.

GenZed’s Approach to Bookkeeping for Recruiters

In addition to all the financial aspects a recruitment bookkeeper should be doing, at GenZed, we’ve developed tailored bookkeeping workflows for recruiters, whether you’re focused on perm placements, high-volume contracting, or executive search.

Our process includes:

• Automated revenue tagging – identifying income types by deal structure

• Daily reconciliations – so you know exactly what’s earned vs. received

• Custom dashboards – with revenue breakdowns by team, desk, or placement type

• Scenario modelling – to test how changes in revenue mix impact profitability

• In-house tech support – so we can build dashboards that speak your language

We’re not software—we’re people, processes, and tools, delivered as your finance department on demand.