How it runs for staffing and recruiting agencies
The controller prepares funder and bank reports, models a new branch or a shift from factoring to a bank line, and manages the year-end handoff to your CPA. We give no audit opinions and no legal advice on classification; you get reviewed numbers and a clear recommendation.
What are outsourced controller services?
Outsourced controller services provide the review layer that sits between bookkeeping and the owner: a senior accountant who checks the close, owns the accounting policies, tests the controls around cash and spending, and explains the financial statements. The controller does not do daily posting. They make sure what was posted is right and documented before anyone relies on it.
What we handle for staffing and recruiting agencies
- Monthly review of accruals, state tax reconciliations and the funding account before release
- Client markup review against burden, VMS fees and the cost of carrying each client's DSO
- Funding structure analysis: factoring versus bank line versus self-funding
- Funder covenant and bank reporting prepared in the required format
- Year-end package and judgment calls handed to your CPA with preparation support
The KPI that matters here
A written controller review with recommendations accompanies every monthly close.
Staffing compliance notes
Multi-state payroll tax
Each state where temps work needs withholding and unemployment registrations, and several states have local income taxes on top. We post payroll by work state, reconcile the liability accounts to the returns your payroll provider files, and flag new work states before the first assignment starts. Your provider files; we keep the books and the reconciliations that prove the filings.
Worker classification
Whether a placed worker is an employee or a contractor depends on control, integration and the applicable federal or state test, and the wrong answer is expensive. We keep W-2 and 1099 spend separate, hold the classification reason with the vendor record, and report 1099 volume monthly so you and your counsel can review it. We give no legal advice on the test itself.
Payroll funding and factoring
Agencies that use a funding partner receive advances on invoices, pay fees, and get reserves released when clients pay. Each of those movements is reconciled to the invoice it relates to and to the bank, so the balance sheet shows the true amount owed to the funder. The funding agreement's reporting requirements are prepared from the reconciled books.
Timesheet-to-invoice controls
The invoice to a client should be provable from approved timesheets, and the payroll should be provable from the same sheets. We keep the three-way match every week, hold client approvals with the invoice, and log corrections with a reason so disputes months later can be settled from the record.
Staffing software we work in
More for staffing and recruiting agencies
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Frequently asked questions
What does a controller add for a staffing agency?
A bookkeeper keeps the weekly cycle accurate; a controller asks whether the business is pricing and funding itself correctly. That means testing markups against full burden, measuring the cost of each client's payment terms, comparing funding options, and preparing what banks and buyers ask for. The controller works from closed books, so bookkeeping and month-end close come first.
Can the controller help us move off factoring?
Yes, with a model built from your own numbers: DSO by client, weekly payroll, current factoring fees, and the covenants a bank line would require. The controller shows the cash needed to self-fund, the savings from a bank line, and the reporting the bank will expect. The decision and the negotiation stay with you.
Do you work with our CPA and our funder directly?
With your permission, yes. The controller prepares the funder's monthly package and answers questions about the aging and margin reports. At year-end your CPA receives a reviewed trial balance, state payroll reconciliations, perm fee schedules and a list of judgment calls. Your CPA reviews and signs; we provide preparation support.
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