10 day agency payment delays

[xchaotic]

Hi.

I work as a contractor now, and since this is my first contract, I haven't set up my Ltd yet.
Therefore I work through an umbrella company and the're ok.
It's just that my/umbrella's client deals with his financials through a recruitment agency (who actually got me the job too).

Not only is the recruitment agency medieval in that they require timesheets on paper, it takes them 10 days to process each payment.

There seems to be no particular reason for that, other than convincing me to switch to monthly installments, despite my contract stating weekly in clear.

With monthly payments, it magically takes them less to process, so it'sa purely artifical barrier.

My questions:

a) Is this legal?
b) can I switch them for another agency if they were the ones that got me the job?

Regards,

xchaotic

[Emily]

Hi.

I work as a contractor now, and since this is my first contract, I haven't set up my Ltd yet.
Therefore I work through an umbrella company and the're ok.
It's just that my/umbrella's client deals with his financials through a recruitment agency (who actually got me the job too).

Not only is the recruitment agency medieval in that they require timesheets on paper, it takes them 10 days to process each payment.

There seems to be no particular reason for that, other than convincing me to switch to monthly installments, despite my contract stating weekly in clear.

With monthly payments, it magically takes them less to process, so it'sa purely artifical barrier.

My questions:

a) Is this legal?
b) can I switch them for another agency if they were the ones that got me the job?

Regards,

xchaotic

1) It's highly unlikely you will be able to switch agencies mid-contract. I would ask them why they need the timesheets in hard copy - sometimes this is a client request, so I would check this with them. Otherwise there is no reason for them not to accept soft copies.
2) They aren't doing anything illegal, although I would check the EAA regulations (google it), as there might be something in there about how quickly they should pay you after the receipt of the invoice.

[Ardesco]

Hi.

I work as a contractor now, and since this is my first contract, I haven't set up my Ltd yet.
Therefore I work through an umbrella company and the're ok.
It's just that my/umbrella's client deals with his financials through a recruitment agency (who actually got me the job too).

Not only is the recruitment agency medieval in that they require timesheets on paper, it takes them 10 days to process each payment.

There seems to be no particular reason for that, other than convincing me to switch to monthly installments, despite my contract stating weekly in clear.

With monthly payments, it magically takes them less to process, so it'sa purely artifical barrier.

My questions:

a) Is this legal?
b) can I switch them for another agency if they were the ones that got me the job?

Regards,

xchaotic

Sounds bloody good to me, I've had gigs where I have had to wait 30 days after submitting my invoice for the agency to do thier payment run (Which invariably takes about a week to get across to my company account).

[xchaotic]

Thanks for the replies, I guess I'll just have to wait then.

NET30 and such are indeed a standard practice, but I bet that in this case, they just:
a)keep my money on an account and enjoy the profits
b)want me to switch to monthly installments, with which they are amazingly capable of shorter processing times

Cheers and thanks again,

xchaotic

[moorfield]

Hi.
Not only is the recruitment agency medieval in that they require timesheets on paper, it takes them 10 days to process each payment.

10 days sounds pretty good to me.

Welcome to the grown-ups' world of contracting.

[SueEllen]

Hi.
Not only is the recruitment agency medieval in that they require timesheets on paper, it takes them 10 days to process each payment.

What the client wants the client gets. In other words if the client requires timesheets on paper or is happy with the system that the agency has, then the agency will comply. You just have to be organised and get your timesheets completed in time.

Taking 10 days to process each payment is a short turn around time.

If you were direct with the client or any other type of business, you would expect clients to pay you from anything from 28 days to when they feel like it i.e. never, which is why lots of small businesses go bust.