Free Recruitment Invoice Template for Placement Fees and Contract Staffing
A blank invoice for recruitment agencies and independent recruiters. Bill a placement fee (the recruiting fee for a permanent hire, worked out as salary basis × fee %), contract or temp staffing from approved timesheets, or retained-search instalments. Download it as a PDF, a Word file or an Excel workbook that does the sums.
Below: what's inside, how the Excel file calculates and which section to use.
Download the recruitment invoice template
Free for personal and commercial use. No signup, no email, no attribution required.
Files generated on from one template configuration, so the three files match the field list below. The Word and Excel files were test-opened in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Each file carries one plain-text line crediting this site; in the Word and Excel files you can delete it.
What's inside the recruitment invoice template
These are the fields and sections of the PDF and Word files, in the order they print:
| Field or section | What to write |
|---|---|
| RECRUITMENT INVOICE (title and sub-line) | Under the heading the form prints: "Placement fee or contract staffing — use the section that applies." |
| Invoice no., Date issued, Due date | Your invoice number, the date you send it and the payment date from your agreement with the client. |
| Client PO / job reference | The client’s purchase order number or the job (requisition) reference, so their accounts team can match the invoice. |
| From (agency / recruiter) | Your agency or your own name as an independent recruiter, with address and contact details: three lines. |
| Bill to (client company) | The hiring company’s name and billing address: three lines. |
| PERMANENT PLACEMENT FEE | One row per hire: CANDIDATE / POSITION, START DATE, SALARY BASIS*, FEE % and FEE. Two rows in the PDF and Word files, six in Excel, then a "Placement fees" subtotal. |
| CONTRACT / TEMP STAFFING (approved timesheets) | One row per worker per week: WORKER / WEEK ENDING, HOURS, BILL RATE and AMOUNT. The last of its three rows carries the grey hint "Overtime (hours x overtime rate)". Then a "Staffing subtotal". |
| RETAINED SEARCH INSTALMENTS (optional) | For a retained search billed in stages: INSTALMENT / STAGE, DUE DATE, REFERENCE and AMOUNT. Two rows in the PDF and Word files, four in Excel, then an "Instalments subtotal". |
| Subtotal, Tax (only if it applies), TOTAL DUE | The sections added together, tax only if your service is taxable where you operate, and the amount the client pays. |
| Footnote | Printed at the bottom: "*Salary basis as defined in your fee agreement. Fee = salary basis x fee %. Add guarantee or replacement terms as agreed." |
Use only the section that applies and leave the others empty, or delete them in the Word file.
How the Excel file calculates
The workbook has two sheets, each a complete invoice with its own totals. Type into the outlined cells:
Sheet 1: Permanent placement
- FEE = SALARY BASIS × FEE % ÷ 100, rounded to two decimals, on each of six rows. A row stays empty until both numbers are filled in.
- Placement fees adds the six fees. Its tax-rate cell starts at 0.
- Retained search instalments (optional): four rows where you type each amount; they have their own subtotal and a tax-rate cell that starts at 0.
- Totals: Subtotal (all blocks), Tax (all blocks) and TOTAL DUE.
Sheet 2: Contract staffing
- REGULAR HOURS (approved timesheets): eight rows of WORKER / WEEK ENDING, HOURS and BILL RATE; AMOUNT = HOURS × BILL RATE.
- OVERTIME: four rows that work the same way, at your overtime bill rate.
- Each block has a subtotal and a tax-rate cell that starts at 0, then Subtotal (all blocks), Tax (all blocks) and TOTAL DUE.
Every tax-rate cell is labelled "enter a rate only if your state taxes this service". For a cell-by-cell walkthrough of how an invoice spreadsheet is built, see how to make an invoice template.
Which section to use
- Permanent placement (contingency) fee: the client hired your candidate. Enter the candidate and position, the start date, the salary basis your fee agreement defines, and the agreed fee %.
- Contract or temporary staffing: you supply workers and bill their hours. Use one line per worker per week ending from the approved timesheet, with overtime on its own line.
- Retained search: you bill a search in agreed stages. Enter each stage, its due date and a reference.
Billing a client whose accounts team needs a PO number and approver? See the corporate invoice template. For other kinds of invoices, including timesheet and interim invoices, see types of invoices.
Frequently asked questions
How is the placement fee calculated on this template?
Fee = salary basis × fee %. The salary basis is whatever your fee agreement defines it to be, which is why the column is marked with an asterisk and a footnote. In the Excel file the FEE column does the multiplication (rounded to two decimals) once you enter the salary basis and the percentage, and the placement fees are added up for you.
What fee percentage should I put on the invoice?
The one in your signed fee agreement with the client. The template has no default percentage and suggests none: FEE % is an empty input, because the fee is whatever you and the client agreed.
Where do I put the guarantee or replacement terms?
Write them as agreed in your fee agreement. The PDF and Word footnote reminds you to add them, and the Excel sheet has a line for them under the totals. The template sets no guarantee period of its own.
How do I invoice contract or temporary staff?
Use the CONTRACT / TEMP STAFFING section: one line per worker per week ending, taken from the approved timesheet, with the hours and the bill rate. Bill overtime on its own line at the overtime rate. In Excel, use the Contract staffing sheet: regular hours and overtime are separate blocks, each with a subtotal.
Why does the Excel file have two sheets?
So that a placement fee and a staffing bill can go out as separate invoices. The Permanent placement sheet has the placement fee and optional retained-search instalments; the Contract staffing sheet has regular hours and overtime. Each sheet has its own totals, so use the one that fits the invoice you are sending.
Do I charge sales tax on a recruiting or staffing fee?
It depends on your state, and the template does not decide it for you. Every tax-rate cell in the Excel file starts at 0 and is labelled "enter a rate only if your state taxes this service", and the PDF and Word files print "Tax (only if it applies)". Check with your state’s tax agency if you are unsure.
Can I create the invoice online instead?
Yes, in the free invoice generator on our home page. It has one item list rather than the three sections, so enter each placement or each worker-week as a line: for example "Placement fee: candidate, position" with quantity 1 and the fee as the price, or the hours as the quantity and the bill rate as the price. The generator is free and unmetered for normal use; an anti-abuse cap of 20 PDFs per device per day (200 per IP) applies, well above ordinary use, and the blank template downloads on this page are not metered. A one-line "Created free with myinvoicetemplate.com" credit is switched on by default and one free checkbox in the settings turns it off. Your draft is stored in your own browser on this device, so download and keep the PDF you need.
Is the template free for agency use?
Yes. It is free for personal and commercial use, with no signup, no email and no attribution required. Each file carries one plain-text line crediting this site: it is fixed in the PDF, and in the Word and Excel files you can delete it.
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This template is a general business document, not legal, accounting or tax advice. Your fee, guarantee and payment terms come from your agreement with the client, and whether tax applies depends on your state; check with your state’s tax agency or a qualified adviser.