Commercial explainer
A recruitment fee you pay month by month
Startup Staffing (SUS) replaces the single placement fee with an agreed monthly percentage of the hire's gross monthly salary, charged while that person stays employed. This page is the full explanation — written to be forwarded, and detailed enough for diligence — with the maths shown and the limits stated.
Both contain the same illustrative example used across this site.
Reviewed by Joseph Edney, Managing Director, Humand Talent SolutionsLast reviewed
What SUS is
Startup Staffing (SUS) is a permanent recruitment service for startups and scaleups, operated by Humand Talent Limited (company number 12379847). The recruitment work is what you would expect from an established agency. What differs is how the fee is paid.
Instead of a single placement fee at the point of hire, you pay an agreed percentage of the employee's gross monthly salary each month while they remain employed by you. SUS is a recruitment fee payment model — it is not lending, credit or a financial product.
How recruitment works
- 01You brief us on the role, the team around it and where the business is heading.
- 02Humand's consultants source and assess candidates and make introductions.
- 03You interview and decide. Nothing about the process is unusual.
- 04The successful candidate is employed directly by you, on your own employment contract and your terms.
- 05Monthly invoicing begins from their start date.
How payment works
Invoices are issued monthly in arrears at the agreed percentage of the employee's gross monthly salary, from their start date. Fees are exclusive of VAT and, under the standard terms, payable within 14 days. Billing continues while the employee remains employed by you, unless you exercise the pre-agreed buy-out for that hire.
Worked example
Illustrative only. A £60,000 salary, a 20% traditional fee and a 17.5% monthly fee on gross monthly salary. These are not standard SUS rates.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Traditional fee, invoiced once | £12,000 |
| SUS fee per month | £875 |
| Cumulative SUS after 6 months | £5,250 |
| Cumulative SUS after 12 months | £10,500 |
| Cumulative SUS after 18 months | £15,750 |
| Crossover with the traditional fee | month 14 is the first full month above the traditional fee (exact breakeven about 13.7 months) |
Several hires
Each placement is treated separately, with its own monthly amount based on that employee's salary, and it stops when that employment ends. Three hires means three independent monthly amounts rather than one combined commitment.
If a hire leaves, and the buy-out
Billing stops from the employee's final date of employment, however the employment ends. Payments already made are not refunded. Separately: The buy-out value, or the basis for calculating it, is agreed with you in writing in your commercial terms at the outset, for each hire. You can exercise that pre-agreed option later under those terms, without a fresh commercial negotiation. Once it is paid, future monthly billing for that hire stops. Other hires are unaffected. Monthly fees already paid are not deducted, credited or refunded against the buy-out by default; they cover the months already elapsed.
The agreement in seven points
This is the established model. Percentages and specific terms are always confirmed with you in writing before any work begins.
The recruitment service is comparable to any established agency. The commercial shape is what differs, and SUS vs traditional fees sets that comparison out dimension by dimension.
1
You employ the person directly
The candidate is employed by you, on your own employment contract, from day one. Humand Talent Limited is not the employer and does not supply the person on a contract, secondment or umbrella basis.
2
The recruitment fee is a monthly percentage of gross monthly salary
Instead of a single fee at the point of hire, you pay an agreed percentage of that employee's gross monthly salary each month while they remain employed by you.
3
Billing stops when the employment ends
If the employee leaves, monthly billing for that placement ends. You do not carry a fee for someone who is no longer with you.
4
A buy-out is agreed at the outset, for each hire
The buy-out value, or the basis for calculating it, is agreed with you in writing in your commercial terms at the outset, for each hire. You can exercise that pre-agreed option later under those terms, without a fresh commercial negotiation. Once it is paid, future monthly billing for that hire stops. Other hires are unaffected.
5
Monthly payments are not credited against a buy-out
Monthly fees already paid are not deducted, credited or refunded against the buy-out by default; they cover the months already elapsed. It is a route to close out future monthly charges for one hire, not a cap on what recruitment can cost.
6
Percentages and terms are negotiated, not fixed
Every percentage shown anywhere on this site is an illustrative example. The actual percentage, any buy-out basis and any other commercial terms are agreed with you in writing before work begins.
7
Invoices are monthly in arrears
Under the standard terms, invoices are issued monthly in arrears from the employee's start date, payable within 14 days, exclusive of VAT where applicable.
What SUS is not
A recurring payment invites assumptions. These are the ones worth ruling out explicitly.
- It is not employment by us — you are the employer.
- It is not a secondment, umbrella or contractor supply arrangement.
- It is not a loan, credit or finance product, and no credit is being provided.
- It is not an instalment plan for a fixed placement fee.
- It is not an Employer of Record (EOR) service.
- It is not payroll, HR administration or an outsourced people function.
This page is a buyer summary, not a contract. The website terms and the terms of business agreed with you in writing take precedence.
Questions to ask before choosing any recruitment fee model
Use these with us and with anyone else you are considering. They are written to be model-neutral.
1. What exactly is the fee calculated on, and is it annual or monthly salary?
Percentages are only comparable once you know the base they apply to.
2. When is the first invoice issued, and what are the payment terms?
Timing decides the cash impact as much as the headline percentage does.
3. Is VAT added, and are there any other charges such as advertising or assessment?
The comparable number is the total invoiced amount, not the percentage.
4. What happens if the person leaves at three, six or twelve months?
Rebate, replacement and stop-billing rules differ sharply between models.
5. What happens if the person is promoted or their salary changes?
Some models recalculate, some do not. Ask before it happens.
6. Can the arrangement be ended early, and on what basis?
Know the exit before you commit, including whether earlier payments count towards it.
7. How long does the introduction period last, and what triggers a fee?
Introduction windows determine whether a later hire still attracts a fee.
8. What is the total cost under two or three realistic tenure scenarios?
A single point estimate hides the crossover between fee shapes.
9. Which entity is contracting, and who employs the person?
Employment status changes your legal, payroll and insurance obligations.
10. Is any of this a credit or finance arrangement?
A recurring payment is not automatically finance, and you should be told which it is.
11. Are the commercial terms confirmed in writing before work starts?
Anything not written down is not a term, however reasonable it sounded.
The commercial objections people raise
The answers most often needed at this point in the decision. The full set lives in the FAQ.
More detail in the full FAQ. How we handle your data is in the privacy notice.
Who operates Startup Staffing
Startup Staffing (SUS) is operated by Humand Talent Limited (company number 12379847), 1 Abbey Street, Eynsham, OX29 4TB, United Kingdom. Humand is the recruitment business that carries out the work and the company you contract with; Startup Staffing is the brand and the commercial model.
Keep reading
- Website termsThe legal terms for using this website.
- Cost calculatorModel a role or a full plan and share the scenario.
- Full FAQDetailed answers on costs, contracts and getting started.
- For finance leadsThe cash timing view, with the illustrative comparison.
- For foundersHiring while protecting working capital.
- SUS vs traditional feesThe comparison in more depth.
- About Startup StaffingWho we are and how Humand fits in.
Related reading
Guides from the resource hub that cover the thinking behind this page. Each one is written by us and reviewed before publication.
- Recruitment models
How to compare an upfront fee with a monthly recruitment fee
A four-axis method for comparing any one-off placement fee with any monthly percentage model: total cost, cash timing, exit risk and day-one commitment.8 min read · Reviewed 15 August 2026 - Recruitment models
What happens to recruitment fees when a hire leaves
Rebates, tapers, replacement clauses and monthly models explained, with the exact questions to ask any recruiter before you sign.7 min read · Reviewed 15 August 2026 - Startup hiring costs
What a startup hire actually costs
The full cost of a startup hire: recruitment fee, cash timing, ramp-up, the cost of a leaver and the internal hours nobody budgets for.7 min read · Reviewed 15 August 2026
Questions about the model?
If you are reviewing SUS on behalf of a founder, a board or a finance function, ask us anything about how the commercial model works in practice.
- A specific live vacancy you are trying to fill
- Hiring you are planning over the next few months
- Several future hires and how they would work together
- Whether SUS is the right fit for your business at all
Prefer to talk? 01865 657 000
Prefer email? joseph@humand.co.uk