Accounting and invoicing for recruitment consultants
Retainer on engagement, success fee on hire, shortlist and guarantee period: recruiters have invoices in stages with high single amounts. Saldiqo issues retainer and success fee separately, reminds on open items and creates credit notes when the hire fails.
What comes up for recruitment consultants
Invoices in stages
First instalment on engagement, second on shortlist, third on hire. Each has its moment.
Guarantee period
If a candidate leaves in the probation period, a credit note or a replacement follows.
High single amounts
A fee is often a third of a yearly salary. Payment terms and follow-up matter.
How Saldiqo helps
- Invoices in stagesRetainer, shortlist, success as separate invoices or stage invoices.
- Credit note on a guarantee caseLinked to the original invoice.
- RemindersKeep open items in view.
- Cost centre per mandateEffort and return per mandate.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Retainer on engagement, mandate 2027-14
- Shortlist presentation, 3 candidates
- Success fee on hire, 28 % of yearly salary
- Job advert re-invoiced as per receipt
- Credit note: leaver in probation
- Sourcing effort by the hour
Tax and invoicing in Malta
What applies to invoices in Malta, in short. As of October 2026.
- VAT
- Rates 18 %, 12 %, 7 % and 5 %. Malta has no zero rate in law. Exports, EU supplies, food and medicines are exempt with credit, which lets you reclaim input VAT. Exempt without credit does not.
- Article 11 small undertakings
- With up to €35,000 of domestic turnover a year you can be exempt under Article 11. The status ends on the day the limit is passed, and you still register with the VAT department. Saldiqo adds the exemption note and leaves VAT off.
- Tax invoice or fiscal receipt
- A tax invoice is issued only when the customer gives you a VAT number. Otherwise a fiscal receipt from an approved system is required. Saldiqo writes invoices. It is not a fiscal receipt system, and a Saldiqo PDF does not replace a fiscal receipt.
- Invoice timing
- Issue the invoice by the 15th of the following month, or when payment arrives if that comes first. Simplified invoices are allowed up to €100.
- E-invoicing
- There is no mandate. Public bodies accept e-invoices through Peppol (EN 16931). The tax authority plans e-invoicing and real-time reporting but has set no dates, and EU rules apply from 1 July 2030.
- VAT returns
- Returns are due by the 15th day of the second month after the period, with 7 extra days when you file and pay electronically. Article 11 businesses file a yearly declaration by 15 February. Saldiqo does not file returns.
- Record keeping
- VAT records for 6 years, income tax records for 9 years and company records for 10 years. Plan for 10 years.
- Late payment
- Interest on late business payments is 10.40 %, plus €40 compensation between businesses.
- Languages
- Use Saldiqo in English or Maltese and send invoices in either language.
Frequently asked questions
How do I bill retainer and success fee?
As stage invoices from the quote, with a line per stage.
How do I treat a guarantee case?
With a credit note to the success invoice if you repay fees.
Do recruitment consultants in Malta have to charge VAT?
If you are registered under Article 10, yes. Small undertakings under Article 11 with domestic turnover of up to €35,000 a year are exempt from charging VAT, but the status ends on the day the limit is passed.
Do recruitment consultants in Malta need a fiscal receipt?
Sales to consumers need a fiscal receipt from an approved fiscal receipt system, and Article 11 businesses use one for all sales. Saldiqo is not such a system. It covers tax invoices to customers who give you their VAT number.
How long should recruitment consultants keep invoices?
VAT records for 6 years, income tax records for 9 years and company records for 10 years, so plan for 10 years. You can store receipts digitally in Saldiqo. The legal duty to keep records stays with you.
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As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.