SPLIT FEES · PARTNER AGENCIES · COMMISSIONS

Whose candidate was it, and what do you owe?

Split-fee tracking that answers both — with a timestamp, not an argument. Gaden records representation the moment a candidate is submitted, shows the arithmetic behind every split, and stops you paying a partner out of money that has not arrived.

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FIRST-IN-TIME REPRESENTATION · VISIBLE SPLIT MATH · GUARANTEE-AWARE PAYOUTS

THE THREE QUESTIONS A SPLIT ASKS

Every split comes down to the same three arguments

And in most agencies all three are answered by memory, a phone call from four months ago, and a spreadsheet nobody trusts.

ONE PLACEMENT · TWO AGENCIES · $30,000 FEE
01 · REPRESENTATION
"That candidate was mine."
02 · THE MATH
"We agreed on more than that."
03 · THE TIMING
"You already paid it?"
SPLIT AGREED ON A CALL NOTHING SIGNED PAID BEFORE COLLECTED GUARANTEE STILL OPEN

HOW GADEN SETTLES THEM

Each one answered before it becomes a conversation

Representation is decided by the clock

Whoever submitted the candidate to that client first holds the representation — that is the industry standard, and it only works if somebody wrote down when. Gaden stamps every submittal as it happens and keeps the trail attached to the candidate, the client and the order. When two agencies both believe the candidate was theirs, the answer takes about four seconds instead of four emails.

FIRST-IN-TIME RULE SUBMITTAL TRAIL PER CLIENT · PER ORDER

THE TRAIL

Candidate submitted to clientJul 12 · 09:41
Submitted byYour desk
Partner agency submittalJul 12 · 14:07
RepresentationYours — 4h 26m earlier
Client acceptanceRecorded

The split shows its arithmetic

A percentage of the fee, a flat amount, a tiered arrangement that steps up after a threshold — whatever was agreed, the payout line carries the calculation that produced it. The partner sees the fee, the rate and the result on the same row. Nobody has to take anybody's word for a number, which is the only reliable way to stop a split from becoming a grudge.

PERCENTAGE · FLAT · TIERED SOURCE ON EVERY LINE PARTNER-VISIBLE

HOW THIS NUMBER WAS BUILT

$30,000 fee × 50% credit = $15,000

Source: deal sheet split

TriggerOwed once the client pays
TermsNet 30
Guarantee endsOct 18, 2026

It stops you paying money you do not have

This is the one that costs real cash. Paying a split before the client's fee collects means the money left your account on a promise. Inside the replacement guarantee it is worse: if the candidate leaves, the client's fee goes back and the split you already sent does not follow it. Gaden holds every payout against collected cash and open guarantee windows, and says so in plain words before anything moves.

COLLECTED-CASH GUARD GUARANTEE WINDOW NO SIGNED AGREEMENT WARNING

WHAT THE BOOK IS TELLING YOU

Paid out before the fee came in.
Elite Talent Partners was paid $15,000 on Jillana Michelle — that invoice has not been collected yet. That came out of your cash.

Money out while the guarantee is still running.
Jillana Michelle has 75 days of guarantee left — if they leave, that money does not come back.

Split with no signed agreement.
$15,000 is going to Elite Talent Partners and there is no split agreement on file. Get it signed before the money moves.

WHERE THE CATEGORY STOPS

Your ATS knows the placement. It does not know the split.

Applicant tracking systems are built around candidates and pipeline, and they end at the hire. Everything after — the fee, the split, the commission, the payout — moves to a spreadsheet, and that is where the numbers start to drift.

THE SPREADSHEET

How splits are usually tracked

  • Representation settled by whoever remembers the date
  • Split terms agreed verbally, written down later or never
  • Partner paid when someone remembers, not when cash lands
  • Guarantee windows tracked in a calendar, if at all
  • The commission math lives in a formula nobody else can read
  • Disputes surface months later, with two versions of the truth

GADEN

How Gaden tracks them

  • Representation stamped at submittal, first-in-time
  • Split terms on file, attached to the placement
  • Payout triggers on collected cash, not on the invoice going out
  • Guarantee window watched, and flagged before money moves
  • Every line shows the fee, the rate and the result
  • One record both sides can open

SPLIT FEES, ANSWERED

The questions that come up every time

What is a split fee in recruiting?

One placement fee shared between two parties, most commonly when one agency owns the client relationship and another sourced the candidate. A 50/50 split is the usual starting point, though the share often moves toward whichever side carried more of the work. The fee itself does not change — only who receives what portion of it.

How do you decide whose candidate it was?

The standard is first-in-time: whoever submitted the candidate to that client first holds representation, provided the submittal was accepted. This is why the submittal record matters more than anyone's memory. A dated trail settles the question in seconds; without one it becomes a negotiation between two parties who both believe they are right.

When should a split partner be paid?

After the client's fee has actually collected, not when the invoice was sent. Paying earlier means the money left on a promise. It is more serious during the replacement guarantee window: if the candidate leaves inside that period the fee is returned to the client, and the split already paid out does not come back with it.

Do recruiting ATS platforms handle split fees?

Most do not. Applicant tracking systems are built around candidates and pipeline, and stop at the placement. Split arrangements, commission calculations and payouts typically end up in spreadsheets kept alongside the ATS, which is why the numbers drift and disputes surface months later.

What should a split agreement contain?

The split percentage, which side owns the client and which owns the candidate, the trigger for payment (collected rather than invoiced), what happens if the candidate falls off inside the guarantee, and how a disputed representation claim is resolved. Getting it signed before the submittal is far easier than after a fee lands.

ALL-IN-ONE RECRUITMENT PLATFORM

From finding the client to paying your recruiter

Splits are one part of it. Gaden finds the companies hiring, sources and screens the candidates, writes the proposals and contracts, books the interviews, invoices the fee and chases what is overdue — then pays every partner and recruiter out of the money that actually landed.

See what it costs Free invoice generator

Split tracking and payouts are included from Gaden Desk.