Agency Payment Policies: Invoices, Due Dates and Late Fees

Invoice terms

Every invoice Workium issues to a partner agency carries a clear due date, which is usually 5 days from the date of issue unless the invoice states otherwise. All invoices are expected to be honoured in full on or before that due date. The due date applies regardless of your agency's internal payment cycles, so we recommend forwarding invoices to your finance team as soon as they arrive.

Late payments and the 5% weekly late fee

If an invoice is not settled by its due date, a late payment fee of 5% of the outstanding invoice amount is added for every week the invoice remains overdue. The fee accrues weekly and compounds on the outstanding balance until the invoice is settled in full. For example, a €1,000 invoice that is two weeks overdue would accrue 5% in week one and a further 5% in week two.

The late fee exists to keep programmes fair for every partner: unpaid invoices hold open employer commitments, reserved slots and casework that other agencies are waiting to access.

Your responsibility when a candidate withdraws

Agencies are responsible for the payments due on their candidates even if the candidate voluntarily withdraws from the process. Once a payment milestone has been reached (for example, on the Zero Deposit Program, once Workium has received and confirmed the candidate's employment documents and work permit authorisations), the corresponding payment is due and remains payable regardless of the candidate's later decision to withdraw. This is because the milestone payment covers verification, employer matching, document and authorisation work that has already been completed on the candidate's behalf.

The only exception is a programme's stated cooling-off window (typically 3 calendar days from submission), during which a written withdrawal carries no charge because no milestone work has been billed.

We strongly recommend that agencies confirm their candidate's commitment and ability to fund the full programme before submitting, and reflect these terms in their own agreements with candidates.

What happens if invoices remain unpaid

Continued non-payment may result in: suspension of access to new submissions and programmes (including the Zero Deposit Program), release of reserved programme slots, withholding of in-progress casework, and escalation to formal recovery under the terms of your partnership agreement. Workium may also review the agency's partner status and KYC standing.

How to pay

Milestone payments on programmes such as Zero Deposit and Finland Seasonal Work are paid by card through secure Stripe checkout directly from your Agency Dashboard. Invoices issued outside the dashboard include payment instructions on the invoice itself.

Questions or payment difficulties

If you anticipate a delay or want to query an invoice, contact hello@workium.co.uk before the due date. We are far more flexible with agencies who flag issues early than with invoices that silently pass their due date. You can also book a call with a consultant at calendly.com/hello-workium/30min.