Corp-to-corp: we can't pay the entity until its onboarding is complete
Last updated: September 10, 2026
Applies to: Corp-to-corp (C2C) entities we engage, and the partners who place workers through them. If you're engaged as an individual — a W-2 employee or a 1099 independent contractor — this doesn't apply to you.
Summary: On a corp-to-corp engagement we contract with and pay the company, not the individual working under it. We can't pay that company until it has finished onboarding with us — Business Verification (KYB) and the W-9 are the pieces that hold this up most often. Hours being approved is not what releases the money.
What we need from the entity
The two most important:
Business Verification (KYB), completed by someone at the company who can confirm its details. This is a person-completed step, not a document you can email in — it needs an actual named individual at the entity to work through it.
A W-9 for the business.
Also required:
A certificate of insurance (COI) meeting the requirements for the assignment.
A corp-to-corp agreement, signed by the entity.
Bank details for the business account we'll pay into.
This is a one-time setup per entity, not per worker or per assignment. Once it's done, subsequent placements under the same company don't repeat it.
Why payment hasn't arrived
Time being submitted and approved doesn't release payment on its own — we don't pay a company whose onboarding with us isn't finished. If pay for approved work hasn't come through and onboarding is still outstanding, that's the reason. It isn't a dispute, and it isn't a problem with the work or the hours.
Nothing is lost while this is outstanding. Once the entity's onboarding is complete, pay for the approved work is released.
What to do
Find out which step is outstanding. Email support@ascen.com and we'll tell you exactly what's missing for that entity.
Get it to the right person. The chase usually stalls because the request sits with an accounts-payable contact while Business Verification needs someone who can speak for the business itself. Those are often different people.
Tell the entity what's happening. If someone at the company is chasing us about payment, they'll keep chasing until someone explains that the hold is an onboarding step on their side.
A note on who onboards
The individual workers under a corp-to-corp entity are not onboarded as Ascen contractors and don't complete our IC agreements or tax forms — identity verification is the only step on their side. It's the company that we verify. See Job classifications and corp-to-corp — choosing how a worker is engaged.
Who to contact
Ascen — support@ascen.com: what's outstanding for a specific entity, and the status of held pay.