Why does a rate change mean my workers have new documents to sign?

Applies to: Staffing partners who ask us to change a pay or bill rate on an existing assignment. If you are a worker who has been asked to sign something, see Why am I being asked to sign new documents for a new assignment? instead.

Summary: A rate change is recorded as a new assignment rather than an edit to the old one, so the rate history and the already-invoiced work stay intact. Because documents in Ascen are attached to an assignment, the new assignment can ask the worker to sign a new offer letter — and sometimes a document that became a requirement after they first onboarded. Nothing about their employment, role, client or day-to-day work changes. Tell us before a bulk rate change and we will message the affected workers for you.

Why a rate change produces paperwork at all

Your workers' documents are tied to the assignment they are working, not just to the person. The paperwork has to describe the assignment as it actually stands — including the rate — so when the rate changes, the documents that quote a rate are reissued against the new assignment.

Keeping the old assignment intact is deliberate. It preserves the billing and rate history for work that has already been invoiced, so earlier weeks stay priced the way they were actually billed and the new rate applies from the change onward.

Why a long-tenured worker can be asked for more than you expect

This is the part that usually surprises people. Ascen's standard document set has grown over time. When a new assignment is created, the platform looks at what that assignment requires and asks the worker for anything on the list they have not already signed — which can include a document that did not exist when they first onboarded, even if they have been working for years.

The platform only asks for what is missing. Anything already signed and still applicable is not requested again, which is why the list is usually short.

What your workers will and will not be asked to redo

They are not being asked to onboard again. Identity verification, tax forms, direct deposit details and (in almost all cases) Form I-9 all carry over. Typically they will see a new offer letter for the new assignment, plus any agreement that applies to this assignment and not the last one.

Outstanding documents do count as an incomplete step on the new assignment, and incomplete steps can hold up time entry and pay for that assignment — so it is worth asking your workers to complete them promptly.

Before you ask for a rate change in bulk

• Tell us how many workers are affected. We will send the affected workers an explanation so the first thing they hear is not an unexpected signature request.

• Send the rate change and the effective date together. See Emailing us a new assignment, promotion, or extension — what to include for the details we need.

• Check the regenerated documents. A reissued offer letter can pick up a start date or title that is not what you expected. If a worker tells you a detail looks wrong, ask them not to sign it and email us — we can correct the record and reissue.

• A classification change works the same way. See Moving a worker between W-2 and independent contractor — what we need from you.

If you need help

Email support@ascen.com with the client, the assignment and the new rate, and tell us if you would like the worker communication coordinated. For questions about a worker's schedule or placement, talk to your own workforce team — that side is not ours to change.