Creating clients, jobs, and assignments — what's required and what can delay going live

Last updated: August 2, 2026

Summary: An assignment goes live only after a set of approvals clears: the job's risk review, the workers' comp code approval, and — for funded partners — the client's risk/fraud checks, and a signed client services agreement. Most of these clear quickly when the underlying records are complete and accurate; this article lists exactly what each record needs, the order things happen, and the six things that most commonly add days.

Step 1 — Create the client

Required: legal entity name, business address, website, nature of business, and a contact (name, title, email, phone).

Two things to get right here, because they drive the approval checks later:
- Use the client's real corporate details — official website, a contact email on the client's own domain. Automated risk and fraud checks compare these; placeholder or personal-email contacts are the #1 trigger for a manual review.
- Funded partners: the client will need to sign a Client Services Agreement (or addendum). Start the agreement early — client signature time is the delay you control least.

Step 2 — Create the job

Required: title, classification (see Job classifications and corp-to-corp), category, a real description of at least 200 characters, pay/bill rates, and the workers' comp code.

The description and WC code matter more than they look: the job risk review and WC code approval both read them. A vague description or a WC code that doesn't match the actual duties means a manual review instead of a fast pass.

Step 3 — Add the contractor

Required: first name, last name, and a valid, unique email (their onboarding invite goes there — typos here stall everything silently). For ICs, indicate whether they operate as an individual or a company (corp-to-corp).

Step 4 — Create and submit the assignment

Required: the job, the contractor, start date, pay rate (or salary), bill rate, and a work location (or work-from-home). Travel assignments also need an intended end date.

On submission the assignment enters awaiting approval, and the review gates run.

Once everything clears, the assignment is approved and goes live — which is when the contractor's onboarding invites go out (I-9 for W-2, background checks if required, payroll setup). Worker onboarding then has its own timeline; see the worker checklists.

The six most common delay causes

  1. Client agreement not signed (funded partners). The CSA/addendum needs the client's signature — chase it from day one; nothing else can compensate for it.

  2. Workers' comp code approval. Slower when the code is new for that client/state or doesn't match the job description. Reuse previously approved codes where the work is genuinely the same.

  3. Job risk approval. Slower for vague descriptions, unusual roles, or high-risk duties. Write the job description to answer the risk questions before we ask them — see the section below.

  4. Client risk approval / KYC. May require documents from the client — respond quickly when we ask.

  5. Client fraud checks. Triggered mostly by mismatched details (website, email domains, contacts). Real corporate details clear fast.

  6. Contractor-side checks. A contractor's verification or screening issue (failed ID verification, background-check delays, unresponsive to invites) blocks their start even after the assignment is approved — see Tracking background check progress — the timeline view.

Writing job descriptions that clear risk review fast

The job review reads your description looking for risk. A vague description forces a manual review; a proactively specific one clears automatically. Two rules:
1. Say exactly what the worker does — real duties, environment, tools, and physical demands, in the client's own terms. 200 characters is the minimum, not the target.
2. Rule out the risks we'd otherwise have to ask about. If the role is anywhere near a sensitive area, say explicitly what it does NOT involve. Examples: "office-based; no driving duties", "no lifting over 50 lbs", "clinic setting — no home visits", "warehouse associate — does not operate heavy machinery". Silence on these reads as unknown risk; an explicit rule-out reads as low risk.

Work we can't support (or that needs explicit pre-approval)

Talk to us before creating the job if the role touches any of these — some we cannot staff at all, others need explicit approval (including from our workers' comp carrier) first:
- Healthcare acuity limits: NICU/PICU or neonatal care, labor & delivery, pediatric OB, physician (MD/DO) practice roles, and home health aides (care inside private homes).
- Driving: commercial driving or courier/delivery as the primary duty, CDL roles, vehicles over 10,000 lbs GVWR, or transporting passengers/groups — not supported. Incidental driving (a personal-size vehicle, secondary to the real job) can be supported but requires pre-approval and driver screening — flag it in the description rather than leaving it implied.
- High-hazard work: working at heights, underground work, on/near open water, high-voltage exposure, uncontained/hazardous chemicals, heavy lifting (50+ lbs), machinery repair, saws/nail guns, non-managerial construction, roofing, welding, direct traffic exposure, correctional facilities.
- Licensed trades: electrician, plumbing, HVAC.
- Regulated products: handling/serving alcohol as a regular duty; any marijuana/THC-related work.

If a role legitimately includes one of these, don't soften the description to slip past review — that creates workers' comp and insurance exposure for everyone. Ask us; often there's a compliant way to structure it.

The pattern: complete, accurate, real-world details clear reviews quickly; placeholders, mismatches, and vague descriptions convert automatic passes into manual reviews. If something has been pending longer than expected, email support@ascen.com with the assignment — we can tell you exactly which gate it's waiting on.

  • Job classifications and corp-to-corp — choosing how a worker is engaged

  • How long does it take for an assignment to be approved?

  • How long do background checks and drug tests take?

  • How do you handle late invoices? (what happens after go-live, on the billing side)