What is the responsibility of Ascen versus the staffing agency partner?

Last updated: July 30, 2026

Summary: In short — you (the staffing partner) own the business relationships: finding and managing end clients and recruiting candidates. Ascen acts as the Employer of Record (EOR) and handles the employment side: onboarding, payroll, taxes, compliance, and HR. You run your book of business; we handle the back office of employing the workers.

The model in one line

Ascen is an Employer of Record (EOR). That means, for the workers you place, Ascen is the legal employer on paper — handling payroll, tax, benefits, and compliance — while your client directs the actual work and you own the client and candidate relationships.

What you (the staffing partner) are responsible for

  • Finding and managing your end clients — winning the business and owning the client relationship.

  • Recruiting and selecting candidates — sourcing, screening for fit, and deciding who to place.

  • Setting rates — the pay rate for the worker and the bill rate to your client.

  • Managing the working relationship — day-to-day coordination and performance with your client and workers.

  • Keeping work moving in the platform — creating assignments and making sure time is submitted and approved so payroll can run.

What Ascen is responsible for

  • Worker onboarding — employment paperwork, work authorization (I-9/E-Verify in the US), tax forms, banking, and any required background checks or screenings.

  • Payroll and taxes — paying the workers, withholding and remitting payroll taxes, and year-end tax forms.

  • Employer compliance — workers' compensation, employment-law compliance, and benefits where applicable.

  • Invoicing and payments — for funded partners, invoicing your clients and collecting payment, then distributing your share back to you. (Self-funded partners handle their own payroll funding and can choose whether to use our invoicing — see When do you invoice clients?)

  • HR and employment matters for the workers we employ on your behalf.

How it fits together

You bring the client and the candidate and set the rate; you create the assignment. Ascen then onboards the worker, runs payroll and compliance, invoices the client (for funded partners), and pays everyone. You stay focused on growing your book of business while we run the employment back office.

The exact split can shift with your setup — for example, self-funded partners fund their own payroll and may handle their own client billing. See the related articles for those specifics.

  • When do you invoice clients?

  • What is the difference between a Contractor and an Assignment?

  • How do I create an assignment?

  • How to invite and onboard a new contractor