In the staffing industry, it is all about hours, costs and fast invoicing. Approved timesheets need to flow seamlessly into invoices, and G-accounts are essential for temporary employment liability. eConnect supports the full chain from timecard to invoice via Peppol, in the SETU standard.
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From timecard to invoice in one automated chain. Hours worked and expenses of temporary workers are exchanged digitally via Peppol in SETU format, including corrections. An approved timesheet automatically forms the basis for invoicing. Combined with G-account support for temporary employment liability, the platform covers the full processing chain of the staffing industry.
Exchange of hours worked and expenses via the Peppol network in SETU format. Weekly submission with support for corrections. Secure, standardised and automatic.
An approved timesheet is the source for automatic invoicing. The full process from time registration to invoice dispatch runs digitally, without manual intervention.
When hiring temporary workers, the hirer is liable for the payroll taxes and turnover tax of the staffing agency. The G-account limits this risk. eConnect processes G-account invoices automatically with the correct payment split.
Full support for SETU HR-XML messages via Peppol: Timecard, Assignment, HumanResource, StaffingOrder and associated status messages. Including Timecard v2.0 for internationalisation.
From e-timecards to G-accounts: the full processing chain of the staffing industry in one platform.
The process starts with the assignment exchange: the client and the staffing agency exchange the assignment digitally via Peppol. The temporary worker then registers the hours worked and expenses weekly in a timecard. This timecard is sent via Peppol in SETU format to the client for approval. After approval, the timesheet automatically forms the basis for invoicing. The invoice is sent back to the client via Peppol, including all hour details.
eConnect also supports secondary delivery: timecards can be sent simultaneously to the provider and subcontractor, or forwarded after correction. For corrections, the adjusted timecard is resent via Peppol.
The Dutch Central Government sends e-timecards via eConnect. This makes it one of the strongest references for this functionality. eConnect is the supplier of the Dutch Central Government Access Point on Peppol (Digipoort/Logius) and processes all e-invoices for the Central Government. The same infrastructure is used for the exchange of e-timecards in SETU format. Edward Mauritz, project manager e-Procurement at Logius: "What was really pleasant was that there was a great deal of trust throughout the entire process. The train just kept moving."
When hiring temporary workers, the hirer can be held liable for the payroll taxes and turnover tax that the staffing agency must remit. The G-account limits this risk: the hirer deposits the estimated amount of payroll taxes and VAT into the blocked G-account, the remaining invoice amount goes to the regular bank account. eConnect recognises G-account IBAN numbers (the "099" sequence) automatically on PDF invoices and processes the split in the e-invoice.
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E-timecards are digital timesheets exchanged via the Peppol network in SETU format, replacing paper timesheets and loose emails.
The SETU format (Foundation for Electronic Transactions in the Staffing Industry) is the Dutch standard for digital communication in the staffing industry. An e-timecard contains the hours worked, expenses and any corrections of a temporary worker over a given period, typically one week. The client receives the timecard digitally via Peppol, reviews and approves it, after which the approved hours automatically form the basis for invoicing.
The advantage over manual processes is considerable. There are no more paper timesheets that get lost, no manual retyping and no disputes after the fact about hours. Corrections are sent as adjustments via Peppol and are immediately traceable. With secondary delivery, timecards can be sent simultaneously to the client and a subcontractor.
The platform supports the full set of SETU HR-XML messages via Peppol, including Timecard v1.4 and the newer Timecard v2.0, which focuses on internationalisation. The Dutch Central Government sends e-timecards via the eConnect platform, which is one of the strongest references for this functionality.
After approval of the timecard by the client, an invoice is automatically generated based on the approved hours and expenses, making the entire journey from time registration to payment fully digital.
The process starts with the assignment exchange: the staffing agency and the client exchange the assignment details digitally via Peppol in SETU format. The temporary worker then registers the hours worked and expenses weekly in a timecard. This is sent via Peppol to the client for approval.
After approval, the timesheet forms the basis for automatic invoicing. The invoice contains all hour details at line level and is sent back to the client via Peppol. Because all data is already structured in the timecard, no manual entry is needed and errors from retyping are prevented.
For corrections, the adjusted timecard is resent via Peppol. The corrected hours automatically lead to an adjusted invoice. In subcontracting (secondary delivery), timecards can be forwarded simultaneously to multiple parties, so all links in the chain receive the same data.
This integrated process saves staffing agencies considerable administrative time and shortens the lead time from hours to payment.
The G-account works in the staffing industry in the same way as in construction and offers protection against temporary employment liability.
When hiring temporary workers, the hirer can be held liable for the payroll taxes and turnover tax that the staffing agency must remit. The G-account limits this risk: the hirer deposits the estimated amount of payroll taxes and VAT into the blocked G-account of the staffing agency, recognisable by the '099' sequence in the IBAN number. The remaining invoice amount goes to the regular bank account.
The platform automatically recognises the G-account IBAN number on incoming PDF invoices via the IDR (Intelligent Document Recogniser) and includes it as a separate field in the e-invoice via the NLCIUS G-account extension. The receiving software package then processes two partial payments: the payroll taxes/VAT portion to the G-account and the remaining amount to the regular bank account.
The prerequisite is that the receiving software package supports G-account processing. If in doubt, a Remote Starter session can verify whether the integration is correctly configured. As additional risk mitigation, the hirer can request a Payment Conduct Declaration from the staffing agency.
More about G-accounts in construction · Read more about invoice processing
The platform supports the full set of SETU HR-XML messages via Peppol, enabling the entire chain from placement to invoicing to run digitally.
The supported message types are: Timecard v1.4 (time registration), Assignment v1.4.1 (assignment details), Assignment Status v1.4 (status updates on assignments), HumanResource v1.4 (personal details of the temporary worker), HumanResource Status v1.4 (status updates on personal details), StaffingOrder v1.4 (order/selection) and StaffingOrder Status v1.4 (status updates on orders).
Additionally, Timecard v2.0 is supported, the newest version focused on internationalisation. This version contains extended fields for documentId, schemeAgencyId, legalId and taxId, enabling timecards to be correctly processed and identified in cross-border situations as well.
The SETU standard (Foundation for Electronic Transactions in the Staffing Industry) is the Dutch norm for digital communication in the staffing industry and is managed in collaboration with the sector. All messages are exchanged via the Peppol network, which guarantees that both parties (staffing agency and client) are verified and the messages are securely delivered.
This broad spectrum of message types makes it possible to not only exchange hours and invoices, but to handle the full process from vacancy to payment digitally.
Yes, the SETU process encompasses much more than just timecards and invoices, and the platform supports the full chain from vacancy to payment.
The assignment exchange (Assignment) is the first step in the digital process. The staffing agency and the client exchange the assignment details via Peppol in SETU HR-XML format: which role, which location, which period and under which conditions. Status updates on the assignment (Assignment Status) are automatically returned, so both parties know the current status at any moment.
Additionally, the selection process (StaffingOrder) and personal details of the temporary worker (HumanResource) are exchanged via the same channel. The full process from vacancy, through selection and assignment, to time registration (Timecard) and final invoicing runs in a standardised and secure manner via Peppol.
By running all steps in the chain via one platform and one network, no manual handover between systems is needed. Errors from retyping are prevented and the lead time of the entire process is significantly reduced. The Dutch Central Government uses this full chain via the eConnect platform.
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