Built for UK recruitment agencies
Stop chasing invoices. Get paid on time.
Instalo handles everything between an agreed fee and money in the bank: client approval, invoicing, collection by card or Direct Debit, and chasing anything that’s late. Clients can pay through Instalo, in instalments if they like, or straight to you.
Your first seat is free. No card needed to sign up.
How it works
From invoice sent to fee in the bank
No spreadsheet of who owes what, no calendar reminders to chase, and no awkward emails written from scratch.
- 1
Bring your invoices
Raise placements in Instalo, sync your open invoices from your accounting software, or add them by hand. Everything you’re owed is in one list.
- 2
Set your chase plan
Choose when reminders go out, when late fees and interest apply, and who gets escalated to. Set it once for everyone, then adjust it for any client.
- 3
Instalo does the chasing
Reminders, fees and escalations run on time for every invoice. When a call is needed, the right person on your team gets the task with the full history.
- 4
Get paid your way
Clients pay into your bank as they do now, or through Instalo by card, Direct Debit or in instalments. Chasing stops the moment an invoice is paid.
Credit control
Coming soonNobody on your team chases invoices any more
Set your chase plan once. Instalo follows it for every invoice, stops the moment it’s paid, and hands your team only the calls that need a person.
Reminders that send themselves
Before the due date, on the day and after it, in your agency’s name. Each one carries the invoice and a Pay now link. Set the wording once, adjust it per client, or pause any invoice.
Late fees and interest
Add statutory interest and fixed compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act, or your own late fee, when an invoice passes the point you choose. Clients see the cost of waiting on every reminder, and you can waive it in one click.
Escalation and call tracking
When emails aren’t working, Instalo copies in a more senior contact, then gives the right person on your team a call to make. Log the outcome and any promise to pay: chasing pauses until that date and starts again if it’s missed.
Your chase plan
Applies to all clients3 days before
Friendly reminder
Due date
Due today reminder
7 days late
Overdue reminder
- fee
14 days late
Add interest and compensation
- escalate
21 days late
Escalate to finance director
- call
28 days late
Call task for the account owner
Stops automatically when the invoice is paid, however it’s paid.
Every invoice, however it’s paid
Your clients don’t have to pay through Instalo. They can keep paying straight into your bank account, and Instalo still tracks and chases the invoice until it’s settled. There is no platform fee on money you collect yourself.
Placements in Instalo
Invoices raised from approved placements are tracked from the moment they’re issued.
Synced from your accounts
Connect Xero, and later QuickBooks, and Instalo picks up your open invoices and sees when they’re paid.
Added by hand
Not on an accounting system? Add an invoice in a minute and mark it paid when the money arrives.
- 50% on the start date
- 25% 30 days later
- 25% 30 days after that
Instalments
Let clients spread the fee. Stop chasing it.
Clients choose when they approve: one payment, or half on the start date and the rest in two payments 30 days apart. Either way the schedule is agreed up front and collected for you.
Win the fee conversation
A £15k fee is easier to sign off as three payments. Offer instalments without carrying the risk of collecting them yourself.
One invoice, not three
The full fee is a single VAT invoice with the schedule printed on it, which is what your client’s accounts team and your accountant expect.
Direct Debit does the chasing
The client sets up a BACS mandate once. Each instalment is taken on its due date, and if one fails the client is sent a link to pay another way.
Features
Everything between the agreed fee and the money
One place for your consultants and your finance team, from the placement being approved to the last payment landing.
Chasing
Credit control that runs itself.
Automatic reminders (coming soon)
Before, on and after the due date, in your name.
Chase plans per client (coming soon)
One default plan, adjusted for any client.
Late fees and interest (coming soon)
Statutory interest and compensation, or your own fee.
Escalation (coming soon)
Copy in a more senior contact when reminders are ignored.
Call tasks and notes (coming soon)
The right person gets the call, with the full history.
Promise to pay (coming soon)
Chasing pauses until the promised date, then picks up.
Getting paid
Optional, for clients who pay through Instalo.
Card and Direct Debit
Card or BACS Direct Debit, processed by Stripe.
Instalments
Half on the start date, the rest in two payments.
Collected on the due date
One mandate; each payment is taken automatically.
Payouts to your bank
Each payment is paid out to you as it clears.
Pay now link (coming soon)
On every invoice and reminder, for card or bank transfer.
Failed payment recovery (coming soon)
The client is sent a link to pay another way.
Invoices and accounts
Every invoice you’re owed, in one place.
VAT handled
Calculated on every fee; your name and VAT number on the invoice.
Invoices from placements (coming soon)
Issued on the candidate’s start date, schedule included.
Paid anywhere, tracked (coming soon)
Invoices paid straight to your bank are tracked too.
Xero sync (coming soon)
Open invoices in, payments and fees written back.
QuickBooks sync (coming soon)
The same, for QuickBooks Online.
Add invoices by hand (coming soon)
For anything not in an accounting system.
Your agency
From a team of one to a whole agency.
Client-approved placements
Fees agreed in writing before the candidate starts.
Team roles
Admin, Finance and Member access for every colleague.
Earnings dashboard
What’s awaiting approval, scheduled and paid.
Client portal
Clients see their placements and payments, free.
For your clients
Hire now. Spread the fee.
Clients don’t sign up or pay anything to use Instalo. You add them, and they get a simple way to approve fees and pay on terms that work for their cash flow.
What a client sees when they approve
Approve in a couple of clicks
Check the role, start date and fee from the email, then approve or tell the agency what needs to change.
Pay the way that suits you
Pay the whole fee at once or in three instalments, by card or BACS Direct Debit.
Nothing to remember
Set up Direct Debit once and each payment is taken on its date. You always know what’s coming and when.
Every placement in one place
Sign in to see your placements, invoices and payments across every agency that uses Instalo.
Pricing
Free for one. Simple per-seat pricing for teams.
Every seat includes invoice tracking and chasing. Your first seat is always free; add colleagues and the size of your team sets one rate for every seat after the first.
Just you
1 seat
Free
For independent recruiters. No subscription, ever.
Small team
2–5 seats
£40/ seat / month
For each seat after your first one.
Growing agency
6–10 seats
£35/ seat / month
For each seat after your first one.
Established agency
11+ seats
£30/ seat / month
For each seat after your first one.
How it adds up
A team of 6 is in the 6–10 band, so 5 paid seats × £35 = £175 a month. Seats are only active members of your team, and you can add or remove people at any time.
A platform fee only when we collect
When a client pays through Instalo, a small percentage is taken from the payout and shown up front. Agencies placing high volumes pay a reduced rate. Money clients pay straight to you carries no fee.
FAQ
Questions agencies ask
Do my clients have to pay through Instalo?
No. Clients can keep paying straight into your bank account, and Instalo still tracks and chases those invoices. Paying through Instalo is there for when you want card or Direct Debit payments, or instalments.
Can I charge late payment interest?
Yes. UK businesses can claim statutory interest and fixed compensation on late payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, unless your terms say otherwise. Instalo can add them for you, or a late fee of your own, and you can waive them for any client or invoice.
Will automatic reminders upset my clients?
You decide the timing and wording, and can change them for each client or pause chasing on any invoice. Reminders stop as soon as an invoice is paid, and a logged promise to pay holds them until that date.
Who issues the invoice?
You do. Instalo issues it on your behalf, with your company name, address and VAT number, so you stay the seller and your client’s relationship stays with you.
When do I get paid?
Each payment is paid out to your business bank account once it has been collected. Card payments clear quickly. A Direct Debit takes about three working days to clear after it is taken.
Do my clients need to sign up?
No. You add a client and their contacts, and they get an email asking them to approve the placement. They can sign in later to see their placements and payments.
What if a candidate drops out?
If they withdraw before the start date, no invoice is issued. If the placement ends after the start, any unpaid instalments are cancelled and a credit note is raised in line with your terms.
What happens if a Direct Debit fails?
We tell the client and send them a link to pay that instalment another way. You can see the status of every payment in your dashboard.
Who looks after the money?
Payments are processed by Stripe, which also holds and pays out the funds. Instalo never sees or stores your clients’ card or bank details.
Does it work with Xero or QuickBooks?
Xero comes first, then QuickBooks. Once connected, Instalo picks up your open invoices to chase and sees when they’re paid, and payments taken through Instalo are written back to your books. Until then you can add invoices by hand.
Where is Instalo available?
We are launching with UK recruitment agencies. Other countries will follow.
Make your next placement the last one you chase.
Set up your agency in minutes. Your first seat is free.