Temp-to-Hire and Direct-Placement Decision Workbook

Convert now, ride to the waiver, or pay the placement fee: the workbook turns the trial-to-hire call into a number you can defend.

One workbook for the call every trial-to-hire role forces

The decision calculator, the buyout schedule, and the portfolio view, opened on a worked example. Works in Excel or Google Sheets.

• Start Here. How the tabs fit together and the order to work in. One page, read it first.
• Temp-to-Hire and Direct-Placement Decision Workbook. The decision calculator pricing three first-year paths, the declining buyout schedule to the waiver, the convert-now-versus-ride read, a portfolio view across open roles, and an assumptions and sources tab with every default dated. Opens on a worked example. Works in Excel or Google Sheets.
• TrueStep HR Product License. What you can and cannot do with the files, including the consultant and white-label tiers.
• Using This Workbook in Google Sheets. The two-minute import path if your team lives in Google Sheets rather than Excel.

The method in the order the offer runs

Price the paths, read the buyout, and only then negotiate. The order matters because the waiver schedule is the lever most buyers never read.

• Price the three paths. Salary, burden, bill rate, and fees in; the first-year cost of direct hire, temp-to-hire, and direct placement out, side by side.
• Read the buyout schedule. The conversion fee declines as hours accumulate and disappears at the waiver threshold. The schedule shows exactly what converting costs today, next month, and at the waiver.
• Run the convert-or-ride read. Converting now trades the buyout for your payroll cost; riding trades your payroll cost for more weeks on the bill rate. The read prices both branches and names the cheaper one.
• Compare the portfolio. Ten open roles rarely share one answer. The portfolio view prices each role and flags where the path should differ.

Built to be honest about the crossover

Temp-to-hire is not always cheapest, and a workbook that always says convert would be a brochure. The model shows where direct placement or direct hire wins.

• Fee ranges labeled as ranges. Buyouts of 10% to 25% of first-year salary, waiver thresholds near 520 to 1,000 or more hours, and placement fees near 20% ship as sourced survey ranges; your agreement is the number that matters, and every one is editable.
• The waiver read up front. If the hours already worked put you past the waiver, the workbook says the conversion is free before it prices anything else.
• First-year framing, stated. The comparison prices year one, where the paths differ; the assumptions tab says so plainly instead of implying a forever number.
• A worked example in every tab. The workbook opens on a realistic role, not a blank sheet.

Who it is built for and where to go if that is not you

Built for

• A manager with a temp on the line and a conversion fee on the table this month.
• An HR lead or recruiter comparing agency terms across several open roles.
• A consultant pricing hiring paths for a client and needing the work to show.

If you are looking for

• A free, quick read on one role. The free Temp-to-Hire Breakeven Calculator runs the three paths in your browser.
• The whole contingent program. The Contingent Labor Cost and Conversion Workbook models the program-level conversion case.

Before you buy

How is this different from the free calculator?

The free calculator prices one role in your browser. The workbook adds the declining buyout schedule, the convert-or-ride read on your actual hours, the portfolio view across open roles, and the sourced assumptions tab, and it saves your work.

Where do the fee defaults come from?

Published 2024 to 2025 survey ranges: conversion buyouts of 10% to 25% of first-year salary, free-conversion thresholds commonly near 520 to 1,000 or more worked hours, and direct placement fees of 15% to 25% with 20% the common benchmark. Each is dated on the assumptions tab, and each is an input because your agreement controls.

Does it tell me which path to pick?

It prices the paths and names the cheapest on your inputs, including the cases where staying on the agency bill wins. The decision stays yours; the workbook makes it a documented one.

Is this legal or tax advice?

No. It is a cost model with planning figures. Agency agreements are contracts; have yours reviewed before you rely on a fee or waiver term.

Is it a subscription?

No. One-time purchase, no recurring fee. You keep the files.

Will it stay current as the figures change?

Each file carries a last-reviewed date so you can see how current it is, and the assumptions tab dates every default to its source, so a changed rate is a one-cell update rather than a mystery.

What is the refund policy?

Digital products are covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. See the refund policy for the full terms.

What happens after I buy?

Your files are delivered as a digital download, and your receipt arrives by email. Open the Start Here page first; it tells you the order to work in. Questions or want a hand getting set up? Email support@truestephr.com.

Can I expense this purchase to my business?

Most customers buy TrueStep HR tools for business use, and a tool you use for work often qualifies as a deductible business expense. Whether it does for you depends on your situation, so confirm with your accountant. Your receipt arrives by email at checkout and works as documentation.

Planning figures built from sourced, dated defaults. General information, not legal or tax advice; confirm your own rates and terms before acting on the outputs.

How the download works

Your files arrive as a single ZIP download, best opened on a computer: save it, extract it (right-click and Extract All on Windows, double-click on a Mac), and open the Start Here file first. PDFs open in any reader, and the editable files work in Microsoft Word and Excel or their free equivalents, including LibreOffice and Google Docs and Sheets. No other software is needed. Step-by-step help for every device is at truestephr.com/pages/download-help.