Fiducia TogetherUtilisation and recovery rate
For time-based businesses: what proportion of the value of your time you actually bill.
Please note: This page explains what a term means. It is general information, not legal, financial, tax or investment advice, and it does not know anything about your business. Before you sign, file or commit to anything, check it with an accountant, a solicitor, or the official guidance we link to.
What it means
Recovery rate is the value billed divided by the value of the time recorded at standard rates.
Why it matters
It captures both write-offs and under-quoting. A firm with 80% utilisation and 70% recovery is billing far less than it appears.
What it looks like in practice
Track write-offs by job and by person. A pattern of write-offs on one type of work is a pricing problem, not a performance one.
What to watch out for
Treating recovery as a staff performance measure when it is usually a quoting or scoping problem.
Where to get proper advice
Your own figures. No external source knows your business.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains what a term means. It is general information, not legal, financial, tax or investment advice, and it does not know anything about your business. Before you sign, file or commit to anything, check it with an accountant, a solicitor, or the official guidance we link to.